Cranberry Crumble Bars

These Cranberry Crumble Bars are an easy dessert to serve for Thanksgiving and Christmas... or anytime. 

These cranberry crumble bars are reminiscent of the flavors of Linzer cookies, the jam-filled sandwich cookie made with both wheat and almond flours. 

In the case of these bars, some of the dough is pressed into a baking pan, topped with cranberry jam, and then the rest of the dough is crumbled over the top of the jam. 

Have you ever been assigned dessert for a family holiday gathering and then found that your pie, trifle, or cake sits there untouched because everyone is too full? Me too. These bars are small enough, and yet festive enough, to tempt your family members to have dessert. 

They always disappear. 

Ingredients in These Cranberry Bars:

These bars require just a few, easy to find, ingredients. 

For the Jam:

Sugar, cranberries, and water. 

For the Bars and the Crumble on Top:

Butterr, egg, lemon zest, flour, almond flour, and cinnamon. 

Note: One of the primary ingredients in these bars is almond flour, an ingredient I apparently had quite a bit of in my freezer. It seems that every time I make Macarons, I stash the rest of the almond flour in the freezer and forget about it (no wonder my freezer is so full). 

In addition, every November, when the grocery store has bins and bins of fresh cranberries, my inner ingredient hoarding tendencies kicks in .... and I never regret it. In the "make your own jam" category, nothing beats cranberries. They are super high in pectin, the ingredient that sets jams and jellies. 

To Make These Cranberry Bars:

First, make the cranberry jam. Cook the water, cranberries, and sugar for about 10 minutes, until it comes together as a jam. Let it cool. 

Next, beat the butter and sugar for the dough until fluffy and then beat in the egg and zest. 

After that, add the flours and cinnamon to the butter mixture and beat together on low. Press about 2/3 of the dough into a cake pan and then spread it with the cranberry jam. 

Finally, crumble the remaining dough over the jam and bake. 

Recipe Variations:

To fill these bars, I made cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries. You can also fill these bars with any store-bought jam that you like, such as raspberry, strawberry, or apricot. I love the tart flavor of the cranberries, but kids might prefer a sweeter jam. 

You could also add some chopped pecans to the topping for an added nutty flavor. 

More Recipes with Cranberries:

Cranberry Glazed Meatballs

Cranberry and Fudge Layered Pie

Cranberry Vinaigrette

Cranberry Almond Shortbread Tart

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Cranberry Maple Pork Chops

These bars aren't overly sweet, nor is the cranberry filling, and the whole recipe screams "holiday!" You need to try them!

This week, the From Our Dinner Table group is sharing recipes with cranberry. 

Delicious Cranberry Desserts

• Brown Sugar Bundt Cake with Cranberries from Hezzi-D's Recipe Box
• Cranberry Crumble Bars from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cranberry Fluff Salad from Jen Around the World
• Orange Craisin Waffle Bread Pudding from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Cranberry Pecan Muffins from That Recipe
• Quick Cranberry Pecan Bread from Art of Natural Living

Cranberry Crumble Bars

Yield: 20 Bars

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

These Cranberry Crumble Bars are an easy dessert to serve for Thanksgiving and Christmas... or anytime.

Ingredients

For the Cranberry Jam

• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 8 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen

For the Bars

• 1 1/3 cups butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, or scant 1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
• 300 grams (2 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
• 192 grams (2 cups) almond flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• heaping cup of the cranberry jam or any fruit preserves of your choice

Instructions

To Make the Jam

1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Add the cranberries, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
2. Cool to room temperature before using in this recipe. Can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator a few days in advance.

To Make the Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 13 inch by 9 inch pan with spray oil.
2. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and lemon zest.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while beating on medium low.
4. Measure two cups of the dough and press it into the bottom of the pan. Spread the jam over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along the edges.
5. Crumble the rest of the dough over the top of the jam. Gently press it to slightly flatten it.
6. Bake until lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When fully cooled, cut into squares. Keep at room temperature in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

283

Fat (grams)

17 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

8 g

Carbs (grams)

30 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

28 g

Sugar (grams)

15 g

Protein (grams)

4 g

Cholesterol (grams)

42 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2017/11/cranberry-crumble-bars-creative-cookie.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Cookies, cranberry, bars

dessert

American