These Fresh Cranberry Bars are a great way to enjoy fresh cranberries this holiday season! Cook your fresh cranberries on the stove and layer it in-between a delicious oat crumble and you’ll have a satisfying and vibrant dessert to show off to your friends and family!
565shares
Disclosure: I created this blog content in partnership with The Cranberry Institute. I was compensated for my work, and all opinions are solely my own. Find additional information on The Cranberry Institute!
In general, most people think of fresh cranberries for one thing and one thing only: cranberry sauce.
That’s not a “bad” thing! Cranberry sauce brings me back to my mother’s kitchen.
To this day she makes the best cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. I don’t even need the turkey to eat it…just hand me a spoon!
However, there are so many other uses for this versatile fruit besides cranberry sauce and I am excited to share one of those ways with you – a fresh cranberry bar!
First off, let’s talk health benefits:
The fresh cranberries in these bars not only add a unique flavor and beautiful color, but also heaping amount of Vitamin C and fiber. Plus, cranberries are naturally low in sugar!
Additionally, cranberries offer whole body health benefits. Scientists are actually exploring how the bioactive compounds found in cranberries may positively affect glycemic response, prevent recurrent UTIs, support gut health, improve heart health and reduce inflammation.
Did I lose you yet?
I hope not!
To simplify: Cranberries may improve your glucose response if you have type 2 diabetes, the compounds found in cranberries may feed good bacteria to support your gut health, and cranberry consumption can help prevent reoccurring Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). Woo!
Now that we know cranberries are beneficial to our health…how are cranberries grown?
Cranberries are grown on vines. (Yes – cranberries grow on vines, not in water! The cranberry bogs are only flooded to harvest the cranberries!)
Most cranberries are grown in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington and Oregon!
Let’s chat about this recipe…
Fresh Cranberry Bars with Oat Crumble Topping…
Easy-to-make
Tart and sweet at the same time!
Rich in fiber and vitamin C
A easy fall dessert…or breakfast! No judgement here!
Takes less than 45 minutes to make
You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already
It’s a new Holiday favorite in my house!
What if I don’t have coconut sugar?
You can use granulated sugar – I just really love the flavor coconut sugar gives this dish!
Can I use oranges instead of lemon in the cranberry layer?
Yes! If you don’t have lemons, oranges are a fantastic substitute for both the juice and zest!
Can I use dried cranberries?
While dried cranberries are absolutely wonderful, this recipe works best with fresh cranberries.
I love that the crumble topping and crust to this cranberry bar recipe is the same recipe!
Makes life just that much easier! You enjoy as is, or with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving and a fun way to enjoy this Fall fruit!
These Fresh Cranberry Bars are a great way to enjoy fresh cranberries this holiday season! Cook your fresh cranberries on the stove and layer it in-between a delicious oat crumble and you’ll have a satisfying and vibrant dessert to show off to your friends and family!
Preheat oven to 350°F.In a large bowl, mix all of the crumble topping ingredients together. The melted butter will combine the dry ingredients into a crumble.Press half of this mixture into an oven safe 8×8 baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat – make the cranberry mixture! Add the cranberries, juice, zest and sugar to the sauce pan. The cranberries will begin to pop and cook down. You may need to add a little bit of water. Add a tablespoon at a time! Let this cook down until it looks like, well…cranberry sauce!
Pour this on top of the crust layer, and then top with the remaining oat crumble. Bake again for 20 minutes. Let rest for 30 minutes before cutting into it. (Trust me, I know it’s hard!)
You’ll want to be sure to snag your fresh cranberries soon to make this dish! They are available now (Fall) until early January so you don’t want to miss out on making this dessert!
Hi, I’m Tawnie!
Welcome to my tiny “korner” on the Internet! I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves cookies as much as kale. (OK, maybe I like cookies a little bit more but shh, don’t tell anyone). I am so glad you’re here! Follow along for hassle free, realistic and approachable recipes.
My oldest LOVES cranberries- fresh, dried, at Thanksgiving as jelly! I will have to make these for her ASAP. (p.s. totally thought they grew in water…)
This is making an appearance at our Thanksgiving dessert table this year. Winning!!!
SO glad to hear! I hope your family loves this one!
Bookmarking these for the holidays! I love all things cranberry this time of year!
Thank you!! Hope everyone over the holidays loves it!
I can’t say no to a good crumble. I’ve never tried it with cranberries, though! Can’t wait!
These cranberry bars are delicious! They have such a great texture and the cranberry sauce is delicious
Thank you so much, I am glad you loved them!
These looks scrumptious! I love the bright red of the cranberries
Thank you so much Becca!
Shoot! I thought I had flax in my pantry but I don’t. Do you think I could make this without?
Hi! You can totally make them without 🙂 Hope you love them! xo, Tawnie
I’m such a huge fan of cranberries and love seeing this unique way to enjoy them. Plus it’s absolutely stunning!
They are so fun to cook & bake with! Thank you so much Brynn!
This is going to be my thanksgiving dessert this year! What a gorgeous color!
I hope everyone loves it, thank you soo much Kathryn!
Ohhhh these look like the perfect addition to my Thanksgiving dessert buffet. Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank you soo much Susie!!
My oldest LOVES cranberries- fresh, dried, at Thanksgiving as jelly! I will have to make these for her ASAP. (p.s. totally thought they grew in water…)
Hope it’s a hit!! We learn something new every day, right?! xo
These look fantastic.
Thank you soo much Amy!