• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crafty Cooking Mama

Search

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Work With Me ♥
  • Reviews
    • Food and Drink Reviews
    • Product Reviews

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

February 11, 2015 by Amanda 6 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Sweet, tart, delicious Chocolate Cranberry Bars made from fresh or frozen cranberries. Freeze a few bags of cranberries to enjoy this treat year round!

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Cranberries Have a Short Season – Stock Up While You Can!

I may or may not be a hoarder of cranberries. No judging. They’re one of my favorite fruits and they’re only available for a few months.  

In case you didn’t know – cranberry prices drop like crazy after the holidays. Another FYI – those little baggies freeze perfectly. Just throw them in the freezer – as is. It doesn’t get any easier then that. I watch the prices drop and then load up. First sale was $1.00 a bag – I grabbed a few. Second sale was 3 for $1.00 – so I grabbed 6. With 10 bags of cranberries in my freezer, it’s time to get to using them. These Cranberry Chocolate Oat Bars are a great start.

Want more cranberry recipes? (Yes!!!) Check out these Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins & this Cranberry Cheesecake – both made with fresh cranberries!

Prep & Cook the Cranberries

I don’t bother thawing the cranberries if frozen. I pick off any stems & rinse them in a colander. Into the saucepan they go, followed by sugar and water over medium heat. Stir over medium heat, lower if it gets too bubbly, for about 15-20 minutes. You want a jam-like consistency with most of the berries “popped”.

cranberry jellied for bars

Let the Cranberry Cool – Start the Batter & Assemble

You can mix everything else up as the cranberry cools down a bit. Set aside a heaping 1 1/2 cup of the batter for topping. Prep a baking dish with cooking spray. Some people like to set up the dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper for dessert bars such as this. Forget all that. I’m not into making any more work than necessary. Spray the dish with an even layer of baking spray. Wipe with paper towel to remove excess and distribute evenly if necessary. That’s it. These bars will come out effortlessly – just let them cool off completely.

Layer everything up in your baking dish. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, spread/pat down batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over and cover with the cranberry. Spoon tablespoons of the reserved 1 1/2 cup of batter over the cranberry and try to spread/pat it out a little. This gets a little tricky – it’s thick and sticky. You’re not trying to get the whole top evenly covered – the batter will spread out and puff up a bit.

Chocolate Chips over crust
Oatmeal drops for Cranberry Chocolate Bars
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars Ready to Bake

Bake in a 350° oven for 35 – 40 minutes or until top is light golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. I mean COMPLETELY. Remember how I said that these bars will come out effortlessly. They will. Just forget about them for 4-5 hours and then cut into it, loosening the edges with a knife.

Time to Enjoy!

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Cut into bars & get at them!

These Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oat Bars are out of this world! The cranberries loose just a tad of their bite – perfect amount of sweetness and tartness. Then comes the chocolate.  

I love the sweet, tart and bold flavors of cranberries combined with the decadence of chocolate. Together they’re almost reminiscent of cherries & chocolate.

Hope you enjoy – thanks for stopping by!

Amanda ♥

Recipe inspired from allrecipes.com

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oat Bars
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Amanda
Sweet, tart, delicious Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oat Bars made from fresh or frozen cranberries. Freeze a few bags of berries to enjoy this treat year round
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course baked goods
Servings 16 -20 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz bag of whole cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 cup all – purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup butter melted
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I prefer dark) generous

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and water.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally until all of the cranberries have popped, and the mixture is thick and a jam-like consistency, about 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° Prep a 13X9 glass baking dish (I suggest Pam/baking spray)
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar and baking powder until combined.
  • Add remainder of dry ingredients (ginger, cinnamon, rolled oats and brown sugar) and mix well.
  • Add vanilla extract, milk, melted butter and eggs to dry mixture. Stir until combined.
  • Set aside a heaping 1 1/2 cups of the mixture, and spread the rest into the bottom of the prepped 13×9 baking dish. Pat down with a spatula to form an even, firm layer.
  • Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over bottom layer.
  • Spread the cooled cranberry mixture over the chocolate chips.
  • Spoon tablespoons of the reserved batter over the cranberry and try to spread/pat it out a little. You’re not trying to get the whole top evenly covered – the batter will spread out and puff up a bit while baking.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack. After 4-5 hours, cut into bars and enjoy : )
Keyword cranberry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Filed Under: Baked Goods, Desserts, Fruit, Recipes

