Cranberry Streusel Bars

Did you follow the suggestion to "buy two, freeze one" on your bag of Ocean Spray cranberries this past December? I did, for some reason. Actually, I froze both.

I finally used one this weekend to make cranberry streusel bars. I'm sure I've mentioned this on the blog before, but I feel I am at my highest level of adulthood when I have all the ingredients on hand to make a new recipe. It's what has led me to over-shop and fill my pantry/fridge/freezer with ingredients I immediately forget about. I'm backing off on this practice, but in times like these, I'm glad I bought those cranberries. And all the nuts I also stored in the freezer from Trader Joe's.

This recipe was easy in that the crust and the streusel topping were essentially the same, with the addition of optional chopped walnuts for the latter. I