Description
Delicious cranberry crumble bars featuring a buttery shortbread crust, a tangy cranberry filling with orange zest, and a smooth vanilla glaze. Perfect for a festive dessert or snack with a balance of sweet and tart flavors.
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 extract
- 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 extract
Vanilla Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add egg and vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing well to combine. Scrape down the sides to ensure even mixing.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to combine evenly.
- 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. Avoid over mixing to maintain a tender crust.
- Reserve dough for topping: Set aside roughly 2 cups of the dough loosely packed for the crumble topping later.
- Press crust into pan: Press the remaining shortbread dough evenly into an 8 x 8 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper, making sure to reach all corners with the back of your hands or a measuring cup.
- Bake crust: Bake the crust at 350°F for 15 minutes until the edges are slightly golden and the center is set but not browned. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
- Prepare cranberry filling: In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Stir until mixed well.
- Add filling to crust: Pour the cranberry mixture evenly over the pre-baked crust, spreading gently.
- Add topping crumble: Break the reserved 2 cups of dough into smaller, flat pieces by hand and scatter them randomly over the cranberry filling, leaving some space to let the cranberries peek through.
- Bake bars: Bake for about 45 minutes total, covering the pan loosely with aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes to prevent the crumble topping from darkening too much.
- Cool bars: Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
- Prepare vanilla glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, milk (or heavy cream), and vanilla extract until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle but not transparent. Adjust consistency by adding more milk if too thick, or more powdered sugar if too thin.
- Glaze and serve: Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the cooled bars and slice into 16 squares before serving.
Notes
- Store bars tightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days to maintain freshness.
- The bars may be frozen before adding the vanilla glaze; defrost at room temperature before glazing.
- Use fresh or frozen cranberries depending on availability; frozen cranberries may require slight adjustment in baking time.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute butter and milk with plant-based alternatives.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg