Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

These cranberry oatmeal 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.

We absolutely LOVE these tart, sweet, buttery, delicious cranberry oatmeal 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 oatmeal 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!

Jump to:

• Why We Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Ingredient Notes
• Instructions
• Recipe Tips and FAQs
• More Holiday Dessert Recipes
• Reviews

Why We Love This Recipe

• Tart, sweet, buttery, delicious! We love that these cranberry oatmeal bars aren't overly sweet. The tart cranberry filling perfectly complements the sweet, buttery oatmeal crust/topping. Definitely not a boring holiday dessert!
• Vegan and gluten free friendly: These bars are 100% vegan and gluten free, thanks to our favorite Bob's Red Mill gluten free baking flour.
• Easy to make: The oatmeal crust comes together in just a few minutes, and the cranberry filling is equally easy to prepare. They also store well, so you can make them a few days before serving!
• Perfect for the holidays: These cranberry oatmeal bars are an excellent Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert. We won't blame you if you bring them out for breakfast, too!

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these cranberry oatmeal bars:

Ingredient Notes

• Gluten free flour: We highly recommend Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour as an equal substitute for all purpose flour in just about any baking recipe! It's definitely the best we've found and we use it all the time. It's a perfect 1:1 sub for regular all purpose flour in these cranberry oatmeal bars!
• Oats: We also use Bob's Red Mill 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.
• Cranberries: You can use fresh or frozen for the filling – the flavor is the same.
• Apple: Apple a lot of pectin, so it helps thicken the cranberry filling to keep these bars from getting to runny/messy. We used honeycrisp, but granny smith, gala or fuji apples will all work.
• Butter: We use vegan butter to keep this recipe 100% dairy free. You could also substitute with regular butter if you're not vegan, or coconut oil.
• Coconut sugar: Feel free to sub with brown sugar.
• Orange: Freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest add a ton of flavor to the cranberry filling. Don't skip it!

More of our Favorite Bob's Red Mill Baking Recipes

Instructions

(1) Preheat oven to 350˚F and line an 9x13 pan with parchment paper.

(2) Add all cranberry filling ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir well, then simmer for 10-12 minutes, until cranberries have softened.

Transfer filling to a heat safe blender or food processor and blend for about 10 seconds, until it's roughly puréed (doesn't have to be completely smooth). Set aside. 

In a bowl, stir together dry crust ingredients: oats, gluten free flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry mixture and stir well (or use your hands) to combine. 

Set aside 1 ¾ packed cups of the crust mixture for topping. Pour the remaining oat mixture into the baking pan, creating an even layer.  Press the mixture down using your hands or the back of a large measuring cup. Spread the cranberry mixture evenly over the top, then sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top.  

Bake for 33-35 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely before slicing into squares so it has time to set. Enjoy! 

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• 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.
• Make ahead: 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.
• Gently press the topping into the cranberry filling. This keeps the oat topping from falling off when you slice the bars.
• Pair with: a cranberry mimosa, cranberry moscow mule, or cranberry gin cocktail!
• Use leftover cranberry sauce: To make this recipe even quicker, use leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving for the filling of these bars! It's the perfect use for leftovers.

More Holiday Dessert Recipes

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

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