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Cranberry Oatmeal Bars are the perfect breakfast or anytime snack idea. Slightly sweet with a little tartness makes this recipe a winner! Plus, cranberries are great for holiday decorating!

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Name: Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 9 or 16 depending on how you cut them
Ingredients: 1/2 stick butter (melted (you can substitute coconut oil)); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1½ cups white whole wheat flour ((you can substitute regular white flour)); 1½ cups old fashioned oats ((not instant)); ½ cup honey; ¼ cup brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 tsp orange zest; pinch of salt; 2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries; 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice; 2 teaspoons white whole wheat flour ((or regular white flour)); 1/4 cup coconut sugar ((you can substitute regular sugar and add more if you prefer a sweeter bar)); white chocolate ((optional for drizzling over the top))

Our family is an oatmeal bar loving bunch. Whether they’re plain or with added fruit, they gobble easy oatmeal bars up for breakfast or anytime snacks. My latest kitchen creation is Cranberry Oatmeal Bars that are slightly sweet, but have a lovely tartness thanks to Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries. This time of year, I love cranberries for sauce of course, but they’re great for décor & more! Make sure you read to the end of the post to see how!

Yeah, I’m one of those moms that tries to get wholesome ingredients in my kids every chance I get. So limiting that amount of packaged bars and snacks they eat is important to me. The more healthy food recipes the better. That’s why I love this recipe for Cranberry Oatmeal Bars. It’s easy and tastes wonderful, but packs a nutrient punch with the cranberries and whole wheat, plus it’s low in refined sugar.

The other thing I love about this recipe is it’s easy to bake up with ingredients I have on hand. I usually keep a bag or two of whole cranberries tucked in the freezer because they’re good for up to a year in there. That way, I can enjoy them all year long! Walmart had the big bags of cranberries while shopping the other day, so now I have plenty for baking and decorating all season long! So buy two and freeze one!

Now, if you wanted to go festive you could drizzle a little white chocolate over the top and they’d be something really special! They kinda remind me or cranberry bliss bars when the have the drizzle, but a little healthier 🙂

Note: If you prefer a sweeter bar, you can always add more sugar to this recipe.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars are the perfect breakfast or anytime snack idea. Slightly sweet with a little tartness makes this recipe a winner! Plus, cranberries are great for holiday decorating!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 9 or 16 depending on how you cut them

Author Erin @ Suburban Simplicity

Ingredients

Crust & Crumble Topping

1/2 stick butter melted (you can substitute coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups white whole wheat flour (you can substitute regular white flour)
1½ cups old fashioned oats (not instant)
½ cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp orange zest
pinch of salt

Cranberry Filling

2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons white whole wheat flour (or regular white flour)
1/4 cup coconut sugar (you can substitute regular sugar and add more if you prefer a sweeter bar)
white chocolate (optional for drizzling over the top)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line the bottom of an 8x8 pan with parchment paper, foil or with cooking spray.
To make the crust & crumble, place whole wheat flour, regular oats, honey, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, orange zest and salt in a large bowl. Stir in melted butter and vanilla until just combined. Mixture should be a little dry and crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture, this will be your crumble topping.
Add the oat mixture to the prepared baking pan. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
Place cranberries, orange juice, coconut sugar and flour in the same bowl you mixed the oat mixture and stir to combine. Place the cranberry mixture over the crust in an even layer.
Evenly sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the top of the cranberries.
Bake the bars for 45 minutes. If they start to get too brown, cover with file the last few minutes of baking. Remove the bars from the pan and let sit for 10 minutes. Drizzle with a little white chocolate if you wish. Cut and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Use regular old fashioned oats, not instant.

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars can be frozen up to 3 months.

Tips for The Best Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

This recipe is best if you use old fashioned oats, not instant oats.
I like using the healthy option of whole wheat flour, but regular flour would also work.
To store, layer the bars between waxed paper in an airtight container. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Cranberry Oatmeal Bars can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Cranberry Holiday Décor

Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries are authentic and can help bring your creative ideas to life during the holidays! I love their vibrant color and natural look, especially on a holiday table.

Everyone likes the ambiance of a pretty holiday table and if it’s easy and inexpensive, all the better! This year, I’m using cranberries to not only accent our table holiday décor by filling candle holders and sprinkling them around the table, they are also a nifty idea to hold our dinner seating place cards.

The idea is simple and completely doable for anyone – no matter your creative skill or decorating level.

1. Gather as many votive candle holders as you need so each guest has one.

2. Either print out or hand write the names for your place cards. Cut them out.

3. Fill your votives with Ocean Spray® Fresh Cranberries and tuck the card between the cranberries. Voila! You have an easy decor idea that brings your table to life!

Tip: Your votives don’t all need to match. As long as they similar in color or shape, the variety on your table will look wonderful.

Stock up now on Ocean Spray Fresh Cranberries, so you’ll have plenty for your favorite cranberry recipes and holiday crafts! Don’t forget your can freeze them, so buy an extra bag!

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Cranberry Oatmeal Bars and Holiday Decorating with Cranberries

Cranberry Oatmeal Bars