Description
Delightful cranberry bars with a perfect balance of tartness and sweetness, featuring a crumbly, buttery topping.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour (or gluten-free cup-for-cup blend)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, very cold, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups (340g) fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 1 tbsp fresh orange zest (or lemon zest)
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water (for slurry)
Instructions
- Prepare cranberry filling: In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup water, orange zest, orange juice, and optional spices. Heat over medium for 8-10 minutes until cranberries soften. Create a slurry with cornstarch and cold water, stir into the cranberry mix, and cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Let cool for 1-2 hours.
- Prepare base and crumble topping: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Whisk egg and vanilla, mix into flour, reserving 1 to 1 ½ cups for topping, and press the rest into the bottom of the pan.
- Assemble the bars: Once the filling is cool, spoon it over the crust and sprinkle the reserved crumble topping over it.
- Bake the bars: Bake for 35-45 minutes until topping is golden brown and filling bubbles slightly.
- Cool and serve: Let cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours before cutting. Optionally garnish with powdered sugar or whipped cream.
Notes
Use cold butter for the perfect crumble texture. Adjust sweetness of the cranberry filling to taste.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg