Cranberry Crumble Bars
These Cranberry Crumble Bars are perfect for the holiday season. A buttery crust is topped with a sweet and tangy cranberry filling, then finished off with a brown sugar and cinnamon crumble topping. Then, it’s all baked to golden perfection. Delicious!
Bars are a classic recipe, especially for parties. They’re perfect for eating while mingling, and they’re just so much fun! We love serving these bars at holiday gatherings because they’re full of the sweet and tangy holiday flavor of cranberries, and they’re so easy to make.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses simple basic ingredients.
- It’s a quick and easy recipe anyone can make.
- It’s full of classic holiday cranberry flavor.
- The brown sugar crumble pairs perfectly with the sweet and tangy filling and the buttery crust.
🛒Ingredients
This delicious recipe uses simple baking ingredients, most of which you probably have in your kitchen right now. Anything you don’t have can be found easily at your local grocery store. This is a no-frills recipe – the best kind!
All the ingredients are listed here, but be sure to check the recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities.
For the Crust
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter – chilled
- Milk
- Vanilla
Cranberry Filling Ingredients
- Cranberries – fresh or frozen
- Water
- Cornstarch
- Sugar
- Cream cheese
For the Crumb Topping
- Flour
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- cinnamon
- Butter – chilled
- Oats
- Egg
- Fresh lemon juice
🔪 How to Make Cranberry Crumble Bars
Making these cranberry crumble bars is an easy process that even beginners will have no issues with. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps, and you’ll be in and out of the kitchen in just about an hour.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then, grease a 13×9 baking pan. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Crust
Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Then, cut in chilled butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Add milk and vanilla and mix until the dough begins to come together.
Step 3: Bake
Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Then, bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden.
Step 4: Make the Cranberry Filling
While the crust bakes, add the cranberries and sugar to a saucepan. Then, mix the cornstarch and water and add to the cranberries. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries begin to burst and the mixture thickens.
Step 5: Top the Crust
Spread the cranberry mixture over the crust. Then, add small spoonfuls of cream cheese on top and swirl into the cranberry mixture.
Step 6: Make the Crumble Topping
Mix flour, sugar, oats, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Then, cut the chilled butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Then, whisk the egg and add the lemon juice. Finally, pour the egg and lemon mixture into the crumble mixture and mix until combined.
Step 7: Bake
Spread the crumb mixture evenly over the cranberry filling and bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes until brown and bubbly. Cool and cut into squares.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Cranberries – You can use your favorite berries to make different kinds of crumble bars.
- Cinnamon – Try adding a little cinnamon to the cranberry filling.
- Pie Filling – You can simply use pie filling for these bars as well.
If you love fruity dessert bars, then we think you’ll enjoy our delicious lemon bars.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- 13×9 baking pan
- Whisk
- Pastry cutter or knives
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate these bars in an air-tight container for 4 to 5 days. For longer storage, wrap the bars in plastic wrap, then freeze them for up to a month in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
What to Serve with Cranberry Crumble Bars
Serve these bars with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea. You can also serve them alongside a few pieces of white chocolate and/or fresh berries.
💭 Tips
- Cube your butter, then leave it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cut it into the flour. The colder the butter the better!
- Don’t overmix your crust dough. As soon as it comes together, stop mixing!
- Stir your cranberry mixture continuously while you cook it to prevent sticking or burning.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
In almost all recipes, frozen cranberries can be used in place of fresh cranberries. Oftentimes, they don’t even have to be defrosted!
Cube your butter into small pieces to make the process easier. Then, chill the butter until as cold as possible. Using a pastry cutter, knives, or forks, break the butter up until the pieces become small and coated with flour, making the mixture look like coarse crumbs.
Cold butter results in a crispier baked good, making it the ideal addition to pie crusts.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy cranberries? Then try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Cranberry Crumble Bars
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- mixing bowls
- 13×9 baking pan
- Whisk
- Pastry cutter or knives
Ingredients
Ingredients for the crust:
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter chilled
- 4-5 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients for cranberry filling:
- 2 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese
Ingredients for crumb topping:
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup butter chilled
- ½ cup oats
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease a 13” x 9” x 2” pan.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until you get a small crumbs.
- Add in the milk and vanilla and mix until the dough starts to come together.
- Press firmly into the bottom of the pan until you have an even layer.
- Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until it’s lightly golden.
- While the crust is baking, place the cranberries in a saucepan and add the sugar.
- Mix the cornstarch with water and add it to the pan.
- Cook the cranberries over medium heat until the berries start to burst and the mixture starts to thicken.
- Remove from heat and spread over the cooked crust.
- Add small spoonfuls of cream cheese and swirl with the cranberries.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, sugar, oats, salt and cinnamon.
- Add in the butter, using a pastry cutter until you get a small crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg until smooth and add the lemon juice.
- Pour into the crumb mixture and stir until well mixed. Spread over the top of the cranberry layer and place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until brown and bubbly.
