Ingredients:

  • 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) Unsalted Butter, very cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
  • 12 oz bag Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
  • ½ cup Pure Maple Syrup (Grade A Dark)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Orange Juice
  • 1 teaspoon Orange Zest, finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons Water

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper, allowing paper to hang over the long sides like handles.
  2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Add the cold butter cubes to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender, two knives, or a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
  4. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the crumble mixture and set aside (this will be the topping). Add the beaten egg to the remaining crumble mixture in the bowl and mix until just combined—it should hold together when squeezed.
  5. Transfer the base mixture to the prepared pan. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan to form the crust. Bake the crust for 12 minutes until lightly set but not browned.
  6. In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, maple syrup, orange juice, zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to pop (about 5–7 minutes).
  7. In a small cup, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth to create the slurry.
  8. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the simmering cranberries. Bring the mixture back to a gentle boil, stirring constantly, until it thickens significantly and coats the back of a spoon (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
  9. Pour the hot cranberry filling evenly over the partially baked crust.
  10. Sprinkle the reserved 1 ½ cups of crumble mixture evenly over the cranberry filling.
  11. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown and the filling is visibly bubbly around the edges.
  12. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let cool completely to room temperature (about 1 hour).
  13. Cover the pan tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight. This chilling step is essential for the bars to set and cut cleanly.
  14. Using the parchment handles, lift the chilled bars out of the pan. Place them on a cutting board and use a very sharp, large knife to slice into 12 even squares.
  15. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature.