With their sweet/ tart cranberry filling and crumbly topping, these cranberry crumb bars make a great addition to any cookie platter.
I’ve caught the baking bug, and as we head into December all I can think about is hunkering down in the kitchen, firing up the oven and baking up some sweet treats. ‘Tis the season and all that… not to mention that it’s a pretty nice way to spend the afternoon.
Bar cookies are always a must since they don’t require any rolling and make a big pan to share. One of my very favorites is a crumb bar, especially the kind that has a jammy filling sandwiched in between a buttery base and a crumbly top.
These sweet/tart bars have a lightly spiced cranberry filling because cranberries are the unofficial fruit of the season. Even after Thanksgiving has passed they find their way into all kinds of sweet treats, desserts and teas. And if you have an extra bag of cranberries hanging out in the back of your fridge, this is the perfect way to use them.
The best part is how simple they are to make. Even though there are three layers you only need to make one dough and one filling. All you need for the base and the topping is a bowl and a fork, everything comes together quickly to form a crumbly dough, part of which is pressed into the pan to form the base and the other which is sprinkled on top of the filling.
As for the jammy filling, it’s as easy as making cranberry sauce, you just simmer the berries along with a few seasonal spices like cinnamon and anise on the stove until thick and bubbly then pour it all over the baked crust. The reserved crumb topping is scattered across the top and into the oven it goes. The result is a tender and crumb filled bar with a vibrant red filling peeking through; just as good as a fruit pie or tart, but portable and that you can eat with your hands.
Happy baking!
Serves 9
Sylvie Shirazi
Yields 9
20 minPrep Time
35 minCook Time
55 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ cups/ 168g almond flour
- ¾ cup/108g arrowroot
- 1 tsp grain-free baking powder
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 3 Tablespoons/42g palm shortening
- ¼ cup/60ml maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups/200g fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup/120ml maple syrup
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 1 star anise
- ½ cup/120ml filtered water
- 2 teaspoons/6g arrowroot
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder and salt together in large bowl. Add palm shortening, maple syrup and vanilla extract and rub in with a fork until mixture clumps and forms a dough (adding a ½-1 tsp of water if necessary). Reserve 1/3rd of the dough in a small bowl. Transfer remaining 2/3rds of dough to baking pan and press evenly onto the bottom. Prick crust with the tines of a fork evenly over the bottom and bake until just firm to touch, (about 12 minutes).
- In the meantime make the filling:
- Combine cranberries, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, star anise and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until bubbly and cranberries start to pop. In a small bowl whisk together arrowroot with a teaspoon of water and add to cranberry mixture. Continue to cook, stirring continuously until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and spread evenly over baked crust, then crumble reserved topping over the top and return to oven.
- Bake bars until filling starts to bubble and topping is golden brown, (about 20-23 minutes); cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.
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