Soft, buttery and utterly delicious – these gluten free cranberry crumble bars are an easy and delicious treat to make this winter! Tart and juicy cranberries sweetened and spiced then surrounded by a simple, oat-free gluten free cookie crust. Gluten Free + Vegan Option

Another season, another excuse to make some fruity, buttery, delicious crumble bars!

Gluten Free Cranberry Crumble Bars

Altogether these bars are very easy to make. The process comes down to two main stages:

• Make the cranberry filling by quickly stewing the filling ingredients over a stovetop to make the simple berry filling.
• Make the crust and crumb topping by mixing together all of the crumble ingredients together in a big bowl.

Once prepared, press half of the crumble mixture in to a prepared baking tin, add the berry filling and then sprinkle the remaining crumble over top. Then simply place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until cooked and golden. Easy!

Quick Questions

HOW DO I STORE THESE BARS?

• First it’s important to note that you’ll need let these bars cool down first. Between the fruity, cranberry filling and the buttery crust these bars are very soft and delicate straight out of the oven. Wait about 30 minutes before attempting to slice and serve or else the bars might fall apart.
• Store these bars at room temperature for up to 4-5 days or in the fridge for 7-10 days. If your kitchen runs a bit warm then I recommend keeping them in the fridge is best

Can I omit the cornstarch?

• Corn starch (also known as corn flour in the UK) helps to thicken the cranberry filling. By cooking down the berries with starch you ensure that the filling thickens up as the bars bake. Without the starch your filling will end up more like a sloppy soup. You cannot omit using starch in this recipe.
• Cornstarch substitution: you can use 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch OR 2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour OR 2 tablespoons rice flour to replace the cornstarch if needed.

Ways to Customise your Bars

• ADD OATS
  • Instead of using all flour, swap out half of the flour for certified gluten free oats.
  • Not sure if oats are right for you? Check out my post Are Oats Gluten Free to learn if oats are suitable for you and your gluten free diet.

• ADD A WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE
  • Finish your bars off by drizzle a bit of melted white chocolate over the top.
• ADD FRUIT AND/OR ZEST
  • Apples, oranges and pineapple make for a natural pairing to cranberries as their sweet flavours help offset the tartness of cranberries. Add a small diced apple, 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen pineapple or a squeeze of orange juice to the cranberries as you cook the filling for a slightly different, yet delicious twist on these gluten free cranberry crumb bars.

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Recipe

Gluten Free Cranberry Crumble Bars

Yield: 12 bars Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Soft, buttery and utterly delicious – these gluten free cranberry crumb bars are an easy and delicious treat to make this winter! Tart and juicy cranberries sweetened and spiced then surrounded by a simple, oat-free gluten free cookie crust. Gluten Free + Vegan Option

Ingredients

BERRY FILLING

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (200 g)
• 3/4 cup white caster sugar (150 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch*

COOKIE CRUST + TOPPING

• 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (280 g)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar (165 g)
• 1/4 cup white caster sugar (50 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup melted butter, dairy or non dairy (170 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. Line or lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch square baking tin and set aside.


Filling

1. Heat the cranberries, sugar, ginger and starch together in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring often, until the berries begin to burst and the mixture thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the heat and set aside.

Crumble

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla and mix until a soft dough forms.
3. Press 1/2 of the dough in an even layer into the prepared baking pan.
4. Spread the cranberry mixture evenly over the top of the crust.
5. Sprinkle the remaining half of the dough over the blueberries.
6. Place the baking pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until the crumb topping has goldened.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool 30 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing into squares.

Notes

• If you're in the UK look for corn flour instead of cornstarch.
• Instead of cornstarch you can use 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch OR 2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour OR 2 tablespoons rice flour to replace the cornstarch if needed.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Desserts Cuisine: American

More Cranberry Recipes:

• Cranberry Orange Gluten Free Biscotti
• Cranberry Apple Crumble
• Paleo Cranberry Orange Dutch Baby
• Cranberry Crush Cocktail