Previous Post: « Chicken Barley Chili
Next Post: Lazy Day Spanish Style Chicken Breasts in the Crockpot »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Winnie

    February 11, 2015 at 11:42 am

    These bars look sooooooooooooo GOOD !!
    Love this combination of chocolate and cranberry 🙂

    Reply
    • Amanda

      February 11, 2015 at 6:40 pm

      Thank you Winnie! I love, love, love the chocolate & cranberry combo too. So much that I made these bars twice in one week : )

      Reply
  2. Yumgoggle

    February 14, 2015 at 3:06 am

    These bars look wonderful! Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
    • Amanda

      February 15, 2015 at 5:32 pm

      Thanks so much! These cranberry bars are a favorite of family and friends!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Categories

Follow. Like. Connect. Let’s Stay in Touch.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Welcome to Crafty Cooking Mama. I’m Amanda, a wife and mama loving life in beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Hard Boiled Quail Eggs | www.craftycookingmama.com

Hard Boiled Quail Eggs

A garlicky cheddar cheese quick bread ready in about an hour from start to finish. Easy, cheesy, foolproof - delicious | www.craftycookingmama.com

Cheddar Cheese Quick Bread

Baked Haddock or White Fish with Brown Butter. Simple, delicious, nutritious | www.craftycookingmama.com

Baked Haddock with Brown Butter

Banana Nut (Walnut) Muffins | Quick, Easy, Moist & Delicious | www.craftycookingmama.com

Banana Nut Muffins

Chocolate Avocado Cake with Chocolate Avocado Buttercream Frosting - craftycookingmama.com

Chocolate Avocado Cake With Chocolate Avocado Buttercream Frosting

Picked Boiled Red Beet Eggs

Red Beet Eggs

five banana banana nut bread

“5 Banana” Banana Bread

Categories

Desserts

The Best Bake Sale Cookie

Imperial Margarine Chocolate Chip Cookies – The BEST Bake Sale Cookies

Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles - craftycookingmama.com

Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Peeps Fudge | Easy & Effortless - made in microwave & takes less then 5 minutes | Creamy & delicious | www.craftycookingmama.com

Peeps Dessert | Peeps Fudge

You'll love how easy it is to make these sweet, tart, zingy lemon bars with a crumbly, buttery shortbread crust | A delicious & fancy dessert | craftycookingmama.com

Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake - Light, Creamy & The Perfect Amount of Cacao Sweetness

Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake

Best Basic Buttercream Frosting Icing - Perfect for Cupcakes & Piping - craftycookingmama.com

Basic Buttercream Frosting/Icing

Stabilized Whipped Cream Cappuccino Frosting | Light & fluffy, not too sweet with the perfect amount of cappuccino flavor | www.craftycookingmama.com

Cappuccino Frosting

One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream - craftycookingmama.com

One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

More Dessert Recipes

Soups & Stews

Chicken Barley Chili

Chicken Barley Chili

Rich, Creamy, Savory Peanut Soup | Enjoy the Warm & Sophisticated Side of Peanut Butter | craftycookingmama.com

Peanut Butter Soup

Kielbasa Chili Topped With Shredded Cheese

Kielbasa Chili

Creamy, Rich, Delicious Smoked Trout Chowder | Made with Cream, White Wine - Use Your Favorite Smoked Fish | www.craftycookingmama.com

Smoked Trout Chowder

Kielbasa & Sauerkraut Soup

Sauerkraut Sausage Soup

Sweet Potato, Sausage & Apple Schnitz Stew | A hearty & unique soup with all the flavors of Fall | Never heard of Apple Schnitz - Keep reading | craftycookingmama.com

Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup

Rustic Italian Chicken and Green Olive Stew - Hunter Stew - craftycookingmama.com

Chicken and Olive Stew

Cheese & Wine Soup | Rich, Creamy, Delicious, Brilliant | Made with Sharp Cheddar & White Wine | craftycookingmama.com

Wine Soup

More Soup & Stew Recipes

Copyright © 2024 Crafty Cooking Mama on the Foodie Pro Theme
PRIVACY POLICY