Cranberry Dream Bars

Makes 9 bars

Source: Adapted from Sunset 10/03

This was a reader’s recipe sent into Sunset for Blueberry Dream Bars. I happen to have had a bag of dried cranberries that were overly dry and beginning to sugar, so tried those. I also added some coconut and almond extract that really added a flavor boost. Jim likes these warmed and served with vanilla ice cream, like a summer cobbler.

Cranberry Filling:

¼

cup

sugar (caster)

1.75

ounces

50

grams

8

ounces

dried cranberries (or blueberries or cherries)

225

grams

1¼

cups

water

10

fl. ounces

300

ml

Crumb Crust:

1

cup

flour

5

ounces

140

grams

1

cup

quick-cooking oats

4

ounces

115

grams

½

cup

dessicated coconut (unsweetened)

1.5

ounces

40

grams

¾

cup

sugar (caster)

5.25

ounces

150

grams

½

tsp

salt

2.5

ml

¾

cup

butter, cut into chunks (1 1/2 sticks)

6

ounces

170

grams

3

Tbs

milk

45

ml

1

tsp

almond extract

5

ml

Filling:

In a 1 to 2 quart (liter) sauce pan, stir together the sugar, berries and water.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes.
Chill until cool, about 40 minutes.

Crust:

Meanwhile, in a processor, mix the flour, oats, coconut, sugar and salt and process until combined.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
Add the milk and extract and pulse until the mixture comes together in a crumbly dough.

Divide in half (there will be about 2½ cups, loosely packed, in each half).
Press half the mixture evenly over the bottom of a foil-lined and buttered 8” [20 cm] baking pan.
Chill the pan and the reserved dough while the filling cools.

Construction:

Preheat oven to 350°F [175°C].

Spread the filling evenly over the crust in the pan.
Sprinkle and pat the remaining half of the dough evenly over the filling.

Bake until the top is browned and the filling is bubbling around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool completely, remove the bars using the foil to lift them out.
Cut into 9 squares.

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