Cranberry Crumble Bars

Happy Thanksgiving Week! 

Are you guys excited? I AM, I AM. 

Still putting the finishing touches on your recipe line-up? Hold onto your hats for some truly magnificent multitasking, friends.

You can make my cranberry sauce as a side, then make these EASY, TART, SWEET Cranberry Crumble Bars with the remaining sauce! I'm all about efficiency, folks. These bars come together in just over 30 minutes, with most of the time in the oven! They are deliciously filling and naturally sweetened! Serve over some dairy-free ice cream for extra decadence {drool}.

I'm also sharing my FULLY vegan and FULLY amazing Thanksgiving menu with you today. I'm making recipes from many of my favorite vegan bloggers.

Gather some inspiration and check these out!

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Thanksgiving 2016 

Chickpea + Wild Rice No-Meat Loaf - The Variant Veggie 

Cranberry Sauce - The Variant Veggie {v, gf}

Mashed Potatoes - Minimalist Baker {v, gf}

Mushroom Gravy - Sweet Simple Vegan {v, gf}

Sweet Potato Casserole - Minimalist Baker {v, gf}

Green Bean Casserole - Eat The Love {v, gf}

Sourdough Stuffing - Sweet Simple Vegan {v, gf}

Creamy Corn - Sweet Simple Vegan {v, gf}

Herbed Biscuits - Sweet Simple Vegan {v, gf}

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - Fragrant Vanilla {v, gf}

Cranberry Crumble Bars - The Variant Veggie {v, gf option}

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Aaaand now I'm starving. Is it Thursday yet? 

See you tomorrow with another new recipe!

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Cranberry Crumble Bars 

Serves: 10-12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup Cabernet Cranberry Sauce (recipe in notes)*

For oat crumble:

1 chia egg (1 TBSP chia + 4 TBSP water)

1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 TBSP black strap molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup oat flour (ground oats into a fine flour)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, or all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or mix of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger)

1/4 tsp sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8 inch square baking dish by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing.

In a small bowl, mix the chia seeds with water. Allow to sit and thicken for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract, and thickened chia blend.

Next, add the dry ingredients (stir mixture with each additional ingredient!): rolled oats, oat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

When ingredients are combined, press about 1/2 - 3/4 the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Press firmly to create a smooth and flat base.

Now, add the 1 cup of cranberry sauce, spreading evenly across the oat layer. Lastly, crumble the remaining oat mixture on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, uncovered. The oat mixture should look golden brown. Allow to cool, then slice into bars or squares. Enjoy!

Notes:

Recipe for Cabernet Cranberry Sauce

Oat crumble adapted from Oh She Glows

To make gluten free, use gf rolled oats + all purpose gf blend. 

Nutrition:

Serving size: 1 bar  Total Calories: 300Total Fat: 18 g  

Sodium: 120 mg  Carbohydrates: 37 g  Fiber: 9 g

Sugar: 10 g  Protein: 6 g