• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Celebrating Sweets
  • All Recipes
  • Dessert
    • Brownies & Bars
    • Cake & Cupcakes
    • Cookies
    • Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts
    • Pies & Tarts
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • Main Dishes
  • Breakfast
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Fall Favorites
  • Holiday Recipes
  • Drinks & Cocktails
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
×
Home » Brownies & Bars » Cranberry Crumb Bars

Cranberry Crumb Bars

Published: Dec 10, 2019 · Modified: Oct 13, 2020 by Allison · 8 Comments

  • Share
  • Email
Jump to Recipe

These delicious Cranberry Crumb Bars feature a sweet buttery dough and a tart cranberry filling. This recipe comes together quickly with the crust and topping made from the same mixture.

Two Cranberry Bars on parchment paper.

And my obsession with crumb toppings continues. These sweet, tart and buttery Cranberry Bars are the way to my crumb-loving heart!

I now have a crumb bar for every season: Berry Crumb Bars for spring, Peach Crumb Bars for summer, Apple Crumb Bars for fall, and these festive Cranberry Crumb Bars for winter. Flavored with a touch of orange and vanilla and filled with plenty of tart cranberries, these buttery bars are absolute perfection!

Cranberry Bar on parchment paper.

How to Make Cranberry Bars:

This recipe uses the same mixture for the crust and the topping, with a sweet-tart cranberry mixture in between. Here’s how to make them:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Add cubed butter, orange zest, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat until the butter is broken down into small pieces and the dough is crumbly.
  • Dump a little more than half of the dough into a 9×13 pan (reserving the rest for the topping). Press the dough into an even layer.
  • Combine fresh cranberries with sugar, cornstarch, orange juice, and vanilla.
  • Dump the cranberries onto the crust, then crumble the reserved dough over the top.
  • Bake until the cranberries are bubbling and the top is light golden brown.
  • After cooling, drizzle the bars with vanilla icing.

How to make cranberry bars: dough and cranberry filling.

Serving and storage:

Serving: These bars can be served chilled, at room temperature or warm. The colder the bars are the more stable they are for holding/serving. If you choose to serve them warm, you will want to serve them on a plate with a fork (they won’t be firm enough to hold). Top the bars with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Storing: These bars are best within 24 hours of being made. After 1 day, the moisture from the fruit starts to soften the crust and topping. Store in the refrigerator.

Stack of three Cranberry Bars drizzled with vanilla icing.

MORE CRANBERRY RECIPES:

  • Almond Cranberry Cake
  • Apple Cranberry Crisp
  • Cranberry Bliss Bars
  • Cranberry Salad
  • Apple Cranberry Bread

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! SUBSCRIBE to our free EMAIL LIST – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM

Recipe

Two Cranberry Bars on parchment paper.

Cranberry Crumb Bars

These delicious Cranberry Crumb Bars feature a buttery dough and a tart cranberry filling.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 20
Calories: 263kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Crust and topping:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free*)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • finely grated zest of 1 medium-sized orange
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cranberry filling:

  • 5 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • juice of 1 medium-sized orange
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Vanilla icing:

  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 3 teaspoons half and half or milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and lightly grease the foil.

Crust and topping:

  • Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add orange zest, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until the butter is evenly distributed in small pieces and the mixture is crumbly.
  • Dump a little more than half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan (reserving the remaining amount, about 2 ½ cups, for the topping). Use your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press the dough into the pan.

Cranberry filling:

  • Gently stir together all ingredients until well incorporated.
  • Scoop the cranberries onto the crust, making sure the cranberries and juices are evenly distributed over the crust. Crumble the reserved dough over the top of the berries.
  • Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and the cranberries are bubbling in some spots. Transfer pan to a rack to cool completely.

Vanilla icing:

  • Whisk all ingredients until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar to thicken or more milk to thin. Drizzle over the cooled bars.

Notes

*Baking powder with aluminum can react with cranberries; I prefer to use aluminum free baking powder for this recipe. 
Serving: These bars can be served chilled, at room temperature, or warm. The colder the bars are the more stable they are for holding/serving. If you choose to serve them warm, you will want to serve them on a plate with a fork (they won't be firm enough to hold). Top the bars with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired. 
Storing: These bars are best within 24 hours of being made. After 1 day, the moisture from the fruit starts to soften the crust and topping. Store in the refrigerator. 

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 311IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
« Chocolate M&M Cookies
Hot Buttered Rum »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Micki

    December 12, 2019 at 11:44 am

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh, these Cranberry Crumb Bars are amazing! I love that little pop of tartness from the cranberries. So good!

    Reply
  2. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

    December 12, 2019 at 11:57 am

    5 stars
    Can’t wait to try this recipe, I know my family will love it!

    Reply
  3. Denis

    September 05, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    I’m a guy that loves cranberries…year-round! Do you think using hydrated CRAISINS would work off season?

    Recipe not rated…no cranberries in September…likely a 5 star will be forthcoming this winter!

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 08, 2020 at 10:52 am

      I would not recommend it. You can try using frozen cranberries (some of my local grocery stores have them in the freezer section). Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Colleen

    December 23, 2020 at 11:19 am

    Do I cook the cranberries first?

    Reply
    • Allison

      December 24, 2020 at 1:22 pm

      No.

      Reply
  5. rose

    January 26, 2022 at 5:29 pm

    Would this fit in a 10″ springform pan? Your thoughts?

    Reply
  6. Sharilyn Murgia

    July 30, 2022 at 11:40 am

    5 stars
    These are delicious
    I made them without icing they were sweet enough without it I will definitely be making them again

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

About

aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

Dessert Recipes

Closeup of coffee cake with crumb topping

Maple Gingerbread Coffee Cake

A close up of a peanut butter ice cream pie topped with fudge sauce.

Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Pie

Layered fruit salad in a glass trifle dish topped with pudding and whipped cream.

Fruit Salad Recipe

Banana french toast casserole on a white plate.

Brown Sugar Banana French Toast Casserole

Stack of two cream cheese brownies on a piece of parchment.

Cream Cheese Brownies

Square slice of carrot cake topped with white frosting.

Healthier Carrot Cake (Naturally Sweetened + Whole Grain)

More Dessert Recipes...

Popular Recipes:

Closeup of an M&M cookie topped with chocolate chips and M&M's.

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies

Blueberry Pancake Casserole in a white baking dish.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Casserole

Closeup of sweet potato casserole on a white plate.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows & Streusel

Jam Filled Oatmeal Bars

Jam Filled Oatmeal Bars

Baked french toast on a plate

Cinnamon Vanilla Baked French Toast

Chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream in a white ramekin

Chocolate Mousse

More Popular Recipes...

Logo for country living, food network, buzzfeed, msn, delish, good housekeeping

FREE BAKING GUIDE

Tips & Tricks for the Home Baker

Thank you!

Check your email to confirm your subscription.

.

Footer

Connect With Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright 2013-2023 Celebrating Sweets

All images and content are copyright protected. Please contact me for permission to use my original images. If you want to republish a recipe, please re-write it in your own words, or link back to my post for the recipe.