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Home » Bar Cookies

Cranberry Nut Bars From Leftover Cranberries

Modified: Dec 30, 2024 · Published: Nov 29, 2015 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

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This batch of Cranberry Nut Bars started as a way to use up half a bag of fresh cranberries leftover from Thanksgiving. I wasn't expecting them to be nearly as good as they were, or as open to improvisation.

cranberry nut bars

Ocean Spray Cranberry Nut Bars

The original recipe from Ocean Spray has very few ingredients and can stand on its own, but adding some additional flavorings such as orange zest and vanilla makes the bars even better. That, and icing them. A mixture of confectioners sugar and water that dries hard works perfectly -- nothing too complicated.

cranberry nut bars

Texture of Bars

The bars are kind of cake like, but with all the nuts and berries they're a little denser than your usual coffee cake.  If you want a thinner bar, use a 9 inch pan instead of a an 8 inch pan. If you want a crispy cookie, make the bars as directed, freeze them so that they slice neatly, cut into thin strips and bake at 300 for about 25 to 30 minutes to dry them out.  So from one recipe you can make thick cake-like bars, thin cookie-like bars or cookies, and then the flavor variations are up to you.

Cranberry Nut Bars
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Recipe

cranberry nut bars

Cranberry Nut Bars

Cookie Madness
Cranberry Nut Bars are a great way to use leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving. The original version calls for walnuts, but pecans work well.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16

Ingredients
 

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or use ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 130 grams
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter 80 grams
  • ⅜ scant teaspoon of salt add only ⅛ if using salted butter
  • 1 ¼ cups fresh cranberries
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans lightly toasted

Icing

  • ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar
  • A few drops of water and vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
  • Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl until thick. Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour, melted butter and salt; blend well with a heavy duty scraper. Add cranberries and nuts, mixing gently just until combined. Spread evenly in pan.
  • Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely and drizzle with icing if desired.
  • To make icing, put confectioners' sugar into a large measuring cup. Add a few drops of vanilla, then add water a few drops at a time, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and thin enough to be drizzled across the top.

Notes

To toast the nuts, lay them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 6 minutes or until the start to release their oils and become shiny.
For thinner bars, bake in a 9 inch square pan.
To make cranberry nut crisps, slice the baked square into thin (about ⅓ of an inch) slices and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 20 to 28 minutes or until the crisps just barely start to brown around the edges. Let them cool (they'll become crisper as they cool) on a wire rack).
Keyword cranberries
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Comments

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  1. Anna says

    December 03, 2015 at 8:00 am

    Good call on substituting coconut oil! I was going to try that but didn't get around to it.

  2. Martha says

    December 03, 2015 at 7:54 am

    5 stars
    These are great! Substituted coconut oil for melted butter too and the bake turned out yummy. Reduced sugar to 3/4 cup.

  3. Kathy says

    November 30, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    Just what I've been looking for--thank you!

  4. Sonya says

    November 30, 2015 at 11:53 am

    Similar to what we are eating right now, Cook's Country's Cranberry-Pecan Spice Cake. Yum to both 🙂

  5. Anna says

    November 30, 2015 at 7:20 am

    Rynda, the tartness of the cranberries really comes through. It's a nice change from dried cranberries.

    I actually liked the "crisps" and want to make a second batch where I cut them neater -- maybe into 8 inch strips instead of 4 inch.

  6. Rynda Carlis says

    November 29, 2015 at 10:08 pm

    I love the tartness of fresh cranberries in baked goods. Am looking forward to using this recipe with the last of my Thanksgiving cranberries. Thanks!

Peanut Butter Fudge Jumbles recipe baked in a 9-inch square Pampered Chef stoneware pan.

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