There are lots of recipes out there that tell you how to use up the leftover turkey from holiday dinners, but what about the cranberry sauce? No one ever tells you what to do with the leftover cranberry sauce. How about whipping up a batch of Cranberry Crumb Bars?
With just a few staple ingredients from your pantry – old fashioned rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter – you can put leftover cranberry sauce to delicious use by whipping up a batch of Cranberry Crumb Bars in as little as 35 minutes.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of cranberries alone, much less cranberry sauce, but these Cranberry Crumb Bars are delish! The oatmeal crumb crust pairs nicely with the sweet, tart cranberry filling to really hit the spot. And did I mention they only take 35 minutes?
BAKING TIP: Line your baking dish with parchment paper. This will make it super easy to remove the Cranberry Crumb Bars and keep them looking pretty.
Cranberry Crumb Bars
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cold)
- 1 14 oz can whole cranberry sauce (or 1 ½ cups homemade cranberry sauce)
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a large bowl, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use your fingers to rub in the butter until everything is moistened and no pieces are bigger than the oats.
- Spoon three-quarters of the oat mixture into a greased 9” x 13” pan. Press down on it firmly to form a firm later that evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Add the cranberry sauce in dollops and spread it in a thin layer over the oat layers. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the top is just starting to turn golden brown. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 8 strips along the length of the pan and 3 strips along the width – yielding 24 bars.