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Cranberry Crumble Bars

Cranberry crumble bars with a buttery oat crumble crust and a thick ruby cranberry filling. You’ll bake the base, cook the cranberry mixture until jammy, then top with more crumble for a golden, crunchy finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Oat crumble base and top
  • 2 cup rolled oats
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
Cranberry filling
  • 3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp orange juice
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
Powdered sugar for dusting
  • 1 powdered sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and make the oat crumble
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper so the bars lift out cleanly.
  2. In a bowl, combine rolled oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Add cold unsalted butter, then cut it into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms even, crumbly clumps with no large wet chunks.
  4. Press 2/3 of the oat mixture firmly into the prepared pan to form a tight base.
  5. Bake the base for 10 minutes until it looks slightly set and lightly fragrant.
Cook the cranberry filling
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cranberries, granulated sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cornstarch, and cinnamon.
  2. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens into a glossy, spreadable filling.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread the cranberry filling over the hot base to the edges in an even layer.
  2. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the filling so it’s covered in a dense, even top layer.
  3. Bake for 25-28 minutes at 375F until the top is golden and the filling looks set at the edges.
  4. Cool the bars completely before slicing so the filling won’t run.
  5. Dust with powdered sugar and slice into 16 bars.

Notes

For the best crumble texture, keep the butter cold and pack the base firmly before baking. Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freezing works well: wrap individually and freeze up to 2 months. For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 cold vegan butter stick and chill it briefly before mixing to maintain crumbly clumps.