Go Back

Cranberry Crumble Bars

Cranberry crumble bars with a buttery oat crumble base and top sandwiching a thick, ruby cranberry filling. Bake until golden, then cool completely for clean, sliceable squares.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Oat crumble base and top
  • 2 cup rolled oats
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed Use cold butter for the crumbly texture.
Cranberry filling
  • 3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
For dusting
  • 1 powdered sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and make the oat crumble
  1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment so the bars lift out easily.
  2. In a bowl, combine rolled oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then cut in cold unsalted butter until the mixture looks crumbly.
  3. Press 2/3 of the oat mixture firmly into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake the pressed base for 10 minutes, until it looks set but not fully browned.
Cook the cranberry filling
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook cranberries, granulated sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cornstarch, and cinnamon for 8-10 minutes, stirring until thickened and glossy.
  2. Spread the thickened cranberry filling over the hot baked base in an even layer.
  3. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the top to create an even crumble layer.
Bake, cool, slice
  1. Bake for 25-28 minutes at 375F until the crumble is golden and fragrant.
  2. Cool completely in the pan so the filling firms up for neat slices.
  3. Dust with powdered sugar and slice into 16 bars.

Notes

Press the base firmly and cook the filling until it turns noticeably thick—this prevents a runny center. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze bars in a single layer wrapped well up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a lighter option, swap half the butter for an equal amount of plant-based butter while keeping it cold.