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Cranberry Crumble Bars

overhead view of sliced cranberry crumble bars on small plate
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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

Cranberry Crumble Bars have a brown sugar oat crust that does a double act as the base and crumb topping, with a jammy cranberry filling. It’s a sweet, tart and gorgeous treat that is easy to make ahead. Gluten free, too.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Oat Crumble Mixture

  • 1.25 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • 3/4 Cup Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • Almond slices, for garnish

Filling

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • Zest of two oranges, about 1.5 tablespoons
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla extract)
  • 1 tablespoon tapioca flour

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons orange juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
  2. Make crumble: In a large bowl combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, spices and cubed butter. Use dough blender to bring mixture together, using hands at the end as necessary – mixture should be crumbled but hold when pressed together. 
  3. Bake crust: Add ⅔ of crumble mixture to lined baking pan and press evenly into all 4 corners. Bake for 10-12 minutes; remove from oven and set aside to cool.
  4. Make filling: While the pan is cooling, make the filling: In a small saucepan over medium heat add cranberries, maple syrup, orange zest, orange juice and almond extract. Cook down for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in tapioca flour until dissolved – mixture will get thicker here.
  5. Assemble and Bake: Pour filling over pre-baked crust and add the rest of the crumbled topping, making clumps as desired. Sprinkle with almond slices, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until edges start to bubble and topping is golden brown.
  6. Cool and chill: Allow pan to cool at room temperature for one hour. Then transfer the pan to the fridge for another 45 minutes. Pan must be chilled before cutting into bars. 
  7. Make the glaze: Once the bars have chilled completely, mix together powdered sugar and orange juice to make the glaze.
  8. Slice: Lift parchment paper from sides and carefully place bars on cutting board; use a large sharp knife to cut into 16 squares. Drizzle with glaze. Bars have a nice crust and jammy filling – enjoy!

Notes

STORAGE – Cranberry bars will keep in an airtight container stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. I do recommend keeping these in the fridge, rather than at room temperature, so the cranberry jam and icing stay set.

Make Ahead Instructions: Cranberry filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. Cranberry bars can also be made 1-2 days prior to serving on the big day. Store any leftovers as instructed above.

 

Keywords: cranberry crumble bars, cranberry bars, cranberry bar recipe

Find it online: https://www.fitmittenkitchen.com/cranberry-crumble-bars/