Cranberry Crumb Bars

Tart cranberry sauce and sweet layers of cookie combine in this easy Cranberry Crumb Bars recipe. Perfect for using up leftovers!

In my childhood kitchen, there was an eating counter. It wasn’t a kitchen island — more like an archipelago of countertop with stools stowed beneath it. And it was there, on its shades of tan Formica top, that food preparation happened.

We’d gather around the countertop to make fruit cocktail for holidays — a combination of canned fruit cocktail in light syrup with fresh halved grapes, chunks of pineapple, sliced bananas and other fruits. It was there that we’d layer noodles, ricotta, meat, sauce and mozzarella for lasagna or combine freshly cooked sausage, sauteed peppers and onions, sauce and cheese in big metal pans for sausage and peppers.

It was also there that we’d eat, daily, as a family.

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, that countertop was the aorta of ours.

In our home now, the kitchen is also the heart and our kitchen island is the center of all activity. From meals to entertaining guests, food prep to recipe development so much happens in that space. So many great memories have already been made in that space, which is as it should be. I can’t wait to make more.

It was at that very kitchen island that I made cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, served it with our big meal and later transformed it into these Cranberry Crumb Bars. Naturally, we ate them hanging about around the kitchen island too.

Do you have a space like that in your home?

How to Make Cranberry Crumb Bars

Cranberry Crumb Bars feature a sweet crust and crumble topping with tart cranberry sauce in the center. These are perfect for using cranberry sauce leftovers in a new and different way.

Making these bars is a simple process. Start by mixing the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to sift them together.

Next you’ll add the butter, which lends a lovely flavor and texture to the finished bars. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or two knives.

Now, it’s time to add the only liquid ingredient: one egg. Whisk an egg and then add to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. The dough will be crumbly, but you want to take extra care to mix it as well as you can.

The crust and crumble are made from the same dough. It will only hold together when you press it down. Press half of the crumb mixture into a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Top with cranberry sauce. Then crumble the remaining crumb mixture on top.

Then bake. When the crumbs on top are golden brown, the bars are done.

Let them cool thoroughly before slicing and enjoying.

Hint: These bars are pretty flexible so you can use whatever cranberry sauce leftovers you have. I made these bars with as little as 1 1/4 cups of cranberry sauce, but you could use up to 2 cups — if you have it.

Then serve. These bars are made for sharing.