Cranberry Bars are the sweet-tart treat for anyone who heads straight for the bowl of cranberry sauce every Thanksgiving! A jammy filling is nestled between a buttery oat crust and a fabulously crumbly topping.
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Cranberry Bar Recipe
- A Crust That Does Double-Duty. This cranberry bar recipe streamlines the prep by using the same mixture for the crust and the topping. The only difference is that the crust is compacted and the topping is sprinkled on like a crumble. Let’s hear it for one less bowl to wash!
- Tart and Tangy Cranberries. Cranberries are a delight! Did you know that they bounce when you throw them? Fun! But back to these cranberry bars—if you don’t like your desserts overly sweet (or you LOVE my Cranberry Orange Sauce or Cranberry Orange Relish), you’ll appreciate the bright, tart flavor of this recipe.
- Easy Process and Everyday Ingredients. Other than the cranberries, the ingredients here are simple and most of them you probably have in your kitchen right now. That, combined with the easy prep, make these cranberry bars a cinch.
How to Make Cranberry Bars
The Ingredients
Filling:
- Cranberries. Fresh or frozen cranberries make the filling for these fruit bars bright, tart, and zippy. (If you love cranberry desserts, try these Leftover Cranberry Sauce Parfaits.)
- Pure Maple Syrup. Sweetening the cranberry filling with maple syrup adds another layer of flavor.
- Lemon. To lean into the bright, tart flavor of the berries.
- Cornstarch. Thickens the filling and gives it body.
Crust/Crumb Topping:
- All-Purpose Flour. The base for our buttery, crumbly crust.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats. Provides the crust a subtle nutty flavor and slight chew (as in these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies).
- Brown Sugar. Gives the crust a nice complexity of flavor. You can use light or dark.
- Unsalted Butter. Makes the crust flaky, buttery, and perfectly crumbly.
The Directions
- Start the Filling. Combine the cranberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, and salt; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Smash the berries when you stir to help them break down.
- Thicken. Stir in the cornstarch and cook for another minute or two.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients. Flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk ‘em!
- Add the Butter. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the crumbs hold together when pinched.
- Make the Crust. Press two-thirds of the crust/crumb mixture into a square baking dish lined with parchment.
- Add the Cranberry Filling. Spread that ruby-red jammy deliciousness evenly over the crust.
- Finish. Add the crumble topping, then bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden on top and firm in the middle. Cool for 30 minutes, then transfer the bars to a wire rack to finish cooling. Slice into squares and ENJOY!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Thaw Frozen Cranberries First. You can make these cranberry bars year-round if you use frozen cranberries! Just thaw them first. You can either do this in the refrigerator overnight, or run them under warm water.
- It’s Gonna Be Poppin’. The cranberries are gonna be poppin’, that is. If you haven’t cooked with whole cranberries before, don’t panic if they start popping and bursting open in the saucepan. You can control this by smashing the berries yourself before they pop.
- Line Your Pan with Parchment Paper. It’s so worth it! This will make it easier to remove the bars from the pan and cut them into squares. Spraying the pan before lining it helps hold the parchment in place.
- Let The Bars Cool Completely Before Slicing. The filling needs time to set, so be patient and let the bars cool completely before slicing into them. Otherwise, they’re likely to be a crumbly, oozing mess.
Cranberry Bars
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 16 bars
A crust that does double-duty as a crumble topping is the secret to making these easy cranberry bars. Perfect for the holidays!
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Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries thawed, if frozen
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ lemon juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Crust/Crumb Topping:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat an 8×8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray, then line with parchment so that two opposite sides of the parchment overhangs the pan like handles.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring regularly and gently pressing on the cranberries to break them down.
- When the mixture is saucy and the berries are mostly broken down, about 6 minutes, stir in the cornstarch. Return to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- For the crust and topping, in a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Add the melted butter and mix (I like to use my hands) until the mixture sticks together when pressed and you have some larger chunks (about the size of a quarter) and smaller bits (closer to pea-sized).
- Transfer two-thirds of the dough mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into an even layer in the bottom of the dish. Cover with the cranberry filling. Sprinkle the remaining crumble over the filling.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden on top and firm in the center—there should be very little movement in the center when you jiggle the pan. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then use the parchment handles to carefully transfer to a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing into squares and serving.
Notes
- TO STORE: Transfer the bars to an airtight container and store at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. You can place parchment between the layers if you need to stack them.
- TO FREEZE: For best results, wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months and thaw at room temperature to enjoy.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: You can make the filling up to 5 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 16)Calories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 23mgPotassium: 97mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 279IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
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These are awesome! I didn’t have apricot jelly, but I did have three (!) jars of jam that each had a spoonful at the bottom (plum, strawberry and raspberry). The mixture worked well and I am so glad to get some added fibre into my family.
Monica, I am so so excited that you tried these and loved them! I think that combo of jam sounds just delightful–what a good way to use up leftovers. Thanks for trying the recipe and taking time to comment. Makes my day!!
These look absolutely delicious Erin. I think they’d be a hit in our household!! One thing: what on earth is a Grape Nut? I don’t know if they’re sold here in Australia (I will have to have a hunt around!). We can’t get cranberries in this patch of the southern hemisphere either (except for dried, would they work?) so I might have to do a bit of adapting to get these healthy bars of goodness into the oven! Thanks for the lovely recipe. And yep, I have always felt like blogging friends are indeed real friends, despite time, distance and never seeing each other face to face! Some of the best people on the planet are right here in the blogosphere :) Happy Thanksgiving beautiful!! xxx
Oh Laura, how do I even explain a Grape Nut? It’s a super crunchy cereal here in the US that’s made of mix of wheat and barely. I found this link that explains how to make them homemade, but if you don’t want to go to the trouble, you should be able to swap in an equal amount of oats: http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2012/05/homemade-grape-nuts/. As far as a substitute for cranberries, I think cherries would be great in these bars–can you find them? (I wouldn’t use dried cranberries, because you need the juiciness to create a nice saucy filling). Happy Thanksgiving to you too darling! You are the best :)
Thank you Erin for the nice recipe.
Thank YOU Liz! Have a great day.
These cranberry crumble pie bars are AMAZINGLY GOOD! I didn’t realize how much I liked cranberries until I made these. They are perfectly sweet with a perfect amount of crumble to them. My family & friends are really loving pie bars over regular pie! Can’t wait to make this at Thanksgiving!
Yay! Great to hear! Thank you Eliza!
These are fantastic! My son and I really like them. I never realized how good cranberries would be in this type of dessert. I’m actually thinking of serving these bars on Thanksgiving instead of a whole pie. Thank you so much, Erin!
Glad to hear you enjoyed them, Maureen! Thank you!
Oh, these cranberry bars were so good! Made them for a family gathering over the weekend and they were delicious. Seemed like every time I looked at the dessert table someone was eating one. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Gave me something new to try and a new holiday dessert tradition!
Great to hear, thank you Terri!