Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars – An Old-Fashioned Family Recipe

Baked with sweet-tart cranberries, raisins and a buttery oat crumble, these old-fashioned vanilla-spiked Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars have been a favourite recipe in our family for at least four generations. They have always been a favourite holiday cranberry dessert. That said, I like to start making them in the autumn when cranberries come into season, they are just so good!

My family have nicknamed this recipe “Cranberry Crunch” because Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars also double as a dessert if you serve them in bigger portions with your favourite ice cream. If I’m honest, that’s my favourite way to enjoy this recipe – although I would never say no to a cranberry oat crumble bar cookie with a cup of tea!

Why You Will Love These Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars

• Bright and cosy flavours – Tart cranberries and juicy raisins sweetened with just the right amount of sugar create a vibrant, old-fashioned fruit filling that pairs beautifully with the buttery oat crumble
• Great texture – The tender fruit filling is enrobed in a top and bottom layer of crisp oat crumble for a satisfying bite every time
• Use fresh or frozen cranberries – Make these when fresh cranberries come into season in the fall, or make them all year round with frozen cranberries
• Simple, wholesome ingredients – The recipe is made with mainly pantry staples, most of which you probably already have on hand
• A bake and serve favourite – Slice into bars to serve with an afternoon cuppa, after-school snack or part of a Christmas cookie tray, or serve in more generous squares with a scoop of your favourite ice cream for dessert anytime.

Tips for Making Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars

• Pick over the cranberries as you measure them to ensure they are all in good condition. They will pop satisfyingly as you heat them up and go all lovely and jammy but you still want the best ones for this recipe.
• Frozen cranberries do not need to be thawed before using.
• Be sure to let the jammy cranberry and raisin mixture cool to lukewarm before topping the bottom crust, It makes it easier to spread over the bottom crumble crust, and also keeps the crust nice and crunchy.
• Keep an eye on the Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars as you are baking them. The filling is pretty much already cooked. You are simply baking it in with the crumble bottom crust and topping. You want the crust and topping to be a lovely golden shade but not overcooked.
• Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars can be served warm as a dessert with ice cream, however be careful to allow them to cool a bit so they are easy to serve and nobody burns their mouth on the hot filling.
• If cutting the Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars into smaller squares, it is best to let the whole pan cool completely first so it is easier to cut in smaller pieces.

Special Diets

• Make this recipe dairy-free by using plant based butter in the crumble and for greasing the pan.
• Make this recipe gluten-free by substituting your favourite gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose (plain) flour and ensuring your rolled oats are certified gluten-free.

Health Benefits of Cranberries

While these easy Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars with raisins are definitely a treat due to the amount of sugar they contain, cranberries have been shown to be good for most people. They provide Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium and polyphenols and there has even been a study which showed they may help prevent dementia and reduce bad cholesterol.

If you are taking any medication or have any health conditions, be sure to check with your doctor before adding cranberries to your diet. For example, cranberries or cranberry juice may increase the effect of blood thinners like Warfarin.

I’ll be sharing more cranberry recipes soon but in the meantime, be sure to check out my Cranberry Orange Baked Oatmeal, Carrot Macadamia and Cranberry Muffins, Chocolate and Cranberry Quick Bread with Cinnamon Glaze and Cranberry Orange and Ginger Loaf.

Serving Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars aka Cranberry Crunch

If you are serving the recipe as Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars or bar cookies, you should be able to cut about 12 to 16 bars from the pan.

If you prefer to serve the recipe as a cranberry oat crumble dessert or squares, you can either spoon it out of the pan like crumble or cut it in larger squares. In this case it will generally serve about 6 to 8 people. Serve plain, with ice cream (strawberry, vanilla and rum and raisin work particularly well) or drizzle it with cream.

Whether you are serving these cranberry oat squares as a mid-afternoon treat or a festive dessert, they are sure to please!

Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars are simple, nostalgic and full of flavour, just right for cosy afternoons, holiday gatherings or just because. If you try them, please do let me know what you think of this treasured family recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do and that this cranberry oat crumble dessert becomes a part of your collection of family favourite recipes for Christmas, the holidays and beyond.

Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars – Printable Recipe