Cranberry Bars

🥘 Ingredients

• all-purpose flour 375 g
• granulated sugar 200 g
• baking powder 1 tsp
• salt ¼ tsp
• cinnamon 1 tsp
• cold cubed unsalted butter 226 g
• egg 1 large
• milk 60 g
• vanilla 2 tsp
• fresh or frozen cranberries 400 g
• granulated sugar 150 g
• cornstarch 1 Tbsp
• orange zest 2 tsp
• fresh orange juice 15 g
• sliced almonds (optional) 30 g
• fresh orange juice 30 g
• confectioners' sugar 120 g

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper , leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
2. 2

   Make the crumble mixture for the crust and topping: Whisk the all-purpose flour , granulated sugar , baking powder , salt , and cinnamon together in a large bowl . Add the cold cubed unsalted 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. This takes at least 5 minutes of cutting in with a pastry cutter.
3. 3

   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.
4. 4

   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, which is ok. Set aside. (Almonds will be used in the topping in the next step.)
5. 5

   Cranberry Filling: Mix the fresh or frozen cranberries , granulated sugar , cornstarch , orange zest , and fresh orange juice . Spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture all over the cranberries. Sprinkle the sliced almonds (optional) all over top.
6. 6

   Bake for about 40 to 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.
7. 7

   Make the icing and cut into squares: Whisk the fresh orange juice , confectioners' sugar together. Add more orange juice to thin out, if desired. Drizzle over cooled bars, then cut into squares.
8. 8

   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.