Fresh Cranberry Bars! These vegan and gluten-free cranberry orange bars are the perfect balance of tart and sweet. A must for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holidays.
8tablespoonsnon-dairy butter like Earth Balance, melted
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2cupsfresh cranberries
2tablespoonsmaple syrup
1tablespooncornstarch or arrowroot starch
Zest from 1 orange
3tablespoonsfresh orange juice**
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper both ways so that it overhangs slightly. This will allow you to lift the bars out of the pan after cooking for easier slicing. You don't have to do this, they will just be a little harder to cut.
In a large bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, oat flour, sugar, cinnamon baking soda, salt.
Add in the melted butter and vanilla to the oat mixture, then stir to form a dough. Place about 1 ¾ cups of mixture in the base of a square 8x8 pan and press down firmly. You should have enough to make an even layer on the bottom, but add more crust dough if you have any holes. Set aside while you make the cranberry filling.
Whisk together berries, maple syrup, starch, orange juice and zest. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cook for 3-5 minutes until mixture is thickened. Let cool slightly, then pour onto the prepared crust.
Top with remaining crust-- I crumbled the rest on and then gently pressed down into the cranberry mixture.
Place in the oven and bake for ~30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and bubbly. Remove and let cool for at least 1 hour, then remove and slice into 12 bars.
Notes
*To keep these easy, I use oat flour in place of all-purpose. To make oat flour, add rolled oats (or any kind of oats, steel cut will work as well, but it will take longer to process) to a blender or food processor and process until a flour forms.**A large orange will give you enough zest and juice, but if you are in a pinch then you can use prepared orange juice instead and skip the zest.