Cranberry Cobbler Bars.

Hellllo cranberry cobbler bars!

This is the most perfect holiday dessert that you can make ahead of time. It’s also perfect if you’re not into pumpkin!

And… it’s sort of hot pink and pretty?!

I’m sold.

We’re continuing our Thanksgiving series today with this not-so-traditional dessert. I know that I promised you classics this week. But the truth is that I already have a really great pumpkin pie on here. I have another pumpkin mousse version coming soon. But today, I wanted to share something that you can prepare a day or two ahead of time to make the entire process easier.

If you have a copy of The Pretty Dish, then you’ll probably recognize this recipe as a riff on the blueberry peach cobbler bars! 

The bars are RIDICULOUSLY good. They start with a shortbread crust. Then there’s a fruity filling finished with a crumbly topping. 

Oh my heavens. Love.

So! I made this filling cranberry sauce-ish. I wanted it to be able to hold up inside the bars. You do need to cook the cranberry mixture here so it’s slightly more high maintenance than the original bars. But it’s worth it. Plus, you can make that ahead of time if you want.

The great news is that if you make your own whole berry cranberry sauce, you should be able to use that too! These are a great treat if you’re trying to get rid of cranberry sauce leftovers. 

And I’ll tell you a little secret… if you just want to buy a can of whole berry cranberry sauce (not the jelly!) – it will work too. 

Everyone always freaks over these bars!

I have a strawberry version here on the blog and they are just so easy, so delicious and such a hit. You can truly use almost any fruit you love. The cranberry just adds such a wonderful seasonal flavor. Sweet and tart, which is the perfect complement to the buttery shortbread crust and crumble.

Make them ahead! Leftovers are delish. And everyone can take a bar home. YUM.

Cranberry Cobbler Bars

Cranberry Cobbler Bars

Yield: 16 to 20 bars

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Cooling Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

These cranberry cobbler bars are the perfect fall dessert. Shortbread crust and cinnamony, brown sugar cranberry filling make these perfect!

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Ingredients

cranberry layer

• 3 ½ cups fresh cranberries
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

crust and topping

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cups sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter melted

filling

• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup half and half
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Make the cranberry filling first. Heat the cranberries, sugar and water together in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring often, until the berries begin to burst, the sugar melts and the mixture thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• For the crust and topping: Stir the flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until a shortbread-like dough comes together. I even use my hands to bring it together. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the dish.
• For the filling: In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and cornstarch. Gently fold in in the cranberry filling.
• Pour the mixture over top of the crust. Crumble the rest of the dough over top of the cranberry mixture. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the bars are set and no long jiggly. Cool completely (thi is important! You can even cool overnight.) before slicing into squares!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

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Dream dessert!