Katiebird Bakes

simple and sophisticated dessert recipes

  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Shop My Kitchen

Last updated December 10, 2018; first published by Katie on December 10, 2018

Cranberry Crumb Bars

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Jump to Recipe

With a lightly sweetened cranberry filling and a buttery base that doubles as the crumb, these cranberry crumb bars celebrate the humble fruit long after Thanksgiving ends.

Cranberry Crumb Bars - tart, sweet, highly addictive!

I know what you’re thinking.  In a month when all we should talk about is Christmas cookies, here I am sharing another fruit-based recipe.  I can’t help it though – cranberries are one of the last fruit gifts we are given by the planet before the dead of winter truly sets in, so I have to celebrate them.

Not that I mind, really.  Not that anyone who tasted these cranberry crumb bars minded either.

Cranberry Crumb Bars - tart, sweet, highly addictive!

You know when you’re looking at a generic cookie platter at a lunch event or a holiday party, and amongst the many sad-looking chocolate chip cookies and dry brownies and bland multi-colored sugar cookies there is sometimes, miraculously, a stray raspberry crumb bar?  The kind made with tart raspberry jam in the middle, where the crumbs tumble down your front as you try to eat it?

I lunge for those every time.  Oftentimes, they turn out not to be all that great either, but I attribute that more to the overall quality of the catered cookie plate than the bar itself.  There’s just something about the buttery base and the tart filling that gets me every time.

This is like that, but approximately a thousand times better.

Cranberry Crumb Bars - tart, sweet, highly addictive!

I’m not sure when I first came up with the idea of using cranberries instead of raspberries, but around the time Imperfect Produce started sending me cranberries in their weekly produce boxes, I became obsessed with making it happen.  These cranberry crumb bars are the latest entry in my recipe series partnership with them, and I have to say they’re my favorite.

(See the past recipes here if you’re curious: peach crumb baked donuts, chocolate zucchini cake, caramel apple galette)

Cranberry Crumb Bars - tart, sweet, highly addictive!

I knew exactly what I wanted these bars to be: a more perfect version of those raspberry bars.  Buttery yet light crumb; sweet yet tart filling.  Enough spice so as not to be a one-note sugar concoction.  Crumbly enough, but not TOO crumbly.

I started my experimentation with an oat-based crust and crumble I’d used before in these strawberry crumble bars.  I went with the traditional cranberry-orange combination for the filling, which I cooked first so as not to have soggy bars.  I invited some friends over for a college football game watch with my (award-winning!) game day beer chili, and served the bars for dessert.

They were well-received, but when I tasted them I knew I could do better.  The orange nearly overpowered the natural tart flavor of the cranberries, it was too sweet, and the texture of the crumb just wasn’t right with the oats.

Back to the drawing board.

Cranberry Crumb Bars - tart, sweet, highly addictive!

When I tried again a few days later, I made the following modifications:

  • removed the orange entirely from the filling;
  • decreased the amount of sugar, and used apple cider as sweetener so the cranberry flavor could shine through;
  • removed the oats from the crumb mixture and added an egg yolk for structure; and
  • used cold butter and cut it into the flour to create those crumbs I was looking for (even though it’s more work than the melted butter I’d used before – sometimes the results are worth it.).

With my revised ingredients, I forged ahead with making the crumb mixture that is pressed into the bottom of the pan to form the crust, followed by the cranberry filling poured over top, and finally the same crumb mixture sprinkled over top of the filling.  Fingers were crossed.

And when the cranberry crumb bars came out of the oven this time, I knew I was on the right track.  They smelled toasty, buttery, and holiday-like in the best way.  If you can imagine the smell of spiced bubbling cranberries in a butter base, well, you probably are drooling as much as I am right now.

When Brian tried these, he immediately asked: “Why haven’t you ever made these before??”

Cranberry Crumb Bars - tart, sweet, highly addictive!

They came out exactly the way I wanted them to.  Buttery, crumbly but still held together, the holiday spices in the base perfectly offset by tart cranberry filling.  An infinitely better version of those raspberry bars (which I may also make my own version of someday).

I saved some of the bars for the ultimate tasting committee — my parents.  They came into town for Thanksgiving, and Brian and I were lucky enough to host them along with his parents and sister in our little apartment.  The day before Thanksgiving, though, we ordered pizza and had these cranberry crumb bars for dessert. 

There was a moment of silence as everyone took their first bites (warmed, with ice cream over top, of course).  Then: “these are absolutely amazing.”

That, my friends, was all I needed to hear.  I hope you make and love these too!

Cranberry Crumb Bars - tart, sweet, highly addictive!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
4.67 from 6 votes

Cranberry Crumb Bars

With a lightly sweetened cranberry filling and a buttery base that doubles as the crumb, these cranberry crumb bars celebrate the humble fruit long after Thanksgiving ends.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Dessert
Keyword: christmas, cranberry, crumb bars, holiday, thanksgiving
Servings: 16 2-inch square bars
Author: katiebirdbakes.com

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the crumb base and topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Pinch of allspice
  • Pinch of cloves
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed (1 stick)
  • 1 egg yolk from 1 large egg; discard the white

Instructions

For the filling:

  • In a medium saucepan, stir together the cranberries, apple cider, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and cranberries break down, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and let cool while you make the crumb mixture.

For the crumb base and topping:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 inch square pan, or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and spices.
  • Add cold butter to the bowl and cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, a fork, or my favorite method, your fingertips. Stop when the mixture resembles wet sand. There may be some larger pea-sized butter pieces, and that’s ok.
  • Mix in the egg yolk until the entire mixture is moistened. You may have to use your hands to fully incorporate it.
  • Pour half the crumb mixture into the prepared pan, and press into an even flat layer with your hands. Make sure it is compact and reaches the edges of the pan.
  • Pour the cooled filling over the base crumb layer, spreading it evenly to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over top.
  • Bake for 35-37 minutes, until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbling. Let cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Notes

Store leftover cranberry crumb bars in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Thank you to Imperfect Produce for sending me the cranberries I used in this recipe.  All opinions are my own!  If you want to sign up for your own Imperfect Produce deliveries, you can get 50% off your first box with code “katiebird”!

Like this recipe?  Please leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @katiebirdbakes, and sign up for my email list to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post!

Filed Under: Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Fall, Holiday, Pies & Tarts, Recipes, Winter

« Pumpkin Pancakes
Snickerdoodles »

Comments

  1. Adam says

    December 24, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    5 stars
    This is s great recipe. Made it for my family and got rave reviews

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 26, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      Thanks so much Adam!

      Reply
  2. Lynn says

    November 14, 2022 at 9:45 pm

    4 stars
    Made these today. Flavour was great – so was the texture. My only problem was that my jammy filling was definitely not as high as yours in the pic. I baked them in an 8×8 but my filling was about 1/8” thick. Should I double the filling next time? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 15, 2022 at 11:49 pm

      You can definitely double it!

      Reply
  3. Catalyn Crookston says

    December 12, 2021 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    I made these cranberry bars for our Thanksgiving dessert this year. They were such a delicious dessert and super easy to make. The sweetened but still classical tart cranberries and the tender, crumbly crust and topping are reminiscent of more traditional desserts and flavors of Thanksgiving but without the usual hard work. My family, including an 8 and 5-year-old, loved them, and they did not last nearly long enough.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 13, 2021 at 2:10 pm

      Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Catalyn! So glad these were part of your Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  4. Caitlin says

    December 5, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    These look so good! Would they freeze well?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 8, 2021 at 3:38 pm

      I haven’t tried it but I think so! I would just wrap them tightly and then leave out at room temperature for a couple hours to thaw, or thaw in the fridge overnight.

      Reply
      • Caitlin says

        December 14, 2021 at 10:48 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
  5. Kristen says

    January 28, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    5 stars
    so delicious and easy and approachable! Katie is my go to food blogger for baking ❤️❤️

    Reply
    • Katie says

      January 29, 2021 at 10:28 am

      Thank you Kristen!!

      Reply
  6. Jacky says

    October 9, 2020 at 5:27 pm

    Hi, what kind of apple cider do you use?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      October 9, 2020 at 5:31 pm

      Hi Jacky – any kind of store bought apple cider is fine – or even apple juice if you can’t find cider!

      Reply
  7. Naomi T says

    May 7, 2020 at 12:17 am

    4 stars
    I made these for my friendsgiving and I loved the flavor profile of the tart cranberry filling and the sweet buttery crust. I made these in a slightly bigger pan (9×9) so the filling to crust ratio was a bit off and they ended up kind of crumbly. I really liked the taste of these, so I plan on trying the recipe again.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 7, 2020 at 6:01 pm

      Thank you Naomi – yes, the bars will be thin in a 9×9!

      Reply
  8. Melanie says

    November 4, 2019 at 7:46 pm

    Can you do this with any other fruit?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 4, 2019 at 10:15 pm

      I think another tart fruit like raspberries would work!

      Reply
  9. Lana says

    February 24, 2019 at 10:32 pm

    5 stars
    I had leftover cranberry, apple, date sauce and wanted a recipe for a crust/topping. This was perfect! Fun to make too. Super yummy. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 3, 2019 at 12:37 pm

      Thank you so much Lana! I am so glad this worked for you!

      Reply
      • Giz says

        March 16, 2019 at 10:31 am

        Hi
        Can i use frozen strawberries instead ?
        Thanks

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome!

I'm Katie: attorney by day, baker by night. I'm sharing sophisticated yet approachable dessert recipes to convince you that if you can read, you can bake! Thanks for being here. Read More...

Never miss a recipe

Privacy Policy

Let’s be friends!

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Most Popular Recipes

Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies | katiebirdbakes

The Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies

posted in Cookies, Dessert, Easiest Series, Recipes

Single Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting | katiebirdbakes

Single Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

posted in Cakes, Dessert, Holiday, Recipes, Single Layer Cakes, Spring

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing - katiebirdbakes.com

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Buns & Pastries, Holiday, Recipes

The Easiest Banana Bread - one bowl, no mixer!

The Easiest Banana Bread

posted in Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Easiest Series, Healthy, Quick Breads, Recipes

A slice of single layer chocolate cake with chocolate ganache

Single Layer Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

posted in Cakes, Chocolate Lovers, Dessert, Recipes, Single Layer Cakes

This site contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more details, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting Katiebird Bakes!
© 2023 Katiebird Bakes, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Disclosure Policy / Privacy Policy