Cranberry Crumb Bars

Get into the holiday spirit with these delicious cranberry crumb bars. It is my favorite way to use up leftover cranberry sauce. Follow our step-by-step instructions and video to create a festive and tasty dessert that is perfect for any holiday gathering.

I got fed up last year with leftover cranberry sauce so for months after Thanksgiving I was testing it in all sorts of recipes to find ways to use it. This is how our cranberry sauce muffins came to be! And it’s the same story for this cranberry crumble bars recipe. I’ve been experimenting with this one and this is finally the winning recipe. They are to die for!

They are the most wonderful combination of creamy cranberry sauce and a chewy sugar cookie, tart shortbread crust!

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce Bars

We will actually make one crust recipe and we will use it for both the base of the bars and the crumble on top! Then we will make a filling to go in the middle. I’ll include the ingredients for an optional glaze too. Here is everything you will need for each component:

Crust and Topping

• Wet Ingredients: Butter (softened), Cream Cheese (softened), Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Egg, Vanilla and Almond Extract
• Dry Ingredients: All Purpose Flour, Cornstarch, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt

Filling

• Sour Cream: full fat cream cheese
• Eggs: binds the filling together
• Cornstarch: helps thicken the filling
• Vanilla and Ground Cinnamon: add flavor
• Cranberry Sauce: homemade is preferred, but store-bought would work fine too, just don’t use the canned cranberry jelly
• Whole Fresh Cranberries: adds more flavor and texture

Glaze

• Powdered Sugar: acts as the base of the glaze and adds all the sweetness
• Milk: adds richness and creates the glaze
• Vanilla: adds flavor

The measurements for each ingredient can be found down below in the recipe card. This is meant to just be an overview of the ingredients you will need.

How to Make Cranberry Crumb Bars

Let me walk you through each step of this recipe! It might seem like a lot of steps, but it’s super easy.

Crust

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 inch baking dish with a piece of parchment. Spray everything with cooking spray.
2. Beat: Place the butter, cream cheese and both sugar in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until fluffy.
3. Add: Place the rest of the wet ingredients into the bowl and mix until combined.
4. Combine: Change the speed to low, and add all the dry ingredient. Mix until combined. Set 2 cups of the crust aside to use later as the crumb topping.
5. Press: Take the remaining crumb mixture and press it evenly into the baking pan.
6. Bake: Stick the pan into the preheated oven and bake it for 10 minutes and remove it to cool slightly.

Filling

1. Whisk: In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon, until smooth and well combined.
2. Fold: Grab a rubber spatula and fold in the cranberry sauce.
3. Pour: Spread the cranberry filling mixture over the crust and sprinkle the cranberries over the top.
4. Dollop: Use the remaining crust mixture and place chunks of it all over the top of the berries.
5. Bake: Place the pan back into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
6. Cool: Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool for at least an hour on a wire cooling rack. Drizzle the glaze over if you are using it.
7. Slice: Using the parchment paper, remove the bars from the pan and then slice into squares and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Glaze

1. Whisk: Add everything to a small bowl and whisk together. Drizzle over the top of the cooled bars.

All of these instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. You can save or print the recipe from there as well.

Optional Glaze

The glaze on top is totally optional, but I love the little bit of moisture that it adds and it looks so pretty! Do you have to have it? No, but I would make the little extra effort to make it every single time.

Recipe Variations

I haven’t tried any of these variations, but they are all on my list of things to try with these bars. I actually lose sleep at night thinking about all the different twists and turns I can take with my recipes. It’s not healthy…haha! Anyway…

Adding some toasted pecans or walnuts to the base would be fabulous. Of course, orange always goes will with cranberry, so adding some orange zest to the filling is highly recommended! Ooh and some orange juice to the glaze! Now we are talkin’! My other thought is to add toasted sliced almonds to the topping. Yummy!

Storage Tips

These cranberry bars will store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If you want them to last a little longer, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Cranberry sauce bars also freeze really well. Wrap the individual slices with plastic wrap and then store them in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 3 months.

These cranberry crumb bars are the perfect combination of sweet and tart, with a buttery crumb topping that will have you coming back for seconds. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, you might have some leftover cranberry sauce to use up and these cranberry crumb bars are your answer!

More Festive Dessert Recipes to Try:

Watch How These Cranberry Sauce Crumb Bars are Made…