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!

Stacked cranberry crumble bars on a plate three high with more bars on the counter in the background.

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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

½ cup butter melted, salted. If using unsalted butter just add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the melted butter.
1 large egg – beaten
17.5 ounces sugar cookie mix prepackaged, I used Betty Crocker
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup quick oats
⅔ cup granulated white sugar
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch – 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon.
2 tablespoons cranberry juice sweetened, orange juice can also be used
4 cups cranberries about 12 ounces, fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries

These easy bars are similar to a dump cake, where you make them semi-homemade with a mix for a gooey warm dessert. Try this easy pumpkin pie dump cake or my caramel apple dump cake for more easy gooey dessert ideas.

How To Make Cranberry Crumble Bars

INSTRUCTIONS

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 with an electric mixer add melted butter and beaten egg, then mix together until combined. Add sugar cookie dough mix, all-purpose flour and quick oats, then mix again until a crumbly dough forms.

Dough for cranberry crumble bars mixed in a large mixing bowl on a counter with a thick shaggy apperance, with mixer beaters and a large pan on the counter nearby.

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.

A buttery dough is pressed into the bottom of a large rectangular pan from overhead with more dough in a small bowl on the counter nearby.

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.

Cranberries in a large bowl mixed with other liquid ingredients from overhead on a counter with a wooden spoon and a large pan with the dough pressed into the bottom on the counter nearby.

Spoon cranberry mixture evenly on top of the dough in the baking dish.

Cranberry mixture layered in a large rectangular pan from overhead on a counter with more dough in a bowl nearby.

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.

Dough crumbled across the top of the cranberry mixture in a large rectangular pan from overhead on a counter before baking.

Bake the mixture in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the topping browns and the filling is bubbling. I let the bars cool completely and then slice into small squares. Then enjoy!

Slightly brown cranberry crumble bars baked in a pan from overhead on a counter.

How Long Do Cranberry Crumble Bars Last?

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.

Nine cranberry crumble bars sliced and spaced apart on a counter from overhead.

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.

Other Recipes You Will Love

Cranberry Orange Glazed Cookies– Sweet buttery cookies bursting with cranberries and a sweet orange glaze on top, delicious!

Apple Crisp Cookie Cups– This semi-homemade recipe starts with a sugar cookie dough and makes the most delicious gooey apple crisp into adorable apple crisp bites, perfect for a party.

Cranberry Crumble Bars