Holiday foods and ingredients line the shelves. You walk in the store and the front display has the assorted usual baking supplies. Marshmallow fluff, brown sugar, candied fruit, chocolate chips, and nuts are there waiting for you to buy. End displays further temp you as you go through the store. You arrive at the produce department to see an array of seasonal items. Fresh cranberries are one of them. However, Thanksgiving is over and you wonder what to do with them besides making sauce. The answer is simple; make cranberry walnut crumble bars.
Fresh cranberries are quite interesting. They float and bounce. Floating is how they are harvested. The fields are flooded and the berries rise to the surface. Bouncing helps growers sort through to find the good ones to sell. Cranberries are very sour and bitter in their natural form. It is why most of the dishes made with them are sweetened. The cranberries in these bars are sweetened and softened by cooking them with corn syrup, water, and orange juice.
How are the cranberry walnut crumble bars? They have a wonderful sweet/tart flavor combo thanks to the cranberries. The crust is a nutty, buttery platform for the filling. One of the best parts is that it is covered with a walnut crumble topping. The bars are on the soft and gooey side so be careful when picking up one. It may try to fall apart on you. Best thing to do is to eat it quick before it has a chance. At least that is what I did.
I have you covered with fresh cranberries. The Sunday Supper bloggers have you covered with much more. Our "We Got You Covered" event has recipes for covered dishes, foods that are covered, and covering a need you may have. Special thanks our host DB, aka Foodie Stuntman, of Crazy Foodie Stunts for keeping us covered with the behind the scenes details for this event. Scroll down to see the fantastic recipes we have for you.
Have you cooked or baked with fresh cranberries? Now is the time. Grab several packs at the store and take advantage of them while they are available. Make these bars or cranberry salad and enjoy the season.
Cranberry Walnut Crumble Bars
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- ⅔ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the crust and crumble topping:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter 1 stick, diced
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
For the filling:
- Place the cranberries, corn syrup, water and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.
For the bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan. You can also line the pan with parchment for easier removal after baking.
- In a food processor fitted with a knife blade, add the sugar, brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Pulse one or two times to combine. Add the diced butter. Pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Transfer the crumb mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the walnuts.
- Set aside 1 ½ cups of the crumb mixture in a bowl to be used for the topping.
- Pour the remaining crumb mixture into the baking pan, spread evenly, and firmly press down.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Pour the filling over the baked crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture on top.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until set.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. Slice into bars or squares.
Notes
Recipe adapted/inspired from a combination of elements from Peanutty Cranberry Bars on Hershey's website and Cranberry Crumble Bars on Betty Crocker website.
Want to see how Sunday Supper has you covered? Check out these wonderful recipes:
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Not Sure What To Do? We Got You Covered
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Grabbing cranberries during this season and freezing them is something I do every year, Renee. Why? So, I can make wholesome yummy treats like your cranberry walnut crumble bars...P.s. My mother-in-law's cranberry bread (the best!) calls for orange juice, too =)
I've seen some cranberry breads with orange juice and I need to make that one of the breads I make soon. Or freeze the fresh cranberries so I can make it later.
Since we don't have cranberries here, I badly want them, tons of them! Crumb bars are usually very sweet, so I can only imagine (literally!) how great a layer of tart cranberries balances the whole thing! Love these Renee.
I didn't realize you don't have cranberries in Buenos Aries. How interesting.
These are so fun. I don't think I've ever baked with fresh cranberries before; I'll have to try! And this crust sounds so homey and comforting.
The buttery crust is very homey and comforting. You should bake with fresh cranberries. I think once you do you will be hooked.
I love baking with cranberries. These bars look outstanding!
Once I've baked with cranberries there is no stopping me now either.
These bars look fabulous - I'm just about to go and buy fresh cranberries to make mince pies; I'll buy extra to make these as well!
Mince pies are something I haven't tried yet. I'm curious and need to tackle them one day.
Yum! I just love cranberries and walnuts together and in this little bar it's just perfect!! This would make a great snack for work this week!!
Great idea to take them as a snack to work.
Mmmm! I love the tart bite of cranberries...and am looking forward to using them in my cooking/baking in the next few weeks! Your crumble bars look absolutely heavenly!
I'm looking for more fresh cranberry recipes too. I need to investigate and experiment while they are in season.
These look delicious! I have cranberries on my grocery list for today...just might have to add this to my list of "holiday bakes"
These bars will be on my holiday bakes from now on and I hope they will be on yours too.
I'm going to send the link for these lovely bars to a friend who is in fresh cranberry country and was looking for recipes. Your bars look delicious and chewy, Renee!
Thank you so much for sending the link to your friend. How lucky for he/she to be in cranberry country. I bet the super fresh ones are superb.
I would love the combination of flavors of the tart cranberries with the walnuts. They look so very good!!!
Oh they are so very good Tara. Walnuts and cranberries are such a nice combo.
Wow. Renee, these look so uber tasty. I maybe has to snag a few bags of cranberries and freeze them so I can make these all year!! #pinning
Thanks a bunch for the pin Christie!
Mmmmm....these sound amazing, Renee! I always have a stash of cranberries in my freezer...and one bag was waiting for this recipe!
I need to get extra fresh cranberries and freeze them too. Great inspiration Liz.
Mmmm....these look delicious!!!
And they taste as delicious as they look.
Fresh cranberries are so great to bake with, I love their tart flavor
Me too. The tartness balances with all the sweetness.
they look yummy!
They taste as yummy as they look too.
Yum! We love crumble bars, but we've never tried them with cranberry. How perfect for the season!
I very much agree with you Sarah. I can't pass by those bags of fresh cranberries this time of year without getting some. They are so good.
This looks great - I actually prefer fresh cranberries over dried a lot of the time. 🙂
I'm a fan of both fresh and dried cranberries and use the dried ones all throughout the year.
I love desserts like this...sweet and fruity with a good crunch!
Thanks Courtney and I like a good sweet and fruity dessert too. The crunch is a bonus.
I'm always looking for a good way to use cranberries. I think the walnuts sound perfect for this, Renee!
The walnuts add such a nice crunch to the crust and topping. Great with the cranberries too.
Yum!! These will make great holiday sweets to have around the house. They look delicious!! Great post, Renee!
They do make great treats to have around only thing is they disappear quickly. Well, you can always make more.
I know a host of people who would kill for these
I took them to a family birthday celebration and they disappeared in a matter of minutes.