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Cranberry Crumble Bars

Cranberry crumble bars with a buttery oat crumble base and top, sandwiching a ruby cranberry filling thickened with cornstarch. Bake until golden, cool completely, then slice clean bars with a powdered sugar dusting.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 260
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For oat crumble base and top
  • 2 cup rolled oats
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed and cold
For cranberry filling
  • 3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 powdered sugar for dusting

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and make the oat crumble
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment so the bars lift out easily.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then cut in cold unsalted butter until the mixture looks like rough crumbs.
Bake the base
  1. Press 2/3 of the oat crumble mixture firmly into the parchment-lined pan, creating an even layer.
  2. Bake the base for 10 minutes at 375F, until it looks set and slightly golden at the edges.
Cook the cranberry filling and assemble
  1. Cook cranberries, granulated sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cornstarch, and cinnamon over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until thickened and glossy.
  2. Spread the hot cranberry filling over the hot baked base, then crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top to form an even layer.
Bake, cool, and finish
  1. Bake for 25-28 minutes at 375F until the crumble top is golden brown.
  2. Cool completely before slicing into bars to keep the filling from running.
  3. Dust the cooled bars with powdered sugar and slice into 16 bars.

Notes

Pro tip: press the base firmly and cool the bars completely (at least until fully firm) for clean, jewel-bright slices. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze baked bars for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a dairy-light option, use a plant-based 1:1 butter substitute in the crumble, keeping it cold so the crumb stays sandy.