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Buttery Cranberry Crumble Bars with Browned Butter Notes

A close-up shot of a single square of cranberry crumble bars showing the thick, jammy filling and golden crumb topping.
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Make these easy cranberry crumble bars featuring a buttery shortbread base, a tart cranberry filling, and a sweet, crumbly topping. They are perfect for holiday gatherings or simple winter baking.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (optional, for extra texture)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal.
  2. Prepare the browned butter: Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the butter foams, then develops brown bits at the bottom and smells nutty. Remove from heat immediately and let cool slightly.
  3. Make the crust/crumble base: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of softened butter, the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse, moist crumbs.
  4. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of this crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan to form the crust.
  5. Make the cranberry filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes. The cranberries should start to burst. Remove from heat.
  6. Spread the warm cranberry filling evenly over the crust layer.
  7. Sprinkle the reserved 1 1/2 cups of crumb mixture over the filling. If using oats, mix them into the reserved crumbs before sprinkling.
  8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
  9. Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before lifting them out using the parchment overhang. Slice into squares.

Notes

  • For a Cranberry Orange Bars variation, add 1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the cranberry filling mixture.
  • These bars slice best after they have cooled completely, ideally chilling for at least 2 hours.
  • You can substitute half of the flour with almond flour for a slightly different texture.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://frostedfancies.com/cranberry-crumble-bars-recipe-easy-buttery/