Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

With a hearty oatmeal base and topping, these cranberry oatmeal bars are a great treat for breakfast, snack, or dessert.  

Take advantage of the abundance of cranberries available in the fall and winter and make these cranberry oatmeal bars.

The topping is perfectly crumbly, and the cranberries in the middle add just the right amount of sweet tart flavor. 

Plus, these bars are super easy to assemble and bake. 

Every year, when fresh cranberries make an appearance in the grocery stores, I always buy extra bags to use all year long. They hold their shape so well, even after being frozen, and you can just grab what you need straight from the freezer. 

Sandwich a mixture of chopped cranberries and granulated sugar between two layers of a buttery blend of brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and rolled oats for an absolutely amazing bar. 

In fact, save this oat recipe for making a streusel topping for all of your favorite bars and muffins. It's sooooo good! I pretty much ate all of the crumbs that fell onto the cutting board with a spoon. 

Cranberries aren't just for Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. 

Ingredient Notes:

You probably have most of the ingredients already in your pantry, with the exception of the cranberries. You will need:

Unsalted butter

Old-fashioned rolled oats

All-Purpose Flour

Granulated sugar

Dark brown sugar

Salt

Cinnamon

Baking soda

Fresh or frozen cranberries (typically a small bag)

The cranberry flavor totally shines in these bars. 

Tips for Making These Cranberry Bars:

These bars are super easy to make. 

To make the oatmeal mixture, just melt the butter and mix it with the oats, sugars, salt, cinnamon, and some baking soda in a bowl with a spatula or a spoon. 

To make the cranberry filling, chop the cranberries in the bowl of a food processor or a blender and then add some granulated sugar. I chopped my cranberries while they were still frozen. 

Prepare an 8-inch by 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper, press 2/3 of the oat mixture into the pan, spread it with cranberry mixture, and then top it with the rest of the oats. 

Finally, bake everything in a 350 degree F oven for about an hour. 

Helpful Tools:

You won't need a lot of specialized equipment. You will need the following:

8-inch by 8-inch metal cake pan

Parchment Paper

A food processor or blender for chopping the cranberries. I used a food processor, which makes fast work of the frozen cranberries. 

Welcome to #CranberryWeek where we celebrate all things cranberry! We have 10 bloggers sharing over 25 recipes this week. There are sweets, savories, and even a few beverages. Make sure to follow #CranberryWeek on social media to see all the delicious recipes we’re sharing this week.

Wednesday’s Cranberry Recipes

• Baked Cranberry Sauce with Orange Liqueur from Shockingly Delicious
• Cranberry Chicken Salad from The Spiffy Cookie
• Cranberry Cream Torte from Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Oatmeal Bars from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cranberry Snack Cake from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Cranberry Topped Crab Puffs from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Yield: 16 bars

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 20 M

With a hearty oatmeal base and topping, these cranberry oatmeal bars are a great treat for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups rolled (old fashioned) oats
• 6 3/4 ounces (1 1/2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided in half
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and set aside
• 10 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch by 8-inch metal cake pan with spray oil. Line the pan with parchment paper with some of the paper hanging over the edge. Spray the parchment with spray oil.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, flour, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Pour in the melted butter and stir until everything is fully combined.
3. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, pulse the cranberries to chop them into small pieces. Add 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, and pulse 3 to 4 more times to combine.
4. Spread 2/3 of the oat mixture over the bottom of the cake pan and press down firmly.
5. Spread all of the cranberry mixture evenly over the oatmeal mixture.
6. Top evenly with the rest of the oatmeal mixture and press it down gently.
7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The top should be a light golden brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

219.78

Fat (grams)

9.43

Sat. Fat (grams)

5.54

Carbs (grams)

31.83

Fiber (grams)

2.14

Net carbs

29.68

Sugar (grams)

13.68

Protein (grams)

2.92

Sodium (milligrams)

183.34

Cholesterol (grams)

22.57

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2022/11/cranberry-oatmeal-bars.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

cranberries, oats, bars

dessert

American

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Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Oct/Nov 2018