Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars

Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars are a bright, tangy, and naturally sweet treat that screams cozy winter vibes! With a buttery almond-oat base, jammy cranberry-orange filling, and crumbly topping, these bars are gluten-free, dairy-free, and perfect for holiday gatherings or an afternoon pick-me-up with coffee.

Love More Desserts Recipes? Try My Cranberry Bliss Bars or this Christmas Cranberry Bars next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Sweet, tangy, and perfectly buttery, these Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars are a bright and festive treat. Layers of zesty orange-infused dough sandwich a tart cranberry filling, all topped with a golden crumbly topping. Ideal for holidays or cozy afternoons, they bring a burst of citrusy flavor and a touch of seasonal cheer to every bite.

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Ingredient List

Cranberry-Orange Filling:

• 12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Base and Crumble:

• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
• 1 1/2 cups sprouted rolled oats (or regular gluten-free rolled oats)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup natural almond butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Substitutions & Notes:

• Almond butter: Ran out once and used cashew butter. Couldn’t tell the difference. Peanut butter works but then they taste like peanut butter bars (duh) and get softer.
• Oats: Whatever’s in your pantry. I grab the Trader Joe’s rolled oats usually. Sprouted ones are chewier but not necessary.
• Cranberries: Costco frozen bags live in my freezer year-round. Fresh ones only show up at the store for like six weeks, and my family wants these in July.

Why These Ingredients Work

Almond flour keeps everything moist for days. Made these on Sunday, ate the last piece Thursday, still good. Tapioca starch is why they’re crumbly instead of dense. First time I made them I didn’t have tapioca and used extra almond flour—they came out like heavy cake. Not good.

Oats make them filling. One bar actually satisfies you instead of needing three more right after. Almond butter and maple syrup hold everything together without eggs or butter, and honestly taste better than the regular way. Didn’t think that was possible until I tried it.

Cranberries straight from the bag are so tart they make your whole face scrunch up. Learned that the hard way. But cook them with orange juice and maple syrup and they turn into this jammy situation that’s completely different. Vanilla mellows everything out so it doesn’t taste too sharp.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Here’s what you’ll need to make these beauties:

• 9×9-inch baking pan (this size gives you perfect bar thickness!)
• Parchment paper (for easy lifting and cleanup)
• Medium saucepan (for cooking the filling)
• Large mixing bowl (for the crust/crumble mixture)
• Small bowl (for mixing the almond butter and maple syrup)
• Whisk and spatula (for mixing and spreading)

How To Make Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars

Step 1: Make the Cranberry-Orange Filling

Dump cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup, and vanilla in a pot. Blast the heat until it boils, then turn it down to medium. Stir every minute or so because cranberries stick to the bottom and burn if you walk away. Three to five minutes later most cranberries pop open (weirdly satisfying to hear), everything gets thick and jammy. Take it off the heat and ignore it while you do everything else. Frozen cranberries take longer because they’re soggier—give them an extra minute or two.

Step 2: Prep Your Pan and Oven

Turn oven to 350°F. Rip parchment paper and line your pan, let extra hang over the sides. Future you will be grateful when you’re yanking these out later.

Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients

Almond flour, tapioca starch, oats, cinnamon, baking powder—throw it all in a bowl and whisk until it looks mixed.

Step 4: Add the Wet Ingredients

Almond butter and maple syrup go in a smaller bowl. Mix until smooth—takes some muscle if your almond butter was cold. Pour it into the dry stuff and stir until you’ve got thick dough that clumps together when you squeeze it.

Step 5: Assemble the Bars

Press half the dough into your pan with your hands. Really mash it down like you’re mad at it. Spread your cooled cranberry filling over that. Break the rest of the dough into chunks and scatter them over the top. Don’t make it neat—messy chunks get crispier.

Step 6: Bake Until Golden

Oven for 27-30 minutes. Top should look golden brown and crispy. House smells incredible around minute 20. My husband always shows up in the kitchen asking when they’re done even though he watched me put them in.

Step 7: Cool Completely

Worst part. You have to wait at least an hour, maybe more. Cut them early and they fall apart into a pile of crumbs. Leave the pan on the counter and go do literally anything else.

