I’m 30-something, without kids, and still have need to do a bake sale for school. A tad ridiculous? Yes, but a great reason to try a new treat. So in pursuit of something unique—not a cookie, brownie or cupcake—I’m making something that’s, dare I say it, a tad healthy (well, compared to usual bake sale options anyway)? Now don’t get me wrong — I’m not the kind of person that hands out organic apples at Halloween, but sometimes it’s nice to have something a bit different from the usual bake sale fare.
The greatest thing about these little treats? They don’t tasty healthy. These cranberry bars strike a delicious balance between tart and sweet and have a crisp oatmeal crust that doubles as the topping. You get a nice smoothness from the orange zest and juice, and they stay moist from the addition of sour cream.
As you are making them, it will seem like you don’t have enough crust or topping, but trust me, they’ll turn out perfect. Peek at them at the 30-minute mark, although it may take the full 40 minutes depending on your oven.
Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Adapted from Cooking Light
Crust:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
4 tablespoons orange juice (be sure to zest it before you juice it!)
Cooking spray
Filling:
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 325°.
To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients through cinnamon in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup of oat mixture.
Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
To prepare filling, combine all the filling ingredients, from cranberries through egg white, in a medium bowl, stirring well.
Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust.
Sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling.
Bake at 325º for 30-40 minutes, or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Yields 24 servings cut into squares.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I can, in fact, attest to the fact that these taste pretty sinful. Yum!
Can’t wait to try these, I love dried cranberries. A great snack to take to work. Your new blog looks fun but way too much work to be cooking like this. How do you find time with your schooling.
Love the new blog! Maybe I’ll start a different shoot of my blog for recipes too. I have made these bars from CL too–they were great!
PS- yesterday took my sis, mom and Camden to Cheeseboard followed by the cupcake place, and I remembered fondly the day that you, me and Adrienne did the same circuit…miss you!