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.
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 8x8 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.