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Published: Feb 16, 2015 · Modified: Sep 23, 2019 by Amanda Powell · Estimated time to read: About 2 minutes to read this article. · This post may contain affiliate links.

Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars

Name: Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2/3 cup sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; zest of one orange; 16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut in cubes and chilled; 1 large egg; 2 tablespoon orange juice; 12 oz bag fresh cranberries; zest from one orange; 3 tablespoons orange juice; 1/3 cup sugar; 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Are you over cranberry/orange yet? I hope not cause I am still smitten with the flavor combination and I am finally sharing my first cran-orange recipe with you. It also happens to be my first crumb bar recipe on the blog. Seriously, all these firsts… what have I been doing during my first year of blogging? Well, these cranberry orange crumb bars are well worth waiting for. These babies are a household favorite and are requested on a near daily basis.

These cranberry orange crumb bars are so tasty, my daughter made up a whole song about it. Nothing too fancy just something along the lines of “Ooooohhhhh crumb bars, crumb bars. I love yoouuu! Cranbuuury and orange. Cranbury and orange!” …and then it usually rails off into something about princesses and dragons, but she doesn’t sing about all her food, so it’s saying something. That should totally be a thing. Song about food. I’d listen to an album dedicated to food. It reminds me of something the guy at Whose Line Is It Anyway would come up with when they do their Greatest Hits bit. Is that show still on? That show was the best. I loved Colin and Ryan and Greg. Oh my gosh. Did you see the episode where Richard Simmons was on the show? Best bit of comedy television ever.

I’ve been on a blogger cookbook buying binge lately and one of the books I recently bought was from Deb who writes Smitten Kitchen. I adore her blog and pretty much everything she does and when I saw her crumb bars, I had to make them! The only changes I made mix up the spices a bit more and amp up the orange flavor. They are the best crumb bars ever. With extra crumb cause that’s how we roll in my house.

Make a double batch of these because they aren’t going to last long at all. Trust me.

Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Crumb

3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
zest of one orange
16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut in cubes and chilled
1 large egg
2 tablespoon orange juice

For the Filling

12 oz bag fresh cranberries
zest from one orange
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides of the pan to create a sling. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
In a food processor, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and orange zest together. Pulse once to twice to combine. Slowly add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, pulsing between additions, until the mixture resembles large crumbs. Add the egg and juice and pulse one or two times so the mixture looks like coarse meal.
Place half the mixture in the baking pan and press down to create the base. Set aside.
Clean out your food processor and add together all the ingredients for the filling and pulse a few times to mix and cut up the cranberries. You do not want it to reach the point where it becomes a puree, so take your time.
Spread the filling over the base, then crumble on the remaining crumb mixture, lightly pressing down so it sticks to the filling. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes, the top crumb should take on a very light golden color. Allow it to cool completely before cutting into bars. You can use the sling to remove the bars before or after cutting.

About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

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Comments

pam (sidewalk shoes) says
February 16, 2015 at 9:29 am
These sound wonderful!
Reply
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
February 16, 2015 at 9:37 am
Those would last about a minute at my house. I would eat them for breakfast, too!
Reply
[email protected] says
February 16, 2015 at 10:53 am
These crumb bars look absolutely delicious and I love the combination of cranberries and orange!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 7:58 pm
  Thank you! Cranberry and orange is one of my favorite classic flavor combos!
  Reply
Kimberly Henricks says
February 16, 2015 at 11:20 am
I am definitely NOT over cranberry and orange … it’s one of my favorite flavor combinations … and I go to it a lot! And I am definitely pinning your gorgeous crumb bars for later because of it!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 7:59 pm
  Thank you so much for pinning! I agree, cranberry and orange rocks!
  Reply
Jameson Fink says
February 16, 2015 at 11:38 am
I am not over now, nor will I ever be, cranberry/orange. Bring it on!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 7:59 pm
  Yes! Cranberry & orange for life!
  Reply
Julie @ Willow Bird Baking says
February 16, 2015 at 11:50 am
I would TOTALLY sing for these gorgeous bars. And I’ll never be over cranberry and orange. NEVER.
Reply
Jennifer | Bake or Break says
February 16, 2015 at 12:13 pm
Cranberry and orange is such a great flavor combo! And I’m always excited about a crumb topping!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 7:59 pm
  Crumb topping always makes things better, doesn’t it?
  Reply
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
February 16, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Love the looks of these bars – so pretty!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 7:59 pm
  Thank you so much!
  Reply
amanda @ fake ginger says
February 16, 2015 at 5:20 pm
I’ve been buying blogger cookbooks like mad recently, too. It’s just so fun!
These look so good! Cranberry orange is my favorite combo!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 8:00 pm
  I know, I am obsessed with blogger cookbooks. So many of them have created such wonderful resources online and in their books. I only wish to be half as talented as some of them.
  Reply
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
February 16, 2015 at 11:43 pm
I’m still on board with cranberry orange… I was beginning to wonder if anyone else was! So happy to see these delicious bars! I have Deb’s book and everything I’ve made from it has been delicious! I’ve not made these however, but neeeeed to posthaste! Your daughters song sounds lovely… a motivator to make these again and again! Thank you, Amanda!!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 8:02 pm
  Yeah, I kind of feel like as soon as the holiday rush weans down, cranberry and orange gets ignored. I think it should be around much longer! I am sow ith you, I kind of want to just go through the entire book and make everything!
  Reply
Karissa | Sweet as a Cookie says
February 17, 2015 at 11:39 am
I’ve heard that good food is supposed to make you sing and dance so it sounds like this recipe is definitely amazing in your daughters eyes. These bars sound amazing! I’ll have to give them a try!
Reply
Amanda says
February 17, 2015 at 1:10 pm
I could never be tired of cranberry and orange! These bars look delicious!!!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 8:02 pm
  Thank you!!
  Reply
Christina @ Bake with Christina says
February 17, 2015 at 5:04 pm
Those bars look SO yummy! The colors look amazing and I bet they taste delicious! 🙂
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 8:02 pm
  They were the best! Deb really knows how to make an awesome crumb bar!
  Reply
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says
February 17, 2015 at 5:48 pm
There’s always room for more cranberry and orange. I can totally see my daughter making up a song about them! Love!
Reply
Nutmeg Nanny says
February 18, 2015 at 7:52 am
Cranberry and orange are my favorite flavor combination! These bars are so pretty!
Reply
Katie @ Pearls + Girls says
February 18, 2015 at 2:50 pm
Haha, love the song! My oldest sometimes hums when she’s eating something delicious. I love bar recipes, and this combo of orange and cranberry is a winner!
Reply
- Amanda says
  February 18, 2015 at 8:04 pm
  I guess you can’t help but want to sing a little when you eat something you really like. I’ve come close to it a few times, ha!
  Reply
Cate | Chez CateyLou says
February 18, 2015 at 3:49 pm
I am all about the extra crumb!!! I love crumb bars! These look delicious – I would sing a song about them too. Yum!
Reply
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
February 19, 2015 at 11:47 pm
Love a classic crumb bar. Especially one’s that are stuffed with as much deliciousness as these cranberry and orange ones – very jealous you got to devour these Amanda!
Reply
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files says
February 20, 2015 at 3:27 pm
These are screaming to be made! And I love binging on cookbooks…I actually love to sit with them in the afternoons and just read them! Sorry novels…cookbooks are where its at!
Reply