Cranberry Orange Crumble Bars have a tart and sweet cranberry layer with a chewy oatmeal base. The crumble topping does not have oats and is plain buttery goodness!
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Flavour & Energy
When it comes to flavour combinations, the cranberry orange combination is one of my favourites. Another combination I love all year round is raspberry white chocolate. These cranberry orange crumble bars were created as a way to enjoy something refreshing in the mornings with coffee or tea. They are not too sweet and a bit tart. They also provide a good source of energy especially through the oatmeal base.
The base mixture has the right amount of oatmeal so that it is chewy and flaky at the same time. It is evenly pressed into the bottom of the pan. This method of pressing into the pan creates a denser base so that any liquid in the cranberry layer does not bleed into it while baking. That way each layer of the bar will have a more defined look.
The use of mandarin orange pieces as a topping ingredient adds to the tangy flavour and also gives these bars beautiful texture and colour. You can find these mandarin orange pieces in medium size preserved fruit cans or in individual snack cups in the snack section of grocery stores.
I cut them into bars after cooling them in the refrigerator overnight. It does not take overnight for it to come to a completely cooled temperature. These bars can definitely be served on the same day given some time to let it cool.
Cranberry Orange Crumble Bars
Ingredients
Base
- 1 cup butter cubed
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup quick oats add after 1/3 of the crumble mixture has been set aside as topping
Crumble Topping
- 1/3 of the mixture above before oats are added
Cranberry Layer
- 4 cups frozen cranberries measured in measuring cups instead of grams on the bag of cranberries
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 large orange, zest only
- 1 Tbsp orange juice
Other Toppings
- 1 cup mandarin orange slices
Instructions
Base
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt, mix until semi blended.
- Mix in vanilla extract and egg, mix in cinnamon last. Mix until coarse crumbs are formed. Don't over mix.
Crumble Topping
- In a medium bowl, take out 1/3 of the base mixture and set aside. This will be used as the crumble topping.
- Back to the 2/3 of the base mixture, add quick oats and mix lightly so there are still coarse crumbs.
- In a 8×8'' square pan, lined with parchment paper, press the base mixture into the pan evenly.
Cranberry Layer
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for the cranberry layer.
- Spread evenly into the pan over the base.
- Spread the 1/3 crumble topping evenly over the cranberry layer. Can use your hand to squeeze crumble topping to form larger crumbs if preferred.
- Place mandarin orange slices on top in the design you like.
- Bake at 360 F for 50-60 minutes until the cranberries are starting to bubble in the centre of the pan.
- Cool completely and refrigerate before cutting into bars. Refrigerate bars and store up to 4 days. Wrap and freeze bars to keep them longer.
If you love cranberry orange flavours, you will likely love my Cranberry Crumble Coffee Cake. It has hints of orange in the coffee cake. It is one of my favourite baked goods especially during the holiday season to go with all sorts of holiday beverages.
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