Cranberries mingle with tones of ginger and orange and nestle neatly between layers of pastry, loaded with toasted walnuts and holiday spices! Move those pies over and make room for this dazzling dessert!
It’s just not a holiday without some type of pastry on the dessert table, but making a pie is not in everyone’s comfort zone. Enter bar desserts. Similar to pies, our crumb bars start with a pastry crust followed by a scrumptious sweet filling then finished with a spiced crumb topping.
Toasted walnuts add a wonderful crunch to the pastry that’s rich with butter. The pastry does double duty, creating a tender base for the bars then as a crumb topping tossed with cinnamon, nutmeg and a lovely ginger sugar. Then tucked neatly in the center is a beautiful blend of chopped cranberries, multiple notes of orange plus crystalized ginger and vanilla.
The bars are baked until the crumb topping is golden and the cranberry filling is luscious and bright. This will be a welcome addition to your holidays!
Cranberry Ginger Crumb Bars
2-½ cups flour
2 cups sugar, divided
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chilled butter, cubed
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger sugar*, optional
4 cups chopped cranberries, about 16-ounces
1-½ tablespoons cornstarch
Zest of 1 large orange, about 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons
1-½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, about ½ large orange
¼ crystalized ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon orange oil or orange extract
Whisk together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, chopped walnuts, baking powder, and kosher salt in a large bowl.
Add the cubed butter and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry blender until the butter is in small pieces.
Stir in the beaten egg – the mixture will still be dry and crumbly.
Measure out 2-½ cups and press into the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with a cooking spray. Using the bottom of a metal measuring company works great for this task. Bake the crust in a 350-degree oven for 12 minutes.
To the remaining flour and butter mixture add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger sugar, stirring to blend together.
In a separate bowl, combine the cranberries with the remaining cup of sugar and the cornstarch. Stir in the orange zest and the orange juice along with the crystalized ginger, vanilla and orange oil.
Spoon the cranberry filling over the pastry crust, spreading it out evenly. Top with the remaining pastry mixture – you’ll have enough to completely cover the top.
Raise the heat to 375-degrees and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden.
Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 to 6 hours or overnight to make them easier to cut into bars.
Keep refrigerated, serve chilled or at room temperature. Makes about 20 to 24 Cranberry Ginger Crumb Bars.
Cranberry Ginger Crumb Bars
Equipment
- 13" x 9" baking pan
Ingredients
- 2-½ cups flour
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chilled butter, cubed
- 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ginger sugar*, optional
- 4 cups chopped cranberries, about 16-ounces
- 1-½ tablespoons cornstarch
- Zest of 1 large orange, about 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons
- 1-½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, about ½ large orange
- ¼ cup crystalized ginger, chopped
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon orange oil or orange extract
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, chopped walnuts, baking powder, and kosher salt in a large bowl.
- Add the cubed butter and cut into the flour mixture using a pastry blender until the butter is in small pieces.
- Stir in the beaten egg – the mixture will still be dry and crumbly.
- Measure out 2-½ cups and press into the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with a cooking spray. Using the bottom of a metal measuring company works great for this task. Bake the crust in a 350-degree oven for 12 minutes.
- To the remaining flour and butter mixture add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger sugar, stirring to blend together.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cranberries with the remaining cup of sugar and the cornstarch. Stir in the orange zest and the orange juice along with the crystalized ginger, vanilla, and orange oil.
- Spoon the cranberry filling over the pastry crust, spreading it out evenly.
- Top with the remaining pastry mixture, raise the heat to 375-degrees and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden.
- Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 to 6 hours or overnight to make them easier to cut into bars. Keep refrigerated, serve chilled or at room temperature.
