Yield: 20 squares
Ingredients for crust and topping:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup butter, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Ingredients for cranberry filling:
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. orange zest
- 1 tbsp. orange juice
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds
Ingredients for orange icing:
- 2 tbsp. orange juice
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. Set aside.
- Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping first: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter, and using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. This takes at least 5 minutes of cutting in with a pastry cutter.
- Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour over the flour mixture and gently mix together until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand.
- Set 2 cups of mixture aside. Pour the remaining into the prepared pan and flatten down with your hands or a flat spatula to form an even crust; it will be a little crumbly. Set aside.
- Mix all of the cranberry filling ingredients together. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture all over the cranberries. Sprinkle almonds all over the top.
- Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Whisk the icing ingredients together. Add more orange juice to thin out, if desired. Drizzle over cooled bars and then cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover cranberry bars at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
