The Best Cranberry Crumble Bars (So Easy!)
These Cranberry Crumble Bars are so festive and perfect for holiday baking and gifting! They have a buttery crust, a tart and jammy cranberry filling, and a tender crumble topping. So easy to make and so tasty!
Making these Cranberry Crumble Bars
Do you want to know just how good these Cranberry Crumb Bars are? As Mary Poppins would say, they’re practically perfect in every way. I have made 3 pans of them just this week.
So practically perfect that they’re verging on actual perfection minus the part about how they aren’t exactly health food. Okay, before you go all oh-my-gosh-are-you-crazy? and that’s-so-bad-for-you on me let me justify those three pans first. Okay?
Pan #1: made them for us. We devoured them. I had the last one for breakfast yesterday because it was calling my name in the fridge. It was the last one in the pan and the pan was just taking up way too much space since it wasn’t really serving any purpose by housing only one bar.
Pan #2 and #3: Made both today. Logan and Madeline had a grand time helping me press the crust in and then proceeded to litter the kitchen with flour, sugar, and baking powder. One pan for a friend’s family and another pan for our MOMS Club Garage Sale/Bake Sale tomorrow morning.
I could hardly wait for them to chill before a.) delivering them and b.) eating them myself. I think they’re the perfect treat for the upcoming holidays, or any time you want your kitchen to smell awesome.
P.S. Cranberries are good for you. Right? Right.
Ingredients in Cranberry Crumble Bars
These easy Cranberry Crumb Bars has the perfect balance of sweet and tart! Here’s a quick overview of the necessary ingredients for the different components of the recipe:
Crust and Crumb Topping Ingredients:
You’ll use the same mixture for the buttery crust and the crumble topping that goes on top of the tart cranberry filling. To make it, you need:
- Granulated Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
- Almond Meal or Almond Flour
- Cold Butter
- Egg
- Ground Cinnamon
Cranberry Filling Ingredients:
Here’s what you’ll need to make the delicious jammy cranberry filling that is sandwiched in between the crust and the crumble topping:
- Orange Juice
- Orange Zest
- Fresh Cranberries
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Cornstarch
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make cranberry orange crumble bars, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Cranberry Crumble Bars
Here’s a quick overview of the process to make this super simple cranberry crumble bar recipe:
- First, prepare the buttery crumb mixture (this flour mixture will act as both the crust and the crumble topping).
- After that, press half the crumb mixture into a parchment paper-lined 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- Next, combine cranberries with the rest of the cranberry filling ingredients, then spoon over the crust.
- Sprinkle remaining crumbs in an even layer over the cranberry filling.
- Then, bake the cranberry crumb bars until the crumble topping is golden brown.
- Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
The above is simply a quick summary of how to make these cranberry crumble pie bars. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for Making Cranberry Crumb Bars
- Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it easier to get the cranberry crumble bars out. If you’ve never used parchment paper to line a pan before, check out this tutorial: How to Line Pans with Parchment Paper.
- You can use fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries in this recipe, just make sure you are using whole cranberries. In this recipe, frozen cranberries do not need to be thawed first. Frozen cranberries are great because you can make these cranberry crumb bars out of season if you’re craving them.
- Make sure you use chilled butter to prepare the crust and crumb topping mixture. You’ll get the best results when you cut the butter into the flour.
- Cool at room temperature on a wire rack first and then transfer them to the refrigerator to chill completely. Cut after they are cold. The cranberry crumb bars will
Recipe Variations
- Cranberry Apple Crumble Bars: substitute half of the cranberries for peeled, chopped apples. Apples should be chopped approximately the same size as a cranberry.
- Cranberry Pear Bars: substitute half of the cranberries for peeled, chopped ripe pears. Pears should be firm but ripe and chopped approximately the same size as a cranberry.
Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make cranberry crumble pie bars? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes, you can definitely use frozen cranberries when making a batch of cranberry orange crumble bars. The best part is you do not need to thaw them first!
Cranberry Crumble Bars Storage Instructions
Depending on your usage purposes, these cranberry crumb bars can be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer.
Store Leftovers in the Fridge
Transfer cut bars into an airtight container and store in the leftovers in the refrigerator. They stay fresher when stored refrigerator and storing in a sealed container helps prevent them from drying out.
Freezing Cranberry Crumble Bars
- Prepare the bars according to the recipe. After chilling the bars and cutting them into squares, place them on a parchment paper lined baking pan.
- Place the baking pan in the freezer and freeze the cut bars just until they are frozen (flash freeze).
- Then, remove the frozen bars and transfer them to a zip top freezer bag, layering them flat. Zip the bag, removing as much air as possible. Then, transfer the bag to the freezer.
