Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars nestle a fruity cranberry filling in between two layers of buttery crumb sweetness!
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars
Healthy Holiday Treats
Happy November 1st, everyone! It is officially the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year — at least in my world!
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars – Fresh Cranberries
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. By the time we’ve all finished digesting Thanksgiving dinner, a few weeks later it will be Christmas, then the New Year. I created this recipe as a prelude to all of the other recipes I hope to develop for this special time.
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars – Finished Crust Mix
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars – Crust in Pan
Healthy Cranberry Bars
There is no disputing that holidays always bring out the culinary best. Equally, there is no disputing that the aftermath is usually filled with weight gain, malaise, and feeling crummy all around.
This is the first holiday season for Nutritionicity and my heart’s desire is to provide you with delicious, mouth-watering dishes for your homes and holiday celebrations that will parallel the traditional favorites in taste, but leave you feeling refreshed and nourished instead of, well . . . in a coma.
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars – Fresh Cranberries and Banana Pureed
Vegan Gluten-free Cranberry Crumb Bars
These Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars, not unlike my other recipes, have been developed to be free from gluten, animal products, and refined sugars.
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars – Ready to Bake
The plant-based ingredients have been sewn together to make these bars mouth-watering, like their less healthier counterparts but without the fallout of consuming gluten or refined sugar. Instead, your taste buds and your body will feel refreshed and renewed.
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars
Give ’em a try! With all of the cranberries around how can you resist?! I’m going to be freezing several bags of cranberries so I can continue to devour these bars throughout the year. Enjoy!!
If you’re looking for more tasty fruit bars give my Pure Pina Colada Bars or my Berry Bliss Bars a try!
Fresh Cranberry Crumb Bars nestle a fruity cranberry filling in between two layers of buttery crumb sweetness!
Ingredients
- Crust
- 1 cup almond meal flour
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 1/3 cup date sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons walnut oil (melted coconut oil can be substituted)
- 2 tablespoons cashew milk (almond milk can be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Filling
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (frozen can be substituted)
- 3/4 cup very ripe banana (approx. 1 large banana, also see note)
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter (I use Earth Balance soy free)
- 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (depending on how thick you desire the filling. I used 1/8 tsp)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1) To make the crust, first grease a 8x8 inch pan or line it with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl combine almond flour, gluten-free oat flour, date sugar, salt and mix well with a spoon. In a small bowl, combine walnut oil, cashew milk and vanilla and mix well by stirring together. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon. Continue stirring until the mixture comes together in small sized crumbs.
- 2) Reserve approx. 2/3 cup of dough for sprinkling on top. Pour remaining dough into greased pan and spread until even. Then press dough firmly on bottom of pan.
- 3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and blot dry fresh cranberries. Place cranberries and banana in food processor or high speed blender. Puree until the only visible lumps are the tiny cranberry seeds. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and warm over medium heat. When bubbles begin to appear, add coconut palm sugar and butter. Whisk to mix, then continue whisking while continuing to cook for approx. 2-3 minutes. Add xanthan gum and whisk well. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and whisk well.
- 4) Pour cranberry mixture onto crust in pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle reserved crust crumbs on top and gently pat into cranberry mixture. Place on middle oven rack and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approx. 30 minutes. When done remove from oven and place on cooling rack for 45 minutes. It is not mandatory, but advised, to refrigerate before serving as this allows the bars to firm up. Once bars have been refrigerated, they may be plated and served at room temperature.
Notes
Crust
Dough should stick together when a small amount is pressed together with your fingers. If dough seems too dry you may add 1 more tablespoon of nut milk and mix well.
Cranberry Mixture
Frozen ripe bananas can also be used instead of fresh ripe bananas. This will add a delicious extra little bit of sweetness as the sugars tend to concentrate when frozen.
I would love to know the number of servings this makes and nutritional information. Thank you.
Hi Lynn, I am currently looking into what options are available to provide nutrition info for my recipes. I do hope to be able to provide that information at some point in the near future. In the meantime, many people have used my fitness pal’s nutrition calculator to help with this. This recipe produces 16 – 2″ square bars. I have added that to the recipe card. Thanks! 🙂
How about using dates instead of palm sugar?? Think I’m going to try that…
Hi Teresa, I use date sugar in the crust. Are you referring to the coconut palm sugar in the filling? My concern with subbing dates for coconut palm sugar is that it may increase the moisture level too much. Perhaps you could sub date sugar for the coconut palm sugar? Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes 🙂