These cranberry crumble pie bars combine a buttery flaky shortbread crust, jammy cranberry filling, and crumbly almond topping. The crust and crumble topping are made from the same mixture, so there’s no need to dirty an additional bowl. Easy to eat, transport, serve, and freeze, pie bars are the best answer for a large crowd!
Let’s take a break from traditional pie and pie crust and whip up a batch of pie bars. Hey, don’t you know that it’s HIP to be SQUARE?!
These Cranberry Crumble Pie Bars Have:
- a buttery shortbread crust
- orange-hinted cranberries
- an irresistible buttery crumble topping
- sweet orange icing, obviously
Oh and the best part of all? The crust and crumble topping are from the same mixture, so you don’t need to make a bunch of separate layers. Same story for my strawberry rhubarb crumb bars and cherry pie bars, too!
AND AND AND! There’s no pre-baking or pre-cooking. Add the layers and bake.
Cranberry Crumble Pie Bars Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: Flour is the base of this recipe.
- Sugar: Sugar sweetens the crust/crumble and the cranberry filling.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder keeps the crust/crumble on the lighter side. Without it, the texture would be a little too hard and dense.
- Salt, Cinnamon, & Vanilla: All 3 add flavor.
- Cold Butter: Just like pie crust, biscuits, and scones, cold butter is necessary for this recipe. We’re cutting the butter into the dry ingredients to create the same deliciously flaky and crumbly texture. The texture would completely change if we used softened butter.
- Egg: An egg binds the crust/crumble ingredients together.
- Milk: Along with 1 egg, milk is the wet ingredient to bind the ingredients together.
- Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen cranberries, just like we do for cranberry sauce. Do not use dried cranberries.
- Cornstarch: We’re essentially making a cranberry jam as the filling, so cornstarch is necessary to keep those cranberries combined.
- Orange: A splash of fresh orange juice and zest add flavor to the cranberry layer. Like orange cranberry bread in bar form!
Crust & Crumble Topping
If pie crust intimidates you, this is a wonderful place to start. You’re applying the same general mixing process, but without the headache of rolling out dough.
It’s so convenient that the crust and crumble topping come from the same bowl! Combine the dry ingredients together, then cut in the cold and cubed butter. If you don’t have a pastry cutter or if you don’t want to make it by hand, you can use a food processor to gently cut in the butter. By hand it takes a good 5 minutes to get that flour completely coated with little butter bits. (Photo above on the left.) Worth it!
The photo above on the right shows the mixture after we add the wet ingredients: egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t totally come together—the mixture will have the texture of moist sandy crumbles.
- What’s next? You’ll have about 6 cups of crust/crumble mixture. Reserve 2 cups for the topping, then press the rest into a lined 9×13 inch baking pan.
No pre-baking the crust! Just hold on tight until we add the cranberry layer.
Success Tip: Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it much easier to remove the bars before slicing and serving. I use the same tip when making rice krispie treats and M&M cookie bars, too.
Jammy Cranberry Filling
This part is so easy. Combine the filling ingredients into a large bowl. Spread over crust. That’s it, you’re done with the filling.
Add the remaining crust/crumble on top of the cranberries. For extra flavor and texture, add a big handful of sliced almonds on top. So good with these flavors!
Optional Icing
You know how some baked goods rely on the frosting or icing? Like, they’re just not as good without that finishing touch? Totally not the case here. These cranberry crumble pie bars don’t even NEED the icing. But, alas, I never turn down the opportunity for a garnish—especially orange icing. If desired, take a little more juice from the orange you used in the filling and whisk it with confectioners’ sugar. Drizzle over the bars after they’re done cooling.
Do the bars need it? No. Do we love it? Yes.
I love serving brown butter pecan pie bars this time of year because bars are hand-held and easy to eat, great for freezing or transporting, and the recipe yields a nice big batch if you’re feeding a crowd. A welcome addition to your usual pumpkin pie, apple pie, and other Thanksgiving pie recipes! Same goes with today’s cranberry bars—they’re a convenient dessert that feels just as special as a slice of pie or cranberry cake or an apple cranberry crumble pie.
This recipe is part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual tradition where I share a handful of new recipes that fit into the pie/crisp/tart category. Join the community below!
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Cranberry Crumble Pie Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 18-24 squares
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cranberry crumble pie bars combine a buttery flaky shortbread crust, jammy cranberry filling, and crumbly almond topping. The crust and crumble topping are made from the same mixture, so there’s no need to dirty an additional bowl.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1/3 cup (30g) sliced almonds
Cranberry Filling
- 4 cups (400g) fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 Tablespoon (15g) fresh orange juice
Orange Icing (Optional)
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh orange juice
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or a food processor, cut in the butter until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles. (See photo above for a visual.) 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/butter mixture and gently mix together until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand. See photo above for a visual.
