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Makes: 24 bars
start to finish: 1 hour 20 minutes
From Edible Seattle November/December 2010
Leftover cranberry sauce is delicious on turkey sandwiches, but what do you do when the turkey’s gone? Here’s an idea: Spread it on oatmeal shortbread, top it with a sweet, oat-flecked streusel, and bake it up into cranberry bars. We tested these with canned whole-berry cranberry sauce, but any good, thick homemade sauce should work.
Crust
Butter, for the pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2” pieces
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 3/4 cups thick, chunky cranberry sauce (homemade, or from 2 (14-ounce) cans)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9” by 13” baking pan with butter, and set aside.
Make the crust: In the work bowl of a food processor, whirl the flour, brown sugar, and salt to blend. Add the butter, and pulse until the butter pieces are the size of small peas, about 30 short pulses. Add the oats, pulse a few times, then add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the top while pulsing. Continue pulsing until the mixture is evenly moist and crumbly, scraping the dough off the sides of the work bowl if necessary.
Scatter the dough into the prepared pan, and press it into a roughly even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges.
Meanwhile, make the streusel topping: Stir the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to blend in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until evenly moist.
When the crust is toasted, remove from the oven. Carefully spread the cranberry sauce in an even layer over the crust. Sprinkle the topping over the cranberry sauce, and bake for 45 minutes, until the streusel is browned. Cool completely, cut into bars, and serve.
*vegetarian
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