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Stacked cranberry orange oat bars with golden crumble top and glossy cranberry filling on a wooden board

Homemade Cranberry Orange Oat Bars with Crumble Top

Buttery oat crumble bars with a tart, glossy cranberry orange filling baked in a 9x9 inch pan.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 185
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Oat Crumble
  • 2 1/2 cups Rolled oats (225 g); old-fashioned, not instant
  • 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour (190 g)
  • 3/4 cup Light brown sugar (150 g); packed
  • 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, melted (170 g / 12 tbsp)
  • 1 tbsp Orange zest
Cranberry Orange Filling
  • 2 1/2 cups Fresh cranberries (280 g); or frozen, unthawed
  • 1/2 cup Granulated sugar (100 g)
  • 1/3 cup Fresh orange juice (80 ml)
  • 1 tsp Orange zest
  • 1 tbsp Cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water

Method
 

Make the Crumble Base
  1. Heat oven to 175C/350F. Line a 9x9 inch (23x23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.
  3. Pour in melted butter and orange zest, stir until the mixture looks like wet sand and clumps when pressed.
  4. Press about two-thirds of the crumble firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set the rest aside.
Cook the Cranberry Filling
  1. Combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice and orange zest in a saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most berries have burst and the juice looks glossy.
  3. Stir the cornstarch with 1 tbsp water, add to the saucepan, and cook 1 more minute until the filling thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Assemble and Bake
  1. Spread the cranberry filling evenly over the crumble base.
  2. Scatter the reserved crumble over the top, breaking up any large clumps with your fingers.
  3. Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges.
  4. Cool in the pan for at least 2 hours before lifting out by the parchment overhang and cutting into 16 bars.

Notes

  • Press crumble firmly into pan corners for even bars that don't crumble apart.
  • Use a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts for neat squares.
  • Fresh cranberries give brighter tartness than frozen, but frozen works fine unthawed.
  • Let bars cool fully before cutting, at least 2 hours, for clean slices.