Description
Delicious Cranberry Crumble Bars featuring a buttery shortbread crust, tart cranberry filling, and a sweet vanilla glaze, perfect for a festive dessert or snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 1/4 cups (405 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cranberry Filling
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla, mixing to combine well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Combine Dough: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Do not over mix.
- Reserve Dough: Set aside roughly 2 cups of the dough (loosely packed) and reserve to use on the top of the crumble.
- Press Dough into Pan: Press the shortbread dough into an 8 x 8 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Use your hands or the flat side of a measuring cup to press it evenly into the corners of the pan.
- Bake Crust: Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown and the center is just set. Do not over bake.
- Prepare Cranberry Filling: Remove the pan from the oven and allow the crust to cool slightly while you make the cranberry filling. In a large bowl, mix together the cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and juice, and vanilla.
- Add Filling to Crust: Pour the cranberry mixture over the pre-baked crust.
- Top with Crumble: Use your hands to break up the remaining 2 cups of shortbread dough into smaller, flat pieces. Place them randomly on top of the cranberry filling, leaving space between them for the cranberries to peek through.
- Bake Bars: Bake for about 45 minutes, covering the top of the pan with aluminum foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking time so that the crumble does not turn too dark.
- Cool Bars: Remove the bars from the oven. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool completely before adding the vanilla glaze.
- Prepare Vanilla Glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk (or heavy cream), and vanilla. The glaze should be thin enough to run off a fork but not so thin that it’s transparent. Adjust consistency by adding more milk or powdered sugar as needed.
- Glaze Bars: Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the cooled bars.
- Slice and Serve: Slice into 16 squares and serve.
Notes
- Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- You may freeze the bars before adding the vanilla glaze. Defrost at room temperature before drizzling with glaze.
- Use parchment paper to easily lift bars from the pan.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute butter and milk with dairy-free alternatives.
- Ensure cranberries are fresh or fully thawed if frozen before mixing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