- You will have about 6 cups of the crust/crumble mixture. Set 2 cups 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—that’s ok. Set aside. (Almonds will be used in the topping in the next step.)
- Cranberry Filling: Mix all of the cranberry filling ingredients together. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture all over the cranberries. Sprinkle the almonds all over top.
- Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out *mostly* clean (with a few jammy cranberry specks!). Mine take about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. After about 1 hour, I stick the whole pan in the refrigerator to help speed things up.
- Make the icing and cut into squares: Whisk the icing ingredients together. Add more orange juice to thin out, if desired. Drizzle over cooled bars, then cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover cranberry bars (with or without icing) at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Iced or plain bars freeze well up to 3 months. Arrange in even layers in a large freezer container between sheets of parchment. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before icing and/or serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan or 9×13-inch Metal Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Cooling Rack
- Milk: I use and recommend whole milk, but nondairy or lower fat milks will work too.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Is there something to substitute orange juice with? I’m not awn orange fan in my baked goods.
Hi Dina, you could use lemon instead, if that’s preferable to your taste.
I just gave this recipe a try. First time baking in over a decade and I’ve heard so much about this site. I am absolutely happy and thrilled with the outcome! Very tart, obviously, so the icing is an absolute must in my opinion. Thank you for the recipe!
I really want to try this with blueberries next time. Should I continue with orange juice, lemonade, or something totally different?
Hi Darla, thank you so much for your kind words! Here’s our blueberry pie bars recipe.
Thanksgiving update: Not a single bar was left over. I redeemed myself from last year’s tragic pumpkin cheesecake fiasco. This dessert was a major hit! Everyone asked for the recipe so I gave them the whole website instead!
Do you think I could add some apple to the filling- cranberry apple pie bars?
Hi Keli! You could add some peeled and sliced apples here. Let us know if you try!
Could you use the cranberry filling on a frangipane tart, or would that result in a soggy nightmare? Either way, this looks delicious!
Hi Jules, we haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do! You might also like this cranberry frangipane tart instead.
How far ahead can these be made with out freezing them?
Hi Carol! Cover and store leftover cranberry bars (with or without icing) at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Hi Sally! We have someone with an egg allergy for Thanksgiving. How do you think it would work to leave out egg in the crust? Or perhaps use the crust/topping recipe from your apple pie bars with the cranberry filling? Thanks for your advice!
Hi Elyse, we wouldn’t leave out the egg in this crust, but yes, using the crust from our apple pie bars should be a great alternative!
Yup, absolutely amazing! Five stars for sure (and I’m always a little worried with cranberries) but these are great. Don’t skip the orange glaze and let cool completely before cutting.
Can I cut this recipe in half? It’s just too much for one person.
Hi Loo, Sure can! Simply cut each ingredient in half and use an 8 or 9 inch square pan, and keep an eye on them for baking time. It should be a little less than the full recipe bake time.
Very nice recipe. A couple of things. First, I ran he the cranberries through the food processor for a couple of short bursts to rough chop them. If you have the processor out already to make the dough, there’s no need to clean it. I found that one 340g/12oz bag of cranberries was plenty to make the filling for a 9X13 pan rough chopped this way. The trickiest part of this recipe is patting the dough into the pan in a nice even layer. If you flour your fingers first it’s a whole lot easier. Finally, I’d suggest toasting the almonds first before adding them to the crumble topping. Makes a nice color contrast this way.
Just made these. Insanely good! Easy to put together and make. Added some ginger with the cinnamon, because…why not!
Wow! Just made these and they are sensational. I only made half the icing, which seemed like enough to my wife and me, but our daughter wanted more, so I guess it’s a matter of preference. More than just a bar cookie, it is closer to a fancy dessert. A great way to use fresh cranberries.
Can I use leftover cranberry sauce for the cranberry filling?
Hi Nina, you should be able to use cranberry sauce. We wouldn’t add the sugar to the filling. Since the cranberry sauce has likely already thickened, I would just use that and mix it with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and the orange zest (if desired) before spreading it on the crust.
I know the recipe says fresh or frozen cranberries. Which do you think is optimal?
We prefer fresh!
Doubled this recipe and baked in a half sheet pan with taller sides. Someone said “these are superb!” and I agree! Made recipe as written with fresh cranberries and i wouldn’t change a thing! Bookmarked this recipe!
