November 11, 2024

Cranberry-Apple Crumb Bars

Confession time. Pie isn’t my favorite dessert.

I know it’s the wrong time of year to admit this. Because it’s PRIME pie season right now. But it’s true. Pie would be my last choice on a dessert menu. I’ll take cake, ice cream and brownies over a slice of pie any day of the week.

Now that I’ve fully offended everyone…

So I’m always looking for alternatives to the traditional line-up of Thanksgiving pies. Like my small-batch pumpkin pie cheesecake. Or this super chocolatey version of pecan pie. And today, I’m adding these Cranberry-Apple Crumb Bars to that collection.

These Cranberry-Apple Crumb Bars would be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. And here’s why. They are super festive looking (I love how the cranberries really POP). They are easy and low fuss (one dough for the crust and topping). They can easily feed a crowd (the recipe makes an entire 9 X 13-inch tray). They can be made 1-2 days in advance (no stress on the big day). And they travel well, if you’re tasked with bringing a dessert to someone else’s house (nothing fragile here).

If all those facts don’t convince you, I’m not sure what else I could say. Oh! How about you could serve them warm with a scoop of ice cream. Ice cream always convinces me of things!

Since I LOVE cranberries more than any other Fall/Winter fruit, I tipped the ratio fruit to favor cranberries, using 3 1/2 cups of fresh cranberries to 1 1/2 cups of chopped apple. But I think you could adjust the slider here a bit, as long as you keep the total amount of fruit to 5 cups.

Not only can you make these Cranberry-Apple Crumb Bars 1-2 days in advance, but I would actually highly recommend it. The moisture from fruit layer will give a bit of softness to the crust layer, which I think improves the overall texture of the bars. So feel free to plan ahead and check this one off your list a couple days early!

Cheers,

Liz

Get the Recipe:

Cranberry-Apple Crumb Bars

At a Glance:

Yield: Makes one 9 X 13-inch pan

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

For the Cranberry-Apple Layer:

• 3 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (thawed if frozen)
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped apple (from about 1 medium-large apple)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the Crust and Topping Layers:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, cubed and chilled
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an inch of parchment paper overhanging around all the sides. Set aside.
2. Add all the ingredients for the cranberry-apple layer to a large bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Pulse 2-3 times to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse about 5-6 times, or until the butter pieces are about the size of almonds and have started to incorporate into the dry ingredients.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Add this to the bowl of your food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. It might look dry at this point, but when squeezed or pressed between your fingers, it should hold together. If not, you can add in another tablespoon of milk.
5. Transfer about three-quarters of the dough mixture to your prepared baking pan. Use your hands to spread it out evenly and press it down firmly into the bottom of the pan. Give the cranberry-apple layer a stir and then spoon it over the bottom crust, spreading it out evenly.
6. Take small fingerfuls of the remaining dough mixture and give it a squeeze, creating little crumbs. Scatter these over the top of the cranberry-apple layer.
7. Transfer the baking pan to your pre-heated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The filling should be bubbling and the top should be lightly browned. Remove and set aside on a wire rack to fully cool before slicing and serving.
8. Leftovers can be covered and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in your refrigerator for 5-6 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Blueberry-Thyme Pie Bars with Almonds.