Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars

Buttery crumb bars bursting with bright orange flavor companies sweet and tart cranberry filling for the best cranberry orange bars you will ever try!

Why you'll love it

This recipe comes from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, so it's been tested and retested thoroughly by the great and wonderful Deb Pearlman. The only changes I made were to amp up the flavors a little more by tweaking the spice.

Key ingredients

These cranberry orange bars use only a handful of ingredients, most of them are pantry staples. Here are some of the key ingredients. You can find the full list and measurements in the recipe card below.

• Cranberries - This is a great recipe to use up any leftover fresh cranberries you may have. If you can't find any fresh cranberries, you can use frozen, but be sure not to thaw them.
• Orange - Use your favorite type of orange. Typically, I use navel or Cara Cara oranges.
• Sugar - Granulated sugar is recommended for this recipe, but you can add a bit more depth by substituting it with brown sugar.

How to Make

Making these bars is so easy. You can whip them up any time the craving strikes or when you have to bake something for company.

1. Add the dry ingredients for the crumb into a food processor.
2. Pulse until combined.
3. Add in the butter a few tablespoons at a time, pulsing one or two times to gently incorporate.
4. Add in the egg and orange juice once the butter is all added and pulse slightly to combine.
5. Spread half the mixture into a parchment lined 9x13 baking pan and press down into an even layer. Set aside the remaining mixture.
6. Wipe down the food processor and add everything for the filling together and pulse to chop well.
7. Pour the filling over the crumb base, then crumble the remaining crumb mixture over top.
8. Bake until the crumbs are a light golden brown. Cool completely before serving.

Storage

Cranberry orange bars should be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They can be stored in the freezer if you cut into squares and freeze on a baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature.

Related recipes

Recipe Card

Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars

Amanda Powell

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

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Ingredients

  

For the Crumb

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ 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
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch

Get Recipe Ingredients

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.

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