Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

Layers of oats, fresh cranberries & a delicious crumb topping make up these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars. They’re perfect for the holiday season & easy to make gluten free! Whip these up for a sweet Christmas breakfast or wonderful winter snack.

Originally inspired by my gluten free recreation of Starbucks Blueberry Oatmeal Bars, these bars are the perfect way to use fresh cranberries when they’re in season! And when they’re out of season, you can still make them anytime of the year with frozen cranberries!

Can we talk about how gorgeous these bars are for just a minute? I mean in addition to being totally delicious, the bright bursts of cranberry also make these bars so beautiful!

Are they breakfast, dessert, a sweet snack? Yes, yes and yes! They can be all of the above! My family has been making the Blueberry Oatmeal Bars for years and will eat them for breakfast or a mid-day snack.

I took these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars to a holiday party this year and they were a HUGE HIT! People have actually been asking me for two weeks when the recipe would hit the blog!

I also plan to make two batches of these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars to keep around the week of Christmas for people to snack during the day or dig into in the mornings. No matter whether you serve these bars around the holidays or whip them up on a winter weekend, this is a great recipe that I guarantee will be a hit!

Step by step instructions

• Prepare the oatmeal base.
  • Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
    • Quick tip! You can also line the baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal of the bars after they’ve baked and cooled completely.
  • Combine flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, baking powder and sea salt together in a large bowl.
  • Add cold, cubed butter and mix with your hands to form a crumbly mixture.
  • Press the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Add the cranberries and brown sugar crumble.
  • Spread a layer of fresh or frozen cranberries over the oatmeal base.
  • In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
  • Add cold, cubed butter and mix into a course crumble.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar crumble over the cranberries.
• Bake the oatmeal cranberry bars.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Place the cranberry bars in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cranberries begin to burst and the crumble is golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into the bars.
    • Note: If you try to slice the bars before they’re cool, they will likely crumble and fall apart. For guaranteed nice, uniformly sliced bars, wait 1 hour and allow the bars to cool completely before slicing.

How to make them gluten free

Yes! Simply replace the all-purpose flour with a 1 to 1 gluten free flour and make sure the oats used are gluten free.

As I mentioned, the original inspiration for these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars came from my Gluten Free Blueberry Oatmeal Bars, so I can guarantee you that the gluten free version is just as delicious as the original version of this recipe!

Can I use frozen cranberries to make this recipe?

Yes, fresh or frozen cranberries will work just fine in this recipe, with no alterations needed. I recommend buying a few bags of fresh cranberries while they’re in season at the grocery store and storing them in the freezer. That way, you’ll always have a bag on hand!

Should I refrigerate uneaten bars?

The bars do not have to be refrigerated, but I do recommend it to make them last longer. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, they will last 5-7 days.

If you don’t want to eat them cold, straight from the refrigerator, you can reheat them in the microwave on a plate for 30 seconds.

More cranberry recipes

If you love these Oatmeal Cranberry Bars, then you’re also going to love these 5 easy cranberry recipes!

1. Cranberry Apple Sangria – made with fresh cranberries & cranberry juice, this sangria recipe is not to be missed during the fall & winter months!
2. Goat Cheese Ball with Cranberries & Rosemary – the perfect holiday party snack, these cheese ball made with dried cherries is easy to make in 10 minutes!
3. Maple Cranberry Walnut Monkey Bread – hello brunch! Maple syrup, dried cranberries and walnuts add extra fall flavor to already delicious monkey bread!
4. Cranberry Pomegranate Waffles – the most gorgeous waffles you’ll ever make!
5. Cranberry Brie Ham Sliders – cranberry sauce & melted brie cheese will make these sliders the hit of any holiday party!

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