Cranberry Crumble Bars

These cranberry crumb bars have a buttery shortbread base, a sweet-tart cranberry filling, and a golden crumb topping that melts in your mouth. Each bite is soft, rich, and full of bright holiday flavor.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Cooling time 30

Total Time 1 50

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings bars

Calories 468 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the shortbread cookie base

1 cup butter salted, softened
1 cup brown sugar light, packed tightly
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour

For the cranberry filling

3 cups fresh cranberries
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

For the icing

½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon whole milk may use more or less

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat an 8x8 inch baking dish with butter or coconut oil.
Beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl until the sugar is completely incorporated. Beat in the egg.
On a low speed, beat in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
Press about ⅔ of the cookie dough into the prepared baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
While the cookie dough is in the oven, prepare the cranberry filling. Rinse and examine the cranberries for stones and spoiled berries. Stir together the fresh cranberries, lemon juice, and granulated sugar.
Spread the cranberries over the cookie dough crust, and then sprinkle the remaining cookie dough over the cranberries.
Bake for another 30 minutes.
Cool the cranberry bars for 30 minutes.
Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and a little milk in a small bowl. Continue adding milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you have the consistency you want. It should be thicker than orange juice but still pourable. Drizzle over the cooled bars.
Slice and serve.

Notes

These bars can be stored on the counter or in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat a bar in the microwave for about 10 seconds or enjoy it at room temperature.

If you don't let the cranberry bars cool after they come of out of the oven, they will be too soft to cut.

Nutrition

Keyword bars, cookies, cranberry, vanilla

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