Cranberry Crumble Bars
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Sweet and buttery, cranberry crumble bars are a gooey and delicious dessert that you will want to sink your teeth into. This recipe is great for beginner bakers, and perfect for when you need to bring dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, or just for potlucks or parties for the holiday season!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Cranberry Crumble Bars
- Butter Cranberry Flavor– These soft, slightly chewy delicious cranberry crumb bars have just the right amount of fruity flavor in this great dessert. Cranberries aren’t available all year round, and this easy dessert is a great way to take advantage of using these seasonal fruits.
- Easy Semi-Homemade Recipe– A package of sugar cookie dough mix forms both the base and the crumb topping for this recipe, and makes these bars a pretty full-proof easy recipe even for beginner bakers.
- Crowd-Pleasing Dessert– Juicy cranberries have such a delicious pop of flavor and make a great jammy filling. Your family and friends will love the buttery bars and the sweet and slightly tart cranberry filling in this cranberry bar recipe.
- Make Ahead Of Time– These bars are great to make about a day ahead of time, and perfect for a holiday dessert table this time of year.
Ingredients For Cranberry Crumble Bars
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
- sugar cookie mix prepackaged, I used Betty Crocker
- all-purpose flour
- quick oats
- butter melted, salted. If using unsalted butter just add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the melted butter.
- egg – beaten
- white sugar
- cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cranberry juice sweetened, orange juice can also be used
- cranberries fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
How To Make Cranberry Crumble Bars
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking oil evenly.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together sugar cookie dough mix, all-purpose flour and quick oats. Add the melted butter and mix with an electric hand mixer. Crack and beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, then add it to the cookie dough and mix again thoroughly with an electric hand mixer until a crumbly dough forms.
It’s important not to mix the melted butter and the egg directly together before adding it to the dry mixture. The melted butter can start to cook the egg, adding scrambled eggs to your cranberry bars! Instead add the butter and the egg separately for best results.
- Press about 3/4 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. It may look at first like there isn’t enough dough, but keep pressing evenly and it will be ok. Leave the rest of the dough to the side for the topping.
- In a second large bowl, combine white sugar, cornstarch, and cranberry juice (or orange juice) together and stir well by hand with a spatula. Combine cranberries to the sugar mixture and stir until the berries are well coated.
- Spoon cranberry mixture evenly on top of the dough in the baking dish. Crumble the remaining mixture from the dough in your hands and sprinkle evenly across the top of the cranberry layer to form the crumble topping.
- Bake the mixture in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the topping browns. The filling will be bubbling and the cranberries won’t look whole, they will look jammy. I let the bars cool completely and then slice into small squares. Then enjoy!
Can I Swap Old Fashioned Oats For Quick Oats?
Quick oats are smaller than old-fashioned oats, and therefore cook much quicker.
To swap old-fashioned oats you can simpy blend the oats in a food processor before adding them to this recipe. See more information about swapping old-fashioned oats for quick oats here.
Can I Swap Steel Cut Oats For Quick Oats?
No, unfortunately, steel-cut oats are a lot thicker and require a lot more moisture then quick oats. Swapping steel-cut oats into this recipe will cause the bars to be too dry and crumbly.
Can I Use Frozen Cranberries?
Frozen cranberries can be swapped for fresh cranberries, but sometimes need to cook slightly longer. One way to keep an eye on if the bars are done cooking is the cranberries should go from looking whole to looking more jammy. Add frozen cranberries into the sugar mixture still frozen for the best results.
Don’t defrost the cranberries before adding them to the bars. Defrosted cranberries can cause the bars to become too watery and liquidy.
Dried cranberries can not be easily swapped in this recipe.
How Long Do Cranberry Crumble Bars Last?
Store cranberry crumble bars an airtight container on the counter once they are completely cool. These bars will taste their freshest if eaten within two to three days.
Leftover bars can also be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days, but again will taste best if eaten within 2-3 days.
Putting layers of parchment paper, wax paper or even aluminum foil between the bars can help keep them from sticking together if you need to stack the bars and can’t put them all in an even layer to store.
More Sweet Recipes You’ll Love
Cranberry Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 17.5 ounces sugar cookie mix prepackaged, I used Betty Crocker
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup quick oats
- ½ cup butter melted, salted
- 1 large egg beaten
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cranberry juice sweetened, orange juice can also be used
- 4 cups cranberries about 12 ounces, fresh or frozen. See notes for frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper or spray with cooking oil evenly.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together sugar cookie dough mix, all-purpose flour and quick oats. Add the melted butter and mix with an electric hand mixer. Crack and beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, then add it to the cookie dough and mix again thoroughly with an electric hand mixer until a crumbly dough forms.
- Press about 3/4 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Leave the rest of the dough to the side for the topping.
- In a second large bowl, combine white sugar, cornstarch, and cranberry juice (or orange juice) together and stir well by hand with a spatula. Combine cranberries to the sugar mixture and stir until the berries are well coated.
- Spoon cranberry mixture evenly on top of the dough in the baking dish. Crumble the remaining mixture from the dough in your hands and sprinkle evenly across the top of the cranberry layer to form the crumble topping.
- Bake the mixture in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the topping browns. The filling will be bubbling and the cranberries won't look whole, they will look jammy. I let the bars cool completely and then slice into small squares. Then enjoy!
Notes
Swapping Orange Juice For Cranberry Juice
I used cranberry juice in this recipe because it gave it more cranberry flavor but orange juice gives the perfect sweetness also and tastes delicious with these bars. You can use juice from a fresh orange if you prefer, most oranges will contain at least two tablespoons of juice.Using Frozen Versus Fresh Cranberries
Frozen cranberries can be swapped for fresh cranberries but sometimes need to be cooked slightly longer, expect it will likely take 5-10 minutes more. One way to keep an eye on if the bars are done cooking is the cranberries should go from looking whole to looking more jammy. Add frozen cranberries into the sugar mixture still frozen for the best results. Don’t defrost the cranberries before adding them to the bars. Defrosted cranberries can cause the bars to become too watery and liquidy.Carefully Add Cranberries To The Dough
You don’t want to stir the cranberry mixture much once it is on top of the dough base in the pan as it could pull the sugar cookie base away from the bottom. This could cause holes in the dough, causing the filling to leak out more. Instead, mix the cranberry mixture well in a bowl and gently spoon the berries over the cookie dough crust.Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