Try this Easy Cranberry Crumb Bars Recipe!
Next time you’re looking for great dessert for a holiday party give these delicious Fresh Cranberry Crumble Bars a try!
Did you think they were perfect for the holiday season? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of these cranberry dessert bars.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this recipe for Cranberry Crumb Bars!
★★★★★
Reader review –
“Thank you for this recipe. Made them today and they are wonderful!”
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Sugared Cranberries
You need just two ingredients to make these simple Sugared Cranberries! Use them to garnish drinks, serving platters, cakes, and more.
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Deep Dish Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie is a unique Thanksgiving dessert your whole family will love! Serve with whipped cream or à la mode.
Cranberry Orange Cake
This cranberry orange pound cake is the perfect festive treat! The pound cake is moist and tender, perfectly sweetened, and flavored with orange zest and fresh cranberries – all topped with a fresh orange glaze. This pound cake is perfect for anything from brunch to dessert!
If you’re looking for additional inspiration for your Christmas treats this year, here are a few other favorite Christmas recipes. Be sure to check out the whole Christmas Recipes Archive right here if you need help building the rest of your holiday recipe plans.
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Cranberry Crumble Bars
These Cranberry Crumble Bars are so festive and perfect for holiday baking and gifting! They have a buttery crust, a tart and jammy cranberry filling, and a tender crumble topping. So easy to make and so tasty!
Ingredients
For the Crust and Crumb Topping
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal*
- 1 cup cold butter (2 sticks)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
For the Cranberry Filling
- juice of 1/2 of an orange
- zest of one orange
- 4 cups fresh cranberries**
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbs cornstarch
Instructions
Recipe Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper.
Making the Crust and Crumb Topping
- In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup sugar, flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. The dough will be crumbly.
- Alternatively, you can pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor with the butter until pebbly, and then mix in the egg until it all comes together.
- Pat half of the dough into the buttered pan.
- Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon to the remaining dough, then set aside to use for the topping.
Making the Cranberry Filling
- In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, orange juice and zest. Mix in the cranberries. Sprinkle the cranberry mixture evenly over the dough in the pan.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the cranberry mixture.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown.
- Cool completely and chill in the refrigerator before cutting into squares.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
* I used these almonds. Just toss them in a food processor until finely ground to make almond meal.
**stock up while cranberries are abundant in stores. Just toss them in the freezer and use as you need. They'll be good for about a year. If you're using frozen fresh cranberries for this recipe there is no need to thaw them first.
To Freeze the Bars: Prepare the bars according to the recipe. After chilling the bars and cutting them into squares, place them on a parchment paper lined baking pan. Place the baking pan in the freezer and freeze the cut bars just until they are frozen (flash freeze). Then, remove the frozen bars and transfer them to a zip top freezer bag, layering them flat. Zip the bag, removing as much air as possible. Then, transfer the bag to the freezer.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 barAmount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 2g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
FishMama says
Love looking at your photos. Yummy!
Marie {Make and Takes} says
SHUT UP!!! Congrats on writing for Ms. Paula Deen! Yay!
sweetbeets says
They look so delicious! I have to bake a few things for an upcoming holiday-themed fundraiser for my son's school so I've bookmarked your recipe. The cranberries make them so festive!
lavienouveau says
mmmm! these look awesome!
Kristen says
Absolutley gorgeous, my dear! Love it!
Jenn in GA says
these are fabby! made them for a group we were to have over this evening, but son came down with a fever. glad to have the freezing recommendations!
Kathleen says
Just found your blog thru Barbara Bakes. I love it! I'm making these next week. Can't wait!!
Barbara Bakes says
I blogged about your bars today. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Madame K says
After seeing your recipe, I can't decide between the bars and a cranberry buckle. What a dilemma!
Dana says
Just looking at the photos, I can totally taste that intoxicating sweet and sour bite. yum!
Abby says
I made these last year and have been saving my post for Christmas! And you're right. They're fab.
Kendra @ My First Kitchen says
I love that you referenced Mary Poppins. I like you already. 🙂 Thanks for coming by my site, and I can't wait to come back and visit yours! It's so calm and happy over here.
We Are Not Martha says
Cranberries are one of those things I always WANT to cook/bake with and always forget to. Must make these ASAP!Sues
Mixing Bowl Mama says
With a sales pitch like that it will be impossible not to try these! We love cranberries and love them even more in desserts.
Miki says
These look SO YUMMY and I can't wait to try them!! Cranberry margaritas are my favorite but these sure look like they can top that, LOL! Thanks for the tip on freezing them too.
Memória says
These look fantastic!