Almond Cranberry Bars
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.
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 for 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 all you have is salted butter, 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.
Step-by-step: Almond cranberry bars
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C / Gas Mark. Grease and line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
- 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
Frequently asked questions
How long will these 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.
Almond Cranberry Bars
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
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 tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Cardamon powder optional
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg freshly grated
- 6 oz (170 g) Butter unsalted
- 3 Eggs large
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 1 tsp 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 tbsp Powdered sugar For dusting (optional)
Method
- 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 tsp Baking soda, ¼ tsp Salt, ⅛ tsp Cardamon powder, ¼ tsp 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.6 oz Butter, 3 Eggs, 1 cup Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract, ¼ tsp Almond extract
- Flour – Add the flour mixture along with the milk in three additions. Then, add the cranberries and almond flakes.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 tbsp Powdered sugar
Notes
- 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 to 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.
What can I substitute for the almond meal as don’t want to purchase it just for these bars. Also, can the recipe be doubled & baked a bit longer using a 9×13” pan? Thank You!!
You can use other nut meals instead of almond meal. You can also use flour if you want to use something other than nuts. And, yes, you can double (2X) the recipe and bake longer.
This is such a beautiful recipe. I agree, this is perfect to give as a gift during the Holidays!
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!
What a lovely recipe!!. could you please mention the amount of semolina to be used ( or did i miss it somehow?) Thank you ❤️
Hey Anu, There is no semolina in these bars. But, the Semolina Almond Cranberry Bundt cake has semolina in it. Perhaps try that recipes and use in a square pan to make such bars Thanks
I love simple and delicious recipes like this! I had all of the items n hand and made this for a cozy movie snack. So scrumptious!
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, Lori
These bars look so good. I love using cranberries in cakes and desserts. I love their flavour. On my to make list!
Ooh these look so soft and moist! What a delicious cake…a perfect seasonal treat, Veena! Happy Holidays ^_^
I love how easy and delicious this recipe is. My kids love it so much!