Gluten-Free Cranberry Bars

With their sweet/ tart cranberry filling and crumbly topping, these gluten-free cranberry crumb bars make a great addition to any cookie platter.

I’ve caught the baking bug, and as we head into December all I can think about is hunkering down in the kitchen, firing up the oven and baking up some sweet treats.  ‘Tis the season and all that… not to mention that it’s a pretty nice way to spend the afternoon.

Bar cookies are always a must since they don’t require any rolling and make a big pan to share.  One of my very favorites is a crumb bar, especially the kind that has a jammy filling sandwiched in between a buttery base and a crumbly top.

These sweet/tart bars have a lightly spiced cranberry filling because cranberries are the unofficial fruit of the season.  Even after Thanksgiving has passed they find their way into all kinds of sweet treats, desserts and teas.  And if you have an extra bag of cranberries hanging out in the back of your fridge, this is the perfect way to use them.

How to make crumb bars:

The best part is how simple they are to make.  Even though there are three layers you only need to make one dough and one filling. 

1. All you need for the base and the topping is a bowl and a fork, everything comes together quickly to form a crumbly dough, part of which is pressed into the pan to form the base and the other which is sprinkled on top of the filling.
2. As for the jammy filling, it’s as easy as making cranberry sauce, you just simmer the berries along with a few seasonal spices like cinnamon and anise on the stove until thick and bubbly then pour it all over the baked crust. 
3. The reserved crumb topping is scattered across the top and into the oven it goes. 

The result is a tender and crumb filled bar with a vibrant red filling peeking through; just as good as a fruit pie or tart, but portable and that you can eat with your hands.

Happy baking!

More bar recipes to try:

• Gluten-Free Blondies
• No-Bake Almond Butter Bars
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars

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Yield: 9 bars

Gluten-Free Cranberry Bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

With their sweet/ tart cranberry filling and crumbly topping, these gluten-free cranberry crumb bars make a great addition to any cookie platter.

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Ingredients

For the Crust and Crumble:

• 1 ½ cups/ 168g almond flour
• ¾ cup/108g arrowroot
• 1 tsp grain-free baking powder
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 3 Tablespoons/42g palm shortening
• ¼ cup/60ml maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cranberry Filling:

• 2 cups/200g fresh or frozen cranberries
• ½ cup/120ml maple syrup
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 star anise
• ½ cup/120ml filtered water
• 2 teaspoons/6g arrowroot

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 8-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Whisk almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder and salt together in large bowl. Add palm shortening, maple syrup and vanilla extract and rub in with a fork until mixture clumps and forms a dough (adding a ½-1 tsp of water if necessary). Reserve ⅓rd of the dough in a small bowl. Transfer remaining ⅔rds of dough to baking pan and press evenly onto the bottom. Prick crust with the tines of a fork evenly over the bottom and bake until just firm to touch, (about 12 minutes).
3. In the meantime make the filling:
4. Combine cranberries, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, star anise and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until bubbly and cranberries start to pop. In a small bowl whisk together arrowroot with a teaspoon of water and add to cranberry mixture. Continue to cook, stirring continuously until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and spread evenly over baked crust, then crumble reserved topping over the top and return to oven.
5. Bake bars until filling starts to bubble and topping is golden brown, (about 20-23 minutes); cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Spicely Organic Anise Star Whole 0.10 Ounce ecoBox Certified Gluten Free
• 
  Hain Pure Foods Featherweight Baking Powder, 8 Ounce
• 
  Nutiva Organic Shortening, Original, 15 oz

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

9

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 291Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 69mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 4g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.