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A stack of 3 cranberry crumble bars on a small grey plate.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 16
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Delicious cranberry oatmeal bars are easy to make and feature a gooey layer of sweet and tart cranberry jam between layers of oatmeal crumble. Perfect for the holidays!


Ingredients

For the Cranberry Jam

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest, optional
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds

For the Crust and Topping

  • 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 (150 g) cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (90 g) sugar*
  • 1/3 cup (70 g) coconut oil, softened
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 35 tbsp unsweetened almond or cashew milk

Instructions

  1. Make the Cranberry Jam: Combine the cranberries, lemon juice, maple syrup and chia seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
  2. Once it reaches a gentle boil, turn the heat to low. Continue stirring and mashing the cranberries or popping them against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon, for 6-8 minutes until it’s thick and has a jam-like consistency. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside for now.
  3. Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7 or 8-inch square baking pan, line it with parchment paper or spray with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray.
  4. Make Crust and Topping Layers: Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl until well combined.
  5. Add the melted coconut oil, lemon juice and nut milk, starting with 3 tbsp. Mix into a crumbly dough, adding more almond milk as needed until you can press the dough together in your fingers. It should be crumbly but moist enough to start sticking together. It should not be overly wet or as moist as cookie dough or cake batter.
  6. Assemble Bars in Pan: Reserve about 2/3 cup of the dough then firmly press the rest into the bottom of the pan. Evenly spread the cranberry mixture in an even layer on top of the bottom layer. Sprinkle the rest of the oat crumble evenly over the cranberry layer.
  7. Bake: Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown then let cool completely in the pan. It’s important to let them cool completely so they set up firm.
  8. Slice and Enjoy: Slice the bars into 16 squares or 32 mini bars.

Notes

This recipe can also be made with fresh or frozen blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or raspberries instead of cranberries, or you can do half berries and half cranberries for sweeter filling.

The chia seeds can be substituted with 1 tbsp cornstarch. For orange cranberry bars, omit the lemon and use orange juice plus 2 tsp orange zest instead.

Store the bars in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 1 week. The bars can be frozen covered in the pan or sliced and stored in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.

For sugar you can use white sugar, dark brown sugar or light brown sugar.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 140
  • Sugar: 8 g
  • Sodium: 38 mg
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 21 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 2 g