Baking Classics
The Technique
Cranberry-Oat Bars
Bar cookies featuring fresh fruit are hard working as they can satisfy a simple sweet tooth or serve as a wholesome breakfast or afternoon snack. Cranberry relish sandwiched between a one stop, crumbly blend of flour, oats, butter & brown sugar offers a cook quick preparation time in the food processor. Simply press some of the mixture tightly in a standard baking pan to serve as the cookie base, top with the relish & the remaining oat crumble over the fruit mixture before baking in the oven. Follow my detailed instructions & see how easy it is to make a tasty fruit filled bar cookie from scratch.
Cranberry-Oat Bars
makes 2 dozen
1 1/2 cups Cranberry-Lemon Relish
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
Prepare the Cranberry-Lemon Relish as directed. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pulse the flour, the oats, the brown sugar, the butter, the walnuts, the baking soda & the salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 2 cups. Pour the remaining crumb mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Spread & pat the mixture evenly into the pan. Spoon the Cranberry-Lemon Relish over crust & spread to the pan edges. Pack the reserved crumb mixture in your hands & sprinkle over the top of the fruit. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cut into bars. Dust with powdered sugar.
Cranberry-Lemon Relish
makes about 2 1/2 cups
Expect a medium consistency for the cranberry relish once it cools. A thinner sauce can be obtained by cooking 2 to 3 minutes less. Use any remaining relish not needed for the bar cookie recipe to serve with roasted chicken or spoon over biscuits.
1 {12-oz} package fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-natural lemonade
The zest & juice of 1 lemon
Bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over Medium-High heat. Reduce the heat to Medium-Low & cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. The cranberries will pop as they cook. Remove the saucepan from the heat; left stand 10 minutes. Pour into a glass bowl. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. The relish will thicken as it cools.
FROM THE KITCHEN OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{testing notes}
How To Make Cranberry-Oat Bar Cookies
Bar cookies offer the good taste of a homemade dough with the convenience of baking it all at once thus saving time at the oven. Once the pan has cooled, a few simple cutting techniques have the cookies ready for your party or simply to enjoy whenever you so please. Cranberry-Oat Bars not only offer the convenience we look for when entertaining & when preparing everyday provisions for our family but further deliver on a wholesome alternative to packaged items that are filled with preservatives. The cranberry relish takes five minutes on the stovetop & can be made several days ahead of time. A few quick pulses of the food processor delivers the crust & topping ingredients blended effortlessly, ready to press in the pan & crumble over the fruit.
The Technique
From quality ingredients that are measured properly to blending & portioning them just so, you can create a pan of bar cookies perfect for an array of socials or an after supper treat. With a few pointers, you’ll be well on your way to baking a pan of effortless bars knowing you’ve created something a little more wholesome. Here’s what you should know.
No. 1
The Cranberry Relish
Prepare the relish. Begin by adding all of the ingredients to the pot & in no particular order as the recipe is very forgiving. Bring the mixture to a boil & stir it occasionally. I prefer to use a wooden spoon for tasks of this nature. The cranberries will pop as the mixture cooks. This is normal. There will be a foamy look to the cranberry mixture as they begin to boil. It will subside when it’s ready to be removed from the heat. Use the time indicated as your guide. Once the cranberries have cooked according to the time provided in the recipe, it will need to be chilled so that it will firm to the proper consistency as it is relatively thin when pulled off of the stovetop. Look to Cooking Classics: Cranberry-Lemon Relish for additional pointers.
No. 2
The Crust & Crumble Topping
Place the flour, the oats, the brown sugar, the butter, the walnuts, the baking soda & the salt in the work bowl of a food processor & pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This will take approximately 30 seconds.
2a
Set aside 2 cups of the crumb mixture & pour the remaining into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Using your fingers, press the mixture tightly into the pan in an even layer.
2b
Spoon the Cranberry-Lemon Relish over the crust in the pan. Notice the consistency of the fruit.
2c
Using the back of a spoon, spread the relish just to the pan edges in an even layer.
No. 3
The Baking
Pick up small portions of the remaining crumb mixture that was set aside & press it between your hands to make it more compact. Distribute the oat blend evenly over the surface of the cranberry mixture.
Place the pan in the preheated oven & bake according to recipe instructions.
No. 4
The Slicing
Once the cookie bars have cooled completely, use a chef knife to slice then into squares. A small palate tool makes removing them from the pan easy. Lightly dust the bars with powdered sugar just before serving. Store at room temperature.
The Tune
“White Christmas” The Drifters
httpa://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfZPtkqXQIA
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Be sweet.
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