Perfect holiday dessert, and a great way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce, these cranberry oatmeal bars are elegant and easy to make!
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Ah, the humble cranberry. After months of growing on their bushes in an area called a “bog”, they will ripen in the fall. This usually occurs beginning in September, but they can ripen as late as November.
Once ripened, cranberries can be hand picked like you would blueberries or strawberries. However, in the big commercial type cranberry farms, they will flood the bog with water, basically covering the bushes in water. This allows the ripe berries to detach from their stems and float to the top. The floating fresh cranberries will then be vacuumed up with a special vacuum, packaged and shipped.
The result? Delicious, juicy little gems of tangy tartness. Cranberries are often the star of holiday tables, appearing in sides dishes such as this cranberry sauce recipe, and other recipes such as cranberry muffins, or even cranberry scones.
The possibilities are nearly endless. And, my favorite of all: the cranberry oat bar.
Ingredients you need:
- All purpose flour
- Rolled oats
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Butter, salted preferred
- Cranberry sauce (homemade recipe here)
- Whole cranberries
Making your cranberry oat bars:
- Preheat oven.
- Add flour oats, baking powder and sugar to a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add melted butter to the mixture and stir until blended and moist. Mixture will be crumbly.
- Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of an UNgreased 8×8 baking pan.
- Spoon cranberry filling and whole cranberries over the top.
- Crumble remaining oat and flour mixture over the top of the sauce.
- Bake, then allow to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight covered container for 3-4 days on the counter or cut into squares and freeze individually for later.
What cranberries should I use?
I have used fresh or frozen cranberries with equal success in this dessert. If you use frozen cranberries, you may need to adjust the baking time by 5-10 minutes.
You call for all purpose flour, can I use whole wheat flour instead?
Absolutely! Whole wheat flour will work 1:1 in this recipe just as well as all purpose flour.
Other ways to enjoy cranberries:
- Spread as a condiment on turkey sandwiches
- Combine with orange zest and juice in cranberry muffins
- Top softened cream cheese for a delicious dip with crackers
What is your favorite fall dessert? Will you try these homemade cranberry oatmeal bars? Be sure to let me know if you try them and love them!
Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Perfect holiday dessert, and a great way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce, these cranberry oatmeal bars are elegant and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 cup white or whole wheat flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups homemade cranberry sauce (or 1 can)
- 1 cup whole cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add flour oats, baking powder and sugar to a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Melt the butter over low heat, then add to the mixture and stir until blended and moist. Mixture will be crumbly.
- Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of an UNgreased 8×8 pan.
- Spoon cranberry sauce and cranberries over the top.
- Crumble remaining oat and flour mixture over the top of the sauce.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight covered container for 3-4 days on the counter or cut into squares and freeze individually for later.
Nutrition Information
Yield 9 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 307Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 27mgSodium 143mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 3gSugar 30gProtein 4g
I do my best to make sure these numbers are accurate, however, please be your own best advocate and double check!
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