Cranberry Bars Recipe
These cranberry bars are the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with bright cranberry and spiced buttery shortbread flavor in every bite. Easy to make and perfect for fall or holiday baking, they’re a delicious sliceable treat to share with family and friends.
Equipment
- 1 9x9 (23 cm) aluminum pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
Cranberry Filling
- 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Shortbread Crust and Crumble
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 9 x 9 (23 cm) aluminum pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides.
- Add the fresh or frozen cranberries, sugar, orange zest and cornstarch to a large mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients together until the cranberries are fully coated. Set aside while making the shortbread crust and crumble topping.3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon orange zest
- Make the buttery crust and crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a food processor. Pulse 2 -3 times to combine the ingredients. Pulse in cubes of cold butter until the mixture resembles a crumble texture. Finally pulse in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until the mixture starts to clump together.2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup (170 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Evenly press ? of the shortbread mixture into the prepared pan. Transfer the cranberry filling onto the shortbread crust. Top the cranberry filling with the remaining ⅓ crumble mixture. Make sure to cover as much of the filling as much as possible, but spots of exposed filling is fine.
- Bake the cranberry bars for 45 - 55 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown with edges of the crust pulling slightly away from the sides of the pan. The cranberry filling will thicken and bubble.
- Cool the cranberry crumble bars in the pan for 1 hour. If the bars are too soft to easily transfer from the pan after 1 hour at room temperature, transfer to the fridge to set for another hour. Once the bars are set, top with powdered sugar or orange vanilla maple glaze or enjoy as is.
Notes
Make Ahead: Make the dough for the cranberry bars up to 2 days in advance. Store the dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using in the recipe.
Store: Keep these cranberry crumble bars covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days.
Orange Vanilla Maple Glaze: Mix 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) orange juice, 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) maple syrup and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Drizzle over the cooled cranberry crumble bars.
Troubleshooting Cranberry Bars
- Bars falling apart: Let the bars cool completely before slicing so the cranberry filling and crust have time to set.
- Crumble topping too dry: Make sure the butter is evenly distributed throughout the crumble mixture. It should form small clumps when gently squeezed.
- Topping too soft: Bake until the crumble is lightly golden and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Cool completely before storing.
- Cranberry filling too runny: Follow the recommended baking time and use the specified thickener, if included. Allow the bars to cool fully before cutting.
- Bars too tart: Cranberries are naturally tart, so adjust the sugar slightly to suit your taste if needed.
- Bars difficult to slice: Let the bars cool completely before cutting. For cleaner slices, chill briefly if the filling is still soft and use a sharp knife.
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