Just in time for Thanksgiving! These Cranberry Bars are a simple-to-make treat that is sweet and tart, with a buttery shortbread crust and lovely orange top notes. They have a chewiness that I like and hopefully you will as well. No fussing with pie dough for this dessert!

All it needs is a dusting of confectioner’s sugar, although, if you decide to add a dollop of whipped cream or creme fraiche for some added decadence, I won’t tell.

Our son and his family will be here for the week so I wanted some dessert options available, including for Thanksgiving and Shabbat. But who am I kidding. Actually, my husband and I really enjoy a cookie or slice of cake after dinner – nothing too sweet or too big. These Cranberry Bars can be cut into squares as big or small as you like. And the garnet cranberry middle layer with it’s dusting of confectioner’s snow, adds just the right festive look for this entire holiday season.

The recipe comes from a website that I came across while looking for Thanksgiving ideas. I always try to add at least one new dish every year – just to keep things interesting for me. And that website got it from someone named Sarah Fennel. I made a couple of tweaks to the directions and one change to the ingredients. While this time I basically stuck to the original recipe, I think that next time I will add some coarsely chopped pecans to the crumb topping. What could it hurt?!

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There are lots of wonderful cookie, cake and pie recipes to choose from on my blog. And in my family, there would be a mutiny and it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without my Bourbon Pecan Pie. But these Cranberry Bars are a lovely new addition to our Thanksgiving and winter holiday desserts.

Recipe

Yield: 9 to 16 Bars, depending on how you cut them

Ingredients

for the crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes (You could use Vegan Butter if you wish this to be a pareve dessert.)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the cranberry layer:

1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest (from about 2 large oranges)

for the crumb topping:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature (Vegan Butter could be used here as well.)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Confectioner’s sugar, for topping (optional, but recommended)

Directions

First, make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper on all sides. Use paper clamps if you have them to hold the paper in place while you fill the pan. BUT don’t forget to remove them before baking!

In a food processor fitted with the metal “S” blade, add the flour, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt and pulse until combined, about 1 minute. The mixture will be thick. Add the egg and vanilla extract and pulse until the mixture forms a thick dough, about 45 seconds. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and use a measuring cup (or something else with a flat bottom) to really pack the crust into an even layer. (This part was admittedly a bit tedious. I used my fingers first and finished smoothing with a spatula.)

While you prepare the cranberry layer, stick the pan in the fridge.

Next, make the cranberry layer. In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest. Mix carefully with a spatula so you don’t break up the cranberries. Remove the pan from the fridge and transfer the cranberry mixture over the dough. Use a spatula to spread it evenly to the edges. I then stuck it in the fridge again while I prepared the crumb topping.

Last, make the crumb topping. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Use a fork or your fingers to work everything together until the mixture resembles wet sand and clumps together when squeezed with your hand.

Squeeze the crumb topping into your palm, then break it apart into big and small clusters, sprinkling them all over the cranberry layer like a fruit crisp (some pockets of exposed cranberries are okay!) Bake until the cranberries have burst completely and the top of the bars is light golden brown, about 1 hour.

Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. Use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan, then transfer them to a cutting board. Dust the top with confectioners’ sugar (if using), cut into 9 or 16 squares, and serve.