Cranberry Crumb Squares

Homemade sweet and tart cranberry filling is sandwiched between two layers of a buttery and chewy crumb mixture in these Cranberry Crumb Squares. Serve these slightly warmed or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate thanksgiving dessert!

On several occasions over the past few years, I have shared with you, Dear Reader, that before a recipe is published here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I personally test it for taste, ease, and workability factor. The result must taste great, obviously, but the workability factor is just as important. These Cranberry Crumb Squares took only two tries to get perfect because I based this recipe on an existing recipe and trusted the process. And, in that initial process, I learned a very valuable lesson too!

What lesson did I learn, you ask? I learned that I should trust my instincts first rather than trying to make something different just for the sake of making it different. There are over 1000 recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen. And, after blogging recipes for almost 10 years, it is so easy for me to forget what I’ve already shared. Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times I started to develop a recipe only to learn that I’ve already done it!

In the case of these Cranberry Crumb Squares, I wanted to create a different crumb mixture even though I knew that I already had one that worked beautifully and tasted wonderful. Sometimes, it’s just about being more creative and inventive rather than sticking with what works. Needless to say, after wasting four whole sticks of butter – which is not cheap these days! – I went back to what I knew would work.

‘TIS A HARD LIFE, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT!

Have you been reading my blog for any length of time? If you have, you will already be aware of what I’m about to discuss. If you haven’t, it’s important that you understand how frustrating it can be to be a food blogger at times. Food bloggers are always working ahead of schedule. When it comes to Christmas recipes, for example, we are baking cakes and cookies as early as September!

We do this so that we can test the recipes to make sure that they will work for you at home. The recipes need to be plated and styled. Photographs need to be taken. We have to write up the post and make sure we please the folks at Google, otherwise, our recipes run the risk of being buried in cyberspace somewhere. There are many other steps that I’m skipping here, but all of it is to say that we need the time to get the recipes out to you a few weeks before you need them.

Now, as a huge fan of Christmas baking – the 200+ Christmas recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen are proof of that – there’s one thing that frustrates me every single year. There’s a tremendous lack of things like fresh cranberries for many months of the year. Don’t even get me started on holiday confections like Hershey’s chocolate or candy canes! The good news is that if you cannot source fresh cranberries for this recipe, frozen cranberries work perfectly well!

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting. Also, we have a vacation booked in what would have been the middle of the series, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

Filling:

• Cranberries – You will need 4 cups of cranberries. (You can use frozen or fresh.)
• Orange Zest
• Orange Juice – Use fresh orangejuice for a brighter, more refreshing flavour.
• Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is all you need.
• Cornstarch

Crumb Mixture:

• Butter – If you don’t have salted butter, add 1/8 teaspoon of salt to this crumb mixture recipe.
• Brown Sugar – You will need brown sugar for this portion of the recipe.
• Rolled Oats – I like to use quick rolled oats whenever possible.
• Baking Powder – This is used to add volume and to lighten the texture.
• Flour – Just a regular all-purpose flour here.

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY CRUMB SQUARES

Add all of the cranberry filling ingredients to a mixing bowl and toss well to coat and combine. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish by lining it with parchment paper.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, add all of the crumb ingredients and use your hands to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly consistency is formed. Press half of the crumb mixture into the prepared 9×13 baking dish. Press firmly to form a solid base. Pour the cranberry mixture over top and spread it out evenly. Next, evenly distribute the remaining crumb mixture over top, pressing very lightly to push the crumb mixture gently into the cranberry layer.

Bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool completely or until just warm to the touch. Once ready, cut into squares and serve with a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream.

BAKED GOODS MAKE GREAT GIFTS!

These Cranberry Crumb Squares are so perfect for gift-giving. Not only are these squares great for giving to a friend or loved one, but it’s so easy to package and transport. It might be just me, but is there anyone else out there who loves to receive kitchen-related products as gifts?

If you’d like to gift these squares to a friend, here’s what you should do. First, buy a new 9×13 baking dish and another kitchen item such as a whisk or a spatula. Bring them home, and wash and dry the baking dish. Then, bake the squares right into the new dish.

Once baked and cooled, wrap the dish in some cellophane, tie a ribbon on it, and attach the whisk or spatula. Now, you’ve got a dessert and a gift all in one! I’d love to get something like that; so thoughtful, right!?

STORING, PACKAGING, AND FREEZING

These squares will stay fresh for about 3-5 days in a covered container and in your fridge. But, if you plan to freeze these Cranberry Crumb Squares, use a food-safe container that can be frozen. You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. (I use these quite often when freezing baked goods.) I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!

You can freeze these for up to three months. They will come out of the freezer looking just like they did when you put them in there as long as you don’t stack them. If you must stack, lay a sheet of parchment paper between each layer. To thaw, remove bars from the freezer and place them on a wire cooling rack for 20 minutes. Once you thaw them, they will taste just as fresh, and be just as soft, as the day you first baked them.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!