Cranberry Bars

These easy Cranberry Bars feature a zesty cranberry jam filling sandwiched between a buttery shortbread crust and a nutty almond streusel. They’re the perfect balance of sweet and tart and the ideal dessert for holiday gatherings.

I get so excited when cranberries appear! Recently I visited a local cranberry farm in Muskoka located in Northern Ontario to fulfill something that was on my fall bucket list. I took a guided wagon tour of the cranberry bog surrounded by beautiful fall scenery. I learned about the 12 months of operation of a cranberry bog, the fall harvesting process (wet, dry and beating) and gained lots of cranberry facts including the health-boosting benefits of cranberries. Afterwards I put on chest waders and went for a cranberry plunge in a flooded cranberry bog. It was a blast!

Inspiration from my visit to the cranberry farm and a stash of fresh cranberries immediately put me in a full festive mood. For this reason I had to create this ultimate cranberry bars recipe where cranberries are the star of the show. Cranberry almond bars with their vibrant filling are delightful at any time of the year, especially during the autumn and Christmas holidays while bright red cranberries are in full season. Is there anything more Christmas-y than that?

You can eat these crumbly cranberry squares with a fork or your fingers, for breakfast with your morning coffee or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. However you serve them, these impressive, great tasting fresh cranberry bars with almond are a crowd pleasing and drool worthy dessert that look beautiful on any holiday table.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Easy to prepare – A filling similar to fruit compote is made with fresh cranberries and cooks up in a jiffy. No rolling or chilling of the shortbread base is required - it’s simply pressed into the pan and baked. The almond streusel topping and sliced almonds are sprinkled with fingers. It couldn’t be easier than that!
• Three luscious layers – These three layer festive holiday cranberry bars are out of this world. A classic shortbread cookie crust is followed by a sweet-tart cranberry jam filling then topped with a crumbly almond streusel topping. What’s not to love?
• Amazing texture and flavour – The bars bake to a golden bubbly perfection with peeps of bright, tangy red cranberries spewing out. The shortbread crust provides a rich, buttery and subtly sweet taste which compliments the burst of sweet-tart cranberry jam. To balance it off the sweet nutty almond streusel topping adds crunch and crumbly goodness that pairs nicely with the cranberries.

Ingredients Needed to Make Cranberry Bars

• Fresh Cranberries – Ideally use fresh cranberries but frozen ones work too.
• Orange Juice – To flavour the homemade cranberry jam filling.
• Cornstarch – For thickening the filling.
• Butter – Use unsalted butter softened to room temperature.
• Icing Sugar – For sweetening the shortbread crust.
• Granulated Sugar – For sweetening the almond streusel topping.
• Almond Extract – Amps up the almond flavour of the bars.
• All Purpose Flour – For the shortbread crust.
• Almond Flour – For the shortbread crust and for the almond streusel topping.
• Baking Powder – Helps the shortbread crust puff up slightly.
• Salt – Enhances baked goods.
• Egg – Binds the almond streusel topping ingredients.
• Sliced Almonds – Sprinkled on top of the bars to finish them off.

How to Make Cranberry Bars

(Ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

1. To make the cranberry jam filling, add cranberries, orange juice, sugar and cornstarch to a small saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat while stirring until hot and bubbly and the cranberries start popping.
3. Remove from heat and transfer cranberry jam to a bowl to cool.

1. To make the shortbread crust, combine butter, icing sugar and almond extract in a large bowl. Add all purpose and almond flours and stir until a ragged dough forms.
2. Turn dough into an 8” x 8” brownie pan that is greased and lined with parchment paper. Press the dough firmly into the bottom of the pan.
3. Bake the crust for 15 – 17 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

1. To make the almond streusel topping, combine almond and all purpose flours, baking powder, salt, sugar, egg and almond extract in a large bowl. Stir until the mixture is damp, thick and crumbly.
2. To assemble the bars spread 2 cups of the cranberry filling over the baked crust leaving a ½” border then sprinkle with additional fresh cranberries.
3. Crumble almond streusel topping over the cranberry filling. Sprinkle top with sliced almonds and pack them down very lightly.
4. Bake for a total of 32 – 35 minutes until lightly golden and firm to the touch. Cool completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pro-Tips

• Use fresh or frozen cranberries for equal results; no need to thaw frozen cranberries – just cook them as directed.
• Cool cranberry jam slightly before spreading it on the shortbread crust and be sure and leave a ½” border around the edges of the pan so that the jam doesn’t make contact with the pan and burn.
• Don’t forget to top the jam filling with additional fresh cranberries before adding the streusel.
• The bars must be completely cooled and set before cutting. Wipe the knife clean after each cut which helps you get a cleaner cut.
• To double the recipe, bake the bars in two 8” x 8” pans for best results.

How to Serve and Store Cranberry Bars

• Serve: Cranberry bars can be served at room temperature or cold form the refrigerator.
• Store: Keep in the refrigerator for up to five days in an airtight container with parchment paperbetween each layer which keeps them from sticking together.
• Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove the bars from the container and arrange them on a rack to thaw for 2 – 3 hours.

If you love fresh cranberries as much as I do then you must also try:

Cranberry Orange Muffins
Lemon Cranberry Scones
Two Bite Apple Cranberry Tarts

Recipe