Cranberry and almond flavors combine in these bars which are simple to make. Similar to cake, these almond cranberry bars are delicious to serve during the holidays and perfect as a gift to family and friends.
Table of Content
Why make these bars
- These bars have a soft and chewy texture, with a wonderful flavor of tart cranberries and crisp almonds.
- And most of the ingredients are simple pantry staples or easy to find.
- Also, these can be made in just about 40 minutes from start to finish.
- In addition, they make perfect Christmas gifts to give family and friends. Once baked, and cooled completely, just wrap them in plastic and tie a pretty bow.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Flour - Simple plain flour is what keeps these bars together.
- Butter - I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt. And if salted butter is all you have, use it and omit the salt in the recipe.
- Cranberries - I love the combination of almonds and cranberries, and yet you can use other dried fruits just as well.
- Almond meal - This is ground almonds and you can make this at home. To prevent it from getting too oily in the food processor, add a few tablespoons of flour from the recipe.
- Almond flakes - These are just chopped blanched almonds. You can chop them yourself at home.
Almond cranberry bars
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark. Grease and line with parchment paper a 9-inch square cake pan.
- Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine the semolina, almond meal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
- Cream - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and almond extract.
Pro tip - Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Creaming will lighten the color of the butter - Flour - Add the flour mixture along with the milk in three additions. Then, add the cranberries and almond flakes.
Pro tip - Combine but do not overmix at this point. Otherwise, the cranberries will sink to the bottom of the cake.
- Bake - Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 35 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean.
- Cool - Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. When cooled, dust with powdered sugar
Tips for Success
- Substitute other dried fruits if you don't have cranberries. Try dates, apricots, or dried figs.
- You can also use other nuts instead of almonds. Try pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts instead.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature otherwise, it will curdle
- Ensure the eggs are at room temperature. If the egg curdles the batter, just add a tablespoon of flour and that should help.
- The semolina needs moisture so use full-fat sour cream so it can soak up all its richness.
- The texture of the cake is crumbly because of the ground almonds and semolina. If you want a less crumbly texture pulse the almonds until finely ground.
More cake recipes
How long will these cranberry bars keep?
These cranberry bars will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. You can chill the cookies in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can also freeze the dough for up to 3 months or freeze the cookies for up to a month.
Can I make these ahead of time?
These can be baked up to 3 days ahead of time. However, if you are making them for a bake sale or to give as gifts it is best to make them no more than a day ahead so people will have some storage time too.
Printable Recipe
Almond Cranberry Bars
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 412kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 16 Bars
Description
Cranberry and almond flavors combine in these bars which are simple to make. Similar to cake, these almond cranberry bars are delicious to serve during the holidays and perfect as a gift to family and friends.
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Make one 9 x 9-inch square pan
- 2 cups (250 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup (60 g) Almond meal (ground almonds)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Cardamon powder (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg (freshly grated)
- 6 oz (170 g) Butter (unsalted)
- 3 Eggs (large)
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Almond extract
- ¾ cup (175 ml) Milk
- 1 cup (100 g) Cranberries (dried)
- ¾ cup (70 g) Almond flakes (or chopped almonds)
Plus
- 2 tablespoon Powdered sugar (For dusting (optional))
Instructions
- Dry ingredients - In a bowl, combine the almond meal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.2 cups All-Purpose Flour, ½ cup Almond meal, 1 tsp Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Baking soda, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ⅛ teaspoon Cardamon powder, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- Cream - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract and almond extract. Pro tip - Make sure the butter is at room temperature. Creaming will lighten the color of the butter.6 oz Butter, 3 Eggs, 1 cup Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ¼ teaspoon Almond extract
- Flour - Add the flour mixture along with the milk in three additions. Then, add the cranberries and almond flakes. Pro tip - Combine but do not overmix at this point. Otherwise, the cranberries will sink to the bottom of the cake.¾ cup Milk, 1 cup Cranberries, ¾ cup Almond flakes
- Bake - Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 35 to 45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes clean
- Cool - Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. When cooled, dust with powdered sugar.2 tablespoon Powdered sugar
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Substitute other dried fruits if you don't have cranberries. Try dates, apricots, or dried figs.
- You can also use other nuts instead of almonds. Try pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts instead.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature otherwise, it will curdle
- Ensure the eggs are at room temperature. If the egg curdles the batter just add a tablespoon of flour and that should help.
- The semolina needs moisture so use full-fat sour cream so it can soak up all its richness.
- The texture of the cake is crumbly because of the ground almonds and semolina. If you want a less crumbly texture pulse the almonds until finely ground.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 412- kcalCarbohydrates: 38- gProtein: 8- gFat: 26- gSaturated Fat: 11- gCholesterol: 97- mgSodium: 216- mgPotassium: 228- mgFiber: 2- gSugar: 20- gVitamin A: 595- IUVitamin C: 1.1- mgCalcium: 111- mgIron: 1.8- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Leslie
This is such a beautiful recipe. I agree, this is perfect to give as a gift during the Holidays!
Lauren Michael Harris
We have some extra cranberries from the holidays and I was looking for recipes to use them with. These cranberry bars will be perfect for breakfast or an afternoon treat!