Thanksgiving was yesterday, so you know what time of year it is: let the baking commence! I’m kicking it off with these gorgeous cranberry crumble bars. They combine a lovely tart cranberry jam filling with a buttery, sweet oatmeal cookie dough crumble layer for the perfect holiday treat.

Why do I love these? Well, the combination of tart and sweet is pretty darn perfect. I love cranberries, but they definitely improve with the addition of lots and lots of sugar. Aside from the flavor, I also love how pretty these little bars are. The deep red of the filling peeks out from between the crumble bits, and it makes my mouth water just looking at it.

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention how easy these cranberry crumble bars are. I love something that throws together quickly, and this is that something. The jam takes just a few minutes on the stove top, and the cookie crumble whips up in your mixer with practically no work. Putting that crumble on top is so satisfying — my kids love to crumble the dough and watch it sink into the cranberry layer.

A few tips before you start:

If you want to make this even easier, feel free to use canned cranberry sauce. Not the kind that stays shaped like a can when you take it out, but the whole berry kind. This makes a pretty darn good jam layer, and you can cut out the stovetop part of the recipe.
Make sure to bake this long enough. The top should be a nice shade of gold and feel very firm to the touch. It’s very easy to underbake this, and it will be doughy in the base if you take it out too soon.
Try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting. Good luck!

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Cranberry Crumble Bars

Name: Cranberry Crumble Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 bag cranberries; 1/2 cup water; 1 Tbsp cornstarch; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 2 1/2 cups oats; 1 1/4 cups flour; 1 cup butter; 1 cup brown sugar

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

Cranberry Jam

1 bag cranberries
½ cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
¾ cup granulated sugar

Oatmeal Cookie Dough Crumble

2 ½ cups oats
1 ¼ cups flour
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar

Instructions

Cranberry Jam

In a medium saucepan, dump the cranberries and granulated sugar.
Dissolve cornstarch in water, then pour into pot with cranberries.
Bring cranberries to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 5 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before placing on cookie base.

Cranberry Crumble Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degress.
In a food processor or blender, pulse oats until they reach a flour-like consistency.
In a mixer, combine flour, butter, sugar, and oats. Mix until they reach a crumbly texture.
In a 9×9 pan, compress 1/2 the crumble into the bottom to create the base.
Pour cranberry jam over crumble base. Spread until even.
Gently drop the remaining crumble over the jam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.