Cranberry Filled Oat Bars
These cranberry filled oat bars, are a soft oat traybake/bars, filled with a quick homemade cranberry jam using fresh cranberries. Super simple, can be made ahead & great for gifting.
Equipment
- Digital scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Cooking pot
- Square baking tin (20 or 22.5cm/ 8 or 9" width)
- Baking/parchment paper
- Lining Paste or Baking/Cooking Spray (Recommend Fry Light cooking/baking spray, or home made lining paste )
- Mixing spoon
- Hand or stand Mixer (optional if using melted butter)
- Spatula or knife
- Timer or Phone Timer
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 187 grams Plain flour (6½ oz, 1 ½ cups Plain/All Purpose Flour)
- 200 grams Dark Brown sugar (7 oz, 1 cup)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 90 grams Porridge Oats (3 oz, 1 cup Rolled Oats/Oatmeal/Old Fashioned Oats)
- 200 grams Butter, unsalted, soft & cubed (7 oz, ¾ cup + 2 tbsp)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Ground Almonds (2 level tbsp, 14g, ½ oz, see notes*)
For the filling:
- 150 grams Fresh Cranberries (5¼ oz, 1⅓ heaped cups, whole, or frozen cranberries)*
- 100 grams Granulated Sugar (3½ oz, ½ cup)
- 60 ml Water (2 fl oz, ¼ cup)
- 2 tsp Orange Extract (optional)
For the decoration:
- 125 grams Icing/Powdered Sugar (4½ oz, 1 cup, sieved)
- 2 tsp Orange extract
- 4 tsp Water (up to this amount, may vary)
- 15 grams Flaked Almonds (½ oz, scant ¼ cup sliced almonds)
Instructions
Prepare The Cranberry Filling:
- Measure out the 200 grams Butter, unsalted, soft & cubed. Cut small about 1cm, less than ½" and it will soften quicker)
- While the butter is softening, wash the 150 grams Fresh Cranberries in warm water. Then add to a medium-sized cooking pot, with 100 grams Granulated Sugar & 60 ml Water.
- Mix the ingredients & cook on a medium heat and let it come to a vigorouse boil. Recude to a low to medium heat and let it simmer till reduced & the fruit is soft. The jam will have thickened, so now add 2 tsp Orange Extract, mix and then transfer to another bowl befor eplacing in the fridge to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Prepare The Dough:
- Heat your oven to: 170°c/150°c Fan Oven/325°f/Gas Mark 3.
- Once soft enough, add the butter & 200 grams Dark Brown sugar to a mixing bowl & beat on medium speed with an electric mixer, to 'cream together' for about 1 minute until combined and relatively smooth. Sieve over the 187 grams Plain flour, 1 tsp Baking Powder & ½ tsp Salt. Mix till combined. Add the 90 grams Porridge Oats & mix in by hand.
- Divide the dough in half, with one portion a little bigger than the other. Take the smaller portion and add to a small bowl with the 2 tbsp Ground Almonds. Work in by hand till incorporated. Then leave to the side.
- Grease & paper-line your baking tin. Take the time to cut out a thick cross shape to fit the tin nicely with none of the paper baking into the food. Open out the baking/parchment paper under the tin, with enough to go up the sides too. Cut out the square areas where the sides meet. (See my lining baking tins tutorial). Then greats the tin with the likes of Fry Light, cake release spray, or home made lining paste). Smooth the paper into position and hold down the edges with bull-dog clips if needed.
- Take the large dough portion (without the ground almonds) and pinch pieces of dough, spreading them across the bottom of the paper-lined tin. Use your wet hands to spread out the dough to cover the base.
- Once the cranberry jam is no longer hot, spread this across the first layer of dough. Then take the remaining dough (with the almonds), and spread that on top of the cranberry filling as best you can. Some jam corners is fine.
Baking The bars:
- Pop into the centre of the pre-heated oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes. After 15 minutes, I turned the tin for an even bake. Start checking at 30 minutes. The top will be golden and set, and the bars should only wobble a tin y bit when shaking the baking tin. A cocktail stick won't be completely clean because of the filling but you will have made a reasonably sharp hole.
- Leave in the tin, on top of a cooling rack to cool down completely before glazing. Alternatively, leave 15 minutes to cool, then pop in the fridge for 30 minutes to speed up cooling and setting of the bars.
Decorating:
- Meanwhile prepare the glaze by adding the sieved 125 grams Icing/Powdered Sugar to a small bowl. Add in 2 tsp Orange extract then very gradually add in the water till you have a thick but pourable consistency. You might not need all the water. Watch my icing tutorial for the different consistencies,
- Drizzle the glaze onto of the oat bars in diagonal lines until all is used up. Then sprinkles the 15 grams Flaked Almonds on top & leave to set.
- Lift the bars out of the tin by using the paper you baked in, and place onto a chopping board. Cut into 16 squares
Serving & Storing:
- Serve as they are with some mulled win or hot chocolate. Elevate by addign some whipped cream or ice-cream on the side.
- Store in an airtight container, preferably in a tin, with the paper still under it to help keep in the moisture. Leave out at room temperature and they will be fine for at least 5 days.
Video
Notes
Cranberries - fresh or frozen, whole cranberries are used. Not dried cranberries. Altternative fillings are lemon curd or apricot jam. (See image below). Or try make your own blueberry orange curd to fill them.
Butter - use unsalted & cube small.
Flour -I use plain flour/All Purpose flour. Gluten Free flour also works (Plain/All Purpose Gluten Free Flour) with 3/4tsp of Xanthan Gum.
Oats - porridge oats/Old Fashioned Oat/Oatmeal.
Seem ingredient notes before the step-by-step instructions section.
Tin/Pan To Use - square baking tin 20 or 22.5cm/ 8 or 9" wide.
Yield - 16 squares.
Try some seasonal Jammie Dodger biscuits for your cookie plate this holiday season. (Image above).
More Beginner Bakes - check my baking lessons for beginners. Important Theory lessons, as well as structured Sweet Lessons and Savoury Lessons.
Nutritional Values - I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all values are approximate. Values based on 1 serving, of one cranberry oat square, from a yield of 16 pieces, where all ingredients listed are used. Make smaller or bigger pieces and these values will change. Values calculated on MyFitnessPal.com.
Butter - use unsalted & cube small.
Flour -I use plain flour/All Purpose flour. Gluten Free flour also works (Plain/All Purpose Gluten Free Flour) with 3/4tsp of Xanthan Gum.
Oats - porridge oats/Old Fashioned Oat/Oatmeal.
Seem ingredient notes before the step-by-step instructions section.
Tin/Pan To Use - square baking tin 20 or 22.5cm/ 8 or 9" wide.
Yield - 16 squares.
Try some seasonal Jammie Dodger biscuits for your cookie plate this holiday season. (Image above).
More Beginner Bakes - check my baking lessons for beginners. Important Theory lessons, as well as structured Sweet Lessons and Savoury Lessons.
Nutritional Values - I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all values are approximate. Values based on 1 serving, of one cranberry oat square, from a yield of 16 pieces, where all ingredients listed are used. Make smaller or bigger pieces and these values will change. Values calculated on MyFitnessPal.com.
Nutrition Facts
Cranberry Filled Oat Bars
Serving Size
1 Slice
Amount per Serving
Calories
250
% Daily Value*
Fat
12
g
18
%
Saturated Fat
7
g
44
%
Monounsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
27
mg
9
%
Sodium
105
mg
5
%
Potassium
5
mg
0
%
Carbohydrates
40
g
13
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
27
g
30
%
Protein
3
g
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.