Rich, sweet and delicious: Cranberries, white chocolate crumble bars

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Here’s why you should grab extra bags of fresh cranberries at the store: Cranberry White Chocolate Crumb Bar. If you enjoy the sweet-tart combo, you’ll love these bars with four irresistible layers. They start with a firm sugar cookie base, followed by a layer of tangy cranberry jam, a layer of white chocolate chips, and topped with a crumbly cookie dough. For extra sweetness and richness, I sprinkle more white chocolate chips on top before baking.

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Want clean slices? The key is prepping your pan. Lightly spray it with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper, leaving extra on the sides for easy lifting. Once baked and cooled, use the parchment to lift the dessert out, refrigerate for at least four hours, and slice with a warm, sharp knife. Clean the knife between cuts with hot water and a paper towel for picture-perfect bars.

Cranberry White Chocolate Crumb Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

1 cup (227g) butter, cold and cubed

1 large egg

2 tsp. (10ml) vanilla extract

1 lb. (480g) fresh or frozen cranberries

½ cup (100g) brown sugar

2 tbsp. (30ml) water

1 tbsp. (15ml) freshly squeezed lime juice

½ tsp. (5g) grated lime zest

1½ cups (255g) white chocolate chips

Instructions:

Cranberry Jam:

Rinse fresh cranberries and add them to a medium saucepan with brown sugar and water.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Turn heat down to medium low and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes until the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens into a jam-like consistency.

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Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and zest. Let it cool to room temperature before preparing the dough.

Cookie dough:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and sugar. Add cold, cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla extract. Add this to the crumb mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough begins to form. Gather dough and form into a ball.

Assembly:

Divide the dough in half. Press one half into the bottom of the prepared baking tray.

Bake the crust for 13-15 minutes until golden at the edges. Let it cool.

Spread the cranberry jam evenly over the cooled crust, then sprinkle with white chocolate chips, reserving ¼ cup for later.

Crumble the remaining dough over the chocolate, without pressing it down. Top with the reserved white chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. Let it cool completely.

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Chilling and slicing:

Once cooled, use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the tray. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 4 hours.

To slice, warm a sharp knife with hot water, dry, and cut into bars, cleaning the knife between each cut.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy your delicious cranberry white chocolate crumb bars.

Makes one 9-inch pan.

Karen Gordon is a food blogger from North Vancouver who shares her recipe creations online at karentology.com, on Instagram at @karen.t.ology, and on Pinterest @karentologyblog.

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