Cranberry Caramel Bars

Chewy oats, sweet gooey caramel, tart cranberries, and salty pecans come together in these perfectly delicious Cranberry Caramel Bars. Take this colorful dessert bar to your next potluck or just share them with friends this fall.

Cranberry Caramel Bars Recipe

These bars have a wonderful flavor, a sweet treat with just enough cranberry twang! Old fashioned oats give these bars a chewy texture and caramel sauce ties everything together. These bars transport nicely, just put waxed paper in between layers in a covered container.

Ingredients you will need

• For the crust and topping: flour, baking soda, old fashioned oats, sugar, brown sugar, butter
• For the layers: cranberries, dates, pecans, caramel sauce

Helpful baking tools

• 13×9 baking pan
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wire cooling rack

How to Make Cranberry Caramel Bars

Start by preheating the oven to 350 F. Line a 13×9 baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a little overhang so you can lift bars out later. Lightly grease the foil.

1. Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl with the cranberries and set aside.
2. Combine 2 cups of flour and the next four ingredients.
3. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture and set aside.

4. Press remaining mixture into bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with dates, pecans, and the cranberry mixture.

6. Stir the caramel sauce and the remaining 1/3 cup flour together until smooth, spoon over cranberries.
7. Sprinkle with the reserved 1 cup flour mixture. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Cool on a wire rack. Lift out of pan with foil overhang. Cut into bars.

Hope you enjoy these caramel cranberry bars as much as we do around here. These make a great hostess gift for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

More Dessert Bar Recipes You Will Like

• Slutty Brownies
• Lemon Streusel Squares
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Bars
• Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Cranberry Caramel Bars

This fall sweet treat has a hint of tang from fresh cranberries. Deliciously sweet caramel and old fashioned oats make these bars perfectly chewy.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Recipe Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24 bars

50 mins

Calories: 267.37

Author: Amanda Formaro

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour divided
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
• 1 cup unsalted butter melted
• 10 ounce package chopped dates
• 3/4 cup pecans chopped
• 12 ounce caramel sauce jarred

Things You'll Need

• 13x9 baking dish
• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wire cooling racks

Instructions

• Start by preheating the oven to 350 F. Line a 13x9 baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a little overhang so you can lift bars out later. Lightly grease the foil.
• Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl with the cranberries and set aside.
• Combine 2 cups of the flour, baking soda, oats, sugar, and brown sugar.
• Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture and set aside.
• Press remaining mixture into bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with dates, pecans, and the cranberry mixture.
• Stir the caramel sauce and the remaining 1/3 cup flour together until smooth, spoon over cranberries.
• Sprinkle with the reserved 1 cup flour mixture. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Cool on a wire rack. Lift out of pan with foil overhang. Cut into bars.

Expert Tips & FAQs

These bars transport nicely, just put waxed paper in between layers in a covered container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 267.37cal | Carbohydrates: 42.65g | Protein: 3.03g | Fat: 10.52g | Saturated Fat: 5.16g | Cholesterol: 20.48mg | Sodium: 75.61mg | Potassium: 151.43mg | Fiber: 2.57g | Sugar: 17.48g | Vitamin A: 251.62IU | Vitamin C: 0.64mg | Calcium: 25.69mg | Iron: 1.12mg

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This post originally appeared here on Nov 7, 2008.