Cranberry Crumb Bars

These vegan and gluten free cranberry crumb bars have a buttery oat crust and topping with a tart, sweet, vibrant cranberry apple filling. They make for a delicious holiday or fall dessert!

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are our own.

LOVING these tart, sweet, buttery, delicious cranberry bars! Almost every year, we get stuck in the same holiday dessert rut (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, sugar cookies...you get the picture).

While I certainly love a classic, it's always fun to try something new. These cranberry crumb bars are a great way to use an under-appreciated fall ingredient. They obviously make for a fantastic dessert, but you can also find me enjoying a slice or two for breakfast! 😉

We're thrilled to be partnering with Bob's Red Mill to bring you this recipe. We used their Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour and their Old Fashioned Rolled Oats to make the perfect crust and topping.

We've been using Bob's Red Mill products for as long as I can remember. You can't beat their incredible range of products and extremely high quality! You can find many of their products in thousands of retailers across the country, and you can also order online.

We highly recommend their Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour as an equal substitute for all purpose flour in just about any baking recipe! We use it all the time, like in these cookies, this cake and even savory recipes like this mushroom stew.

The crust and topping are the same in this recipe and come together quickly in a mixing bowl.

How to make the crumb topping

To make the buttery crumb topping/crust, mix together all dry ingredients: oats, gluten free flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Give everything a good stir.

In a separate bowl, whisk together melted vegan butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Pour into the dry mixture and use a spatula to mix (or your hands if you don't mind getting messy!).

The crust is hearty and thick due to the oats, but it bakes up perfectly.

Press about ⅔ of the mixture into an 8x8 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Pro tip: use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the mixture into an even, flat layer.

Reserve the rest of the mixture for topping. Use your hands to crumble it over the top of the cranberry layer. It doesn't have to be precise. The more rustic, the better!

Cranberry Filling

Warming spices like cinnamon and ginger, plus maple syrup, apples and orange juice tone down the tartness of the cranberries for a perfectly sweet (but not too sweet!) filling.

Arrowroot powder (or corn starch) helps thicken up the filling a bit so it doesn't leak everywhere in the oven or after you slice the bars.

To make the cranberry filling, add all ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir well and let simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the cranberries have softened.

Carefully transfer the cranberry mixture to a heat safe blender and blend until roughly pureed. It doesn't have to be completely smooth – a little texture is perfectly fine.

Pour the filling over the crust, spread into an even layer, then add crumb topping and bake until golden brown.

Once you remove these bars from the oven, let them cool completely before slicing! They will still be soft once you remove from the oven, so they need some time to set.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. We recommend placing parchment paper between each layer to prevent them from sticking.

You can also make the filling up to a week in advance and store in the refrigerator. The crust can also be made up to a few days ahead of time. Store in the fridge until ready to use, then bring to room temperature before baking.

More holiday desserts you'll love:

• Baked Apple Cider Donuts
• Purple Sweet Potato Pie
• Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
• Pumpkin Mousse
• Apple Crisp

If you make these vegan and gluten free cranberry crumb bars, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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