Cranberry Ginger Crumb Bars
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!
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.
Notes
*You can find ginger sugar online or in specialty food stores.
If you don't have a pastry blender you can use a fork.