Chewy Cranberry Crumble Bars Recipe for Holiday Baking

Cranberry Crumble Bars feature a brown sugar and oatmeal crust that doubles as the crumb topping, a fresh cranberry filling, and a bright orange glaze. These bars are a festive, easy alternative to pie.

Although it’s cookie season, these cranberry bars have an oatmeal cookie–style crust and crumb topping and cut neatly into small squares, making them perfect for sharing or dessert trays.

What can I do with cranberries?

Cranberries are a holiday underdog. Beyond classic sauces, they’re excellent in baked desserts. You can use them like other berries — there’s no need to pre-cook them for many recipes because they’ll burst and soften during baking.

Raw cranberries are tart and crunchy but can be eaten fresh or blended into smoothies. They’re low in calories, high in fiber and vitamin C, and packed with antioxidants. I like to sweeten them slightly and bake them into jams, cakes, and treats like these cranberry crumb bars.

How long do cranberries last?

Store fresh cranberries in their bag, a zip-top bag, or an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four weeks. The crisper drawer works well when they’re in a plastic bag.

To freeze cranberries, spread them in a freezer bag and freeze; they keep about a year. You don’t need to thaw frozen cranberries before using them in these bars. For cakes or batters, tossing frozen berries in a bit of flour helps prevent sinking.

How to Make Cranberry Crumble Bars

This recipe has three simple components:

1. Crust and Crumb Topping: One batter becomes both the base and the topping, so cleanup is minimal.
2. Cranberry Filling: Fresh or frozen cranberries are sweetened and thickened with cornstarch and brightened with orange zest and juice.
3. Orange Icing: A powdered sugar glaze with orange zest and juice adds sweetness and a festive finish.

For the Cranberry Filling

Combine cranberries (fresh or frozen), granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, and orange juice in a bowl and set aside. The sugar won’t fully dissolve before baking—that’s normal. The cranberries will soften and the mixture will thicken as it bakes.

For the Crust and Crumble Topping

Mix butter, brown sugar, quick oats, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until the mixture is evenly combined and begins to clump. Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or your hands.

Press about two-thirds of the mixture into the bottom of a 13×9-inch pan to form the crust, then spread the cranberry filling evenly over it. Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top. For chunkier topping, press some crumbs together with your hands before sprinkling or pat the topping gently after spreading.

Bake at 350°F for 45–50 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles in the center. If the edges brown too quickly before the center bubbles, tent the pan with foil. For best slicing and presentation, chill the bars for an hour or two before icing and cutting.

Orange Icing

Whisk powdered sugar with orange zest and orange juice to the consistency you prefer. I like a thicker glaze so I can pipe it; place the glaze in a zip-top bag, snip a corner, and drizzle over cooled bars. If you ice while the bars are hot, the glaze will thin and soak in.

Extra Tip

Line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the sides so you can lift the whole baked slab out for easier slicing. Cut into 15 bars (three rows of five) or smaller squares for a dessert tray. These bars are an elegant, pie-like dessert that’s easy to share.

More Cranberry Recipes

• Orange Cranberry Bread
• Apple Cranberry Pie
• Cranberry Salsa (with cream cheese)
• Cranberry Orange Rolls
• Cranberry Apple Crisp
• Homemade Cranberry Orange Muffins

4.36 from 28 ratings

Cranberry Crumble Bars

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Chill Time: 1 hr

Total: 2 hrs 10 mins

Cranberry Crumble Bars have a brown sugar and oatmeal crust that doubles as the crumb topping. There’s fresh cranberries in the filling and an orange glaze on top.

15 servings

Ingredients

Crust and Crumb Topping:

• 1 cup (226 g) butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup (250 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/4 cup (100 g) quick oats
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cranberry Filling:

• 4 cups (440 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp orange zest (about 1 orange)
• 1 Tbsp orange juice

Orange Icing:

• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 1–2 Tbsp orange juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13×9-inch pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang or lightly grease.
• Make the crust and crumb topping: In a large bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until the mixture clumps and there are no butter chunks. Set aside.
• Make the cranberry filling: Rinse and drain cranberries. In a bowl, combine cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, and orange juice; stir to combine.
• Press two-thirds of the crumble mixture into the prepared pan. Spread cranberry mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle remaining crumble over the cranberries, pressing for larger clumps if desired.
• Bake at 350°F for 45–50 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles in the center. Cover with foil if the edges brown too quickly. For best results, chill for 1–2 hours before icing and serving.
• Make the orange icing: Whisk powdered sugar, orange zest, and orange juice to desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled bars using a spoon or a small cut on the corner of a zip-top bag. Lift bars out with parchment, slice, and serve.

Notes

• Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated up to 1 week.
• To freeze: layer bars between parchment in a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• If you prefer a fully set bottom crust, pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes before adding the filling and topping, then continue baking as directed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bar |
Calories: 224 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 53 g |
Protein: 3 g |
Fat: 1 g |
Sodium: 139 mg |
Fiber: 2 g |
Sugar: 34 g

Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates calculated with a third-party tool.