Description
Cranberry Crumble Bars are a delightful blend of buttery shortbread crust, tangy cranberry filling, and a sweet vanilla glaze. Perfect for festive occasions or a cozy treat, these bars combine the tartness of cranberries with a tender, crumbly crust topped with a smooth glaze for an irresistible dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 1/4 cups (405 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cranberry Filling
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the egg and vanilla until well combined, again scraping down the sides of the bowl for uniformity.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to evenly distribute dry ingredients.
- Mix Dry and Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Be careful not to overmix.
- Reserve Dough for Topping: Set aside roughly 2 cups of dough, loosely packed, to use as the crumble topping later.
- Press Crust: Press the remaining dough evenly into an 8 x 8 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper, making sure it reaches into the corners.
- Pre-Bake Crust: Bake the crust at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden and the center is just set. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Prepare Cranberry Filling: In a large bowl, mix cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla until well combined.
- Assemble Bars: Pour the cranberry filling evenly over the pre-baked crust. Break the reserved dough into smaller flat pieces with your hands and place them randomly over the filling, leaving gaps for cranberries to peek through.
- Bake Bars: Bake for 45 minutes at 350°F. Cover the top with aluminum foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- Cool: Remove from oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let bars cool completely before glazing.
- Prepare Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream, and vanilla together. Adjust consistency by adding milk if too thick or powdered sugar if too thin. Drizzle glaze over cooled bars.
- Slice and Serve: Cut into 16 squares and enjoy your cranberry crumble bars.
Notes
- Store bars tightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- For longer storage, freeze bars before adding the vanilla glaze. Defrost at room temperature before drizzling glaze.
- Ensure the glaze consistency is pourable but not too thin for best presentation.
- Use fresh cranberries if possible for extra tartness; frozen cranberries work well too.
- Allow crust to cool slightly before adding filling to prevent sogginess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 300 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
