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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
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
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!
Notes
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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Jane says
January 1, 2018 at 12:56 pmThis looks delicious! Could I use whole wheat flour (not white) and less honey? Or is there a substitute for honey?
Erin says
January 1, 2018 at 2:31 pmHi Jane,
Yes, you can definitely use whole wheat flour. As for honey, you could use less, but these are not very sweet as is. With less honey, they might be not sweet enough for you to enjoy them. You could also use brown sugar, maple syrup or coconut sugar.
Nicole says
November 16, 2017 at 8:19 pmYour cranberry oatmeal bars and the cranberry table decor ideas look so good. We love Ocean Spray cranberries. Thanks for sharing your post with us at the #HomeMattersParty this week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Erin says
November 19, 2017 at 4:34 pmThanks so much Nicole! I love decorating with cranberries. They make such a statement with their vibrant color!
Susan @ Culinary Envy says
November 6, 2017 at 5:08 pmOh my goodness, these look amazing! I will take a dozen to go please! I wish! Pinned.
Erin says
November 8, 2017 at 2:02 pmSweet and tart, the perfect combinations! Thanks for stopping by, Susan! And also thanks for the pin! I appreciate it!
Karly says
November 3, 2017 at 12:36 pmMy stomach is rumbling and all I feel are warm fuzzies looking at this recipe. These bars look absolutely phenomenal- perfect for all the holiday parties!
Erin says
November 8, 2017 at 2:03 pmI agree, perfect for holiday parties or when you’re hosting guests. They’d love them too! They freeze well, so a great make-ahead recipe.
David @ Spiced says
November 2, 2017 at 9:37 amWe love oatmeal bars around our house, too! In fact, our toddler eats oatmeal bars for breakfast every morning. I’ll definitely try making him a batch of these cranberry oatmeal bars…they sound delicious! And I love the idea of filling votives with cranberries for the Thanksgiving table. Thanks for sharing! #client
Erin says
November 2, 2017 at 3:44 pmOatmeal bars are so tasty and easy make! So glad your son likes them. Let me know how he enjoys this recipe!