What did I do wrong? This came out SO sour. It was not a hit at Thanksgiving which made me so sad. I followed the recipe to a T. Did I not bake it long enough?
Hi Ashley, I’m so sorry to hear this! I don’t think under-baking would cause the bars to be overly sour. They should be on the tart side, because cranberries are naturally tart, but perhaps you may want to add more sugar for your taste if you’d like them to be a little sweeter. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
I can’t stop eating these! I made a batch for our thanksgiving celebration and now I’m going to have to make more because my husband and I have been sneaking squares ! So Sweet and tangy !
Hi! Would it work out to substitute vegan butter for regular butter? These look absolutely amazing and would love to make them for my dairy-free crowd. Thanks in advance!
Hi Rachel, We have not tested these with dairy free butter but let us know if you give it a try!
I made this recipe 2 days ago according to the recipe with no changes. It’s been so hard to not sit down and eat the entire pan!
The only thing that I might change is to add a bit more of the cranberry filing, because it was so delicious, and we wanted more of it!
Make this recipe as soon as you get a chance! It’s very easy, and definitely extra yummy!!
Have made this cranberry crumble bars twice and everyone loves them but my husband, who is an apple fan. Could apples be substituted? Maybe not the same amount as cranberries, or ??? Thinking the moisture content would be much higher so need to cut to 2/3 amount for apples? Have you tried this?
Hi Joyce, peeled and sliced apples can be used here. Or you might enjoy our Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars instead!
Trying this recipe this weekend. Would a frozen cranberry/cherry combo work?
Hi Loo, certainly! You can substitute the same amount of other berries or a mixture of both in this recipe. Let us know how it turns out!
I made these using Bob’s gluten-free baking flour and they were delicious! I’m freezing some for the holidays. I love the orange flavor with the cranberry and the cinnamon in the crust. I didn’t use the sugar glaze because we don’t like things that are too sweet. I think it would be a good complement, but they are fantastic without it as well!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I was looking to make this GF for Christmas because my cousin is GF, and I’m glad to know that GF flour works well!
This was really good! I wanted to use stuff I already had in my pantry. So I got two cans of apricots and chopped them up and used them. My co workers loved them! The only thing I might do differently is putting a layer of apricot jam down, then the chopped apricots. Just goes to show you that you can use most sny canned fruit as well!
Sally, these were delicious! I was afraid they would be too tart, but they were perfect. Sally, every one of your recipes that I try ends up being taste tested by the folks at my church. So far every one has been a winner, and I have made a lot!!
I cook fresh cranberries for our Thanksgiving meal and always have some leftover. Could I use them in this recipe? I guess it would be like using canned, whole cranberries. Thank you! I love your recipes.
Hi Jan, that should work fine!
These look delicious for a pre-Thanksgiving treat! Curious what you’d recommend subbing for the orange juice in the filling. I’m allergic to orange, but other citrus is fine! Would lemon or apple be okay? What do you recommend?
These look amazing! Do the do the cranberries need to be defrosted first?
If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw. Happy baking!
Everything tasted great, but I baked for longer than the allotted time but still had a soggy bottom layer. Any tips?
Hi Holly! It’s strange that these would end up soggy – did you use frozen cranberries? If you use frozen, make sure not to thaw them first, or they’ll be too wet.
No they were fresh!
I made this this morning, and it is amazing! So easy, budget friendly, and I love the 9×13 size – feeds a decent crowd. It held together nicely as squares – not crumbling all over people’s laps or dripping filling. I will definitely be making this often.
This recipe was delicious!! I accidentally used four and a half cups of cranberries the first time I made it, but just added extra orange juice and zest and they were perfection!
Hi Sally and team! Would a little almond extract in the base/crust be good here? Thanks!
Hi Clare, It would be excellent to add 1 teaspoon to the crust/crumble mixture.
i’d like to make this tomorrow in 9 x 9 square pan. should i halve the ingredients? everything i’ve made on your website is always SO stellar – hope you can help me make this work! TIA
Hi Lisa, I saw your other comment that you meant an 8×8-inch square pan. Yes, you can halve this recipe for an 8-inch square pan. I am unsure of the exact bake time. Thank you so much, and let me know how they turn out.
Hi Sally could I swap the cranberries for an apple filling? I’ve got so many apples from the garden x
Hi Francesca, peeled and sliced apples can be used here. Or you might enjoy our Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars instead!
Thank you! Would the other filling ingredients stay the same?