I wasn’t going to do any baking this year. I really wasn’t. I just decided that I didn’t want a mountain of baked goods sitting around waiting to be eaten. So instead, I decided the kids and I would do our Rich Rolled Sugar Cookies, and that would be it. And then Zander reminded me that I still owed him a batch of Peanut Butter Munchies. Oh, okay, of course I could do that for him. But then I thought about that cookie plate with some frosted and decorated cut-outs and some chocolate peanut butter cookies, and thought that cookie plate could use more variety.
Sigh.
So then I made a batch of Choco-Marshmallow Cookies. Then I thought that I needed a cookie that wasn’t chocolate and wasn’t a cut-out, so I made an orange flavored cookie. Then I thought that I needed a bar cookie, but then I realized I needed something minty so I also added some decadent chocolate-mint layered brownies. And as I type this up I have some Ginger Spice Cookie dough chilling out in the fridge. I really, honestly and truly wasn’t going to bake anything this year!
But that’s okay, because I’ve found a couple of new-to-me cookies that really add something extra to my Christmas cookie platter. Specifically today, these Cranberry-Oat Bars. These were really easy to put together, and utilized some cranberries that I had rolling around in the freezer. Did you know cranberries last forever in the freezer? The ones I used today were from 2007, and had absolutely nothing wrong with them. What I really like about these bars is the inclusion of oats in the traditional shortbread crust. And because you give the mixture a pulse in the food processor, the oats get evenly distributed, and really give these cookies a wonderful flavor. With the cranberries, orange juice, and oats, you can at least pretend these are good for you.
Cranberry Oat Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces 1 cup regular rolled oats 2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 2 cups fresh cranberries 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. For crust, combine flour and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter, and pulse a few more times until fine crumbs form. Add the oats and pulse yet a few more times to mix it all together. Reserve 1 cup of this crumb mixture. Press the remaining crumbs in the bottom of a 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes or until crust is just lightly browned.
Meanwhile, for filling, combine the orange juice and 2/3 cup brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to boiling, and stir in the cranberries. Return to boiling, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Spread the cranberry filling evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle the top with the reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 32 bars.