Cranberry Bars: Fresh Cranberries in between a shortbread cookie crust and a cinnamon crumble topping.
This time of year I am all about cranberries! I have been testing all kinds of cranberry recipes for you and this was hands down one of my favorites! I love the shortbread crust with the crumble topping. It’s a sweet dessert but not overpowering due to the nice tart zip of the cranberries. These fresh cranberry bars would be a perfect treat to have with a cup of tea or coffee and great to bring out as a dessert for any holiday gatherings you have coming up.
Craving more cranberry recipes? Check out our turkey cranberry sliders, fresh orange cranberry sauce, cranberry brie bites and our cranberry mimosa’s.
Cranberry Bars Ingredients
To make fresh cranberry bars crust, you will need
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup cold butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
To make the filling, you will need
- 1 16 ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
After you have gathered all the ingredients, preheat your oven to 375 and lightly coat a 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
To make the crust
Start by whisking together the dry ingredients. Then cut the butter in with a pastry blender. Add the egg and work into the mixture until fully combined. Press about 3 cups into the bottom of the prepared pan firmly. Set the remaining part of the mixture aside to use as the base of the crumble topping.
Preparing the filling
In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, sugar and cornstarch. Pour the mixture over the crust. It’s going to seem like you have alot of sugar, and you do…but go ahead and scrape every last bit of it onto the cranberries.
Preparing the Crumble Topping
Take the remaining crust mixture and sprinkle it evenly on top of the cranberries. Sometimes I add just a pinch of extra cinnamon to the topping- it is up to you.
Baking the cranberry bars
Bake the bars in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes. The crust really needs that full time. However, if you feel the top is getting too browned you can cover it with aluminum foil.
Making a smaller batch
Don’t want a full 9×13 pan? You can cut the recipe in half and make an 8×8. It’s a very simplistic and forgiving recipe and won’t make a difference!
Serving Cranberry Bars
Once they are removed from the oven you will want to let them cool a bit. Another reason I love these fresh cranberry bars is that they are good warm, room temperature or chilled.
I love these warm with a scoop of icecream! Room temperature if I am having it with coffee or tea and when its on its own, I am not sure why I like it chilled! Just to warn you thought, the crust gets a little tough to cut through when its chilled!
Can I bake with fresh cranberries?
Many people think you have to soak or pre-cook the cranberries before you bake with them! Good news- you don’t! If you are making these bars, cranberry cookies or cranberry muffins you can just throw them right in the batter and they cook down really nicely.
Storing Cranberry Bars
You can leave these out at room temperature the first day, but after that I reccomend covering them and putting them in the fridge. If you want to soften or warm them before serving you can pull them out and let them warm up on their own, for heat them in 15 second intervals in the microwave.
Cranberry Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 baking dish
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup cold butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling
- 16 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan with butter or cooking spray, and line with parchment if desired for easy removal. Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut the butter in small chunks and add to flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your hands, work the mixture until crumbs are formed. Add the egg and work into the mixture until fully combined. Press about 3 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan firmly. Set aside the remaining crumb mixture for the topping.In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well.Pour the cranberries over the crust, ensuring that leftover sugar from the bowl is also poured on top. Using a spoon, sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the cranberries. Bake for 50 minutes or until the top is slightly golden. Cool to room temperature. You can serve at room temperature or put it in the refrigerator until slightly chilled.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe yet? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
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I love these cranberry bars!
Cut the recipe in half & baked it for 35 minutes…YUM! It’s so good.😋 Will definitely be making this again.
Delicious
Enjoyed these and easy to make. I added a half cup of chopped pecans. Also, the bag of fresh cranberries i had was only 12 ounces so I added a half cup of dried cranberries. Maybe not as moist as a result but still tasty. I also added a little cinnamon to the top before baking, as suggested. Will make these again.
Those additions sound delicious Lynda! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t bake often but these turned out great!!!! They made me look like a talented baker!
I am so glad Betsy! Thanks for giving them a try! Share a pic next time and tag me on socials!
Should I thaw frozen cranberries before baking
Great question Kathy! No, you do not need to thaw the cranberries before you cook them. They have such a high level of natural pectin that any extra liquid from thawing will thicken up nicely on its own.
Great recipe! Thank you! Very unusual crispy taste! But had to reduce sugar amount as it seemed too much. I used only 3/4 cup for the dough and just 1/2 cup for filling. Perfect balance of sweetness and cranberries to me.
So glad you loved it! That is one of my fave things about this recipe is you can really play around with that sugar amount. I tend to use less when I am planning to serve them for brunch. ALWAYS a hit!