Step 8: Slice and Serve

Grab the parchment edges, lift the whole thing out. Cut however many bars you want. Usually do 9 big ones. Sometimes cut 12 if I’m taking them somewhere and need more pieces.

You Must Know

Dough needs to stick together when you press it. Falls apart like sand? Add more maple syrup, one teaspoon at a time. Sticks to your hands like glue? Throw in more oats. Want something between cookie dough and play-doh texture.

Let that filling cool completely before spreading it. Didn’t wait once, ended up with a soggy bottom nobody wanted. Learned my lesson.

Personal Secret: Zest the orange before juicing it, dump that zest in the filling. Game changer. Get these little bursts of orange flavor that make people think you did something fancy. Takes 30 seconds.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Use parchment paper or don’t make these. Greased the pan once, bars stuck, ended up scraping them out in pieces. Never again.
• Mash that bottom layer down hard. Wimpy crust means bars fall apart when you bite them.
• Natural almond butter only—just almonds, maybe salt. The kind with added oil makes everything greasy and weird.
• Keep the top messy and chunky. Those uneven bits get the best crispy texture.
• Check at 27 minutes. My oven runs hot, if I go the full 30 they burn.

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Want to switch things up? Here are some fun ideas:

• Add lemon zest to the filling along with the orange for a citrus explosion!
• Toss in some chopped pecans or walnuts with the crumble topping for extra crunch.
• Swap cranberries for mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) for a different vibe.
• Drizzle with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and orange juice for an extra-special touch.
• Add a pinch of ground ginger to the crust for a cozy, spiced flavor.
• Use cashew butter instead of almond butter for a milder, creamier taste.

Make-Ahead Options

These get better after sitting overnight. Flavors settle in or something.

• Make them two days early, leave on counter covered with foil.
• Cook cranberry filling the night before, stick in fridge. Let it warm up 20 minutes before using.
• Freeze unbaked pan wrapped tight in plastic and foil. Bake from frozen, add 5-10 minutes.
• Freeze baked bars wrapped individually. Grab one whenever, let it thaw on the counter 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Sprouted oats taste chewier but regular oats work fine. Get gluten-free ones if that matters.
• Filling looks runny when hot. Chill out. Thickens as it cools.
• Microwave your almond butter 10 seconds if it’s cold. Cold almond butter is impossible to mix smooth.
• Arrowroot starch instead of tapioca works okay, but tapioca’s better.

Serving Suggestions

Usually just eat them straight up. Other options:

• Coconut whipped cream on top if feeling fancy
• Vanilla ice cream for dessert
• With afternoon coffee
• Powdered sugar on top for parties
• Next to yogurt for breakfast (my sister’s thing)

How to Store Your Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars

Room Temperature: Airtight container, counter, 4-5 days. Best day one and two but still good all week.

Refrigerate: Week in the fridge, get firmer when cold but taste fine.

Freeze: Wrap each bar in plastic wrap or parchment, freezer bag, month. Thaw on counter 20-30 minutes.

Reheating: Don’t. Good cold or room temp. Really want warm? Microwave 10 seconds.

Allergy Information

Contains: Tree nuts (almonds)

Free from: Dairy, eggs, gluten (if using certified GF oats), refined sugar

Substitution suggestions:

• Nut-free: Replace almond flour with sunflower seed flour and almond butter with sunflower seed butter or tahini
• Grain-free: This recipe is already mostly grain-free, but you can replace oats with more almond flour

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Do I really need the tapioca starch?

The tapioca starch gives these bars their crumbly, shortbread-like texture. You can substitute with arrowroot starch, but I don’t recommend skipping it entirely or your bars will be dense and heavy.

My dough is too crumbly and won’t hold together. Help!

This usually means your almond butter was too thick or you need a bit more moisture. Add 1–2 teaspoons of maple syrup and mix well. The dough should press together like cookie dough without being sticky.

Why did my filling make the crust soggy?

This happens if the filling is too hot when you add it to the crust, or if it wasn’t cooked down enough. Always let the filling cool to room temperature, and make sure it’s thick and jammy (not runny) before spreading.

💬 Made these yet? Comment below, tell me how they turned out. Want to know if your family fought over them like mine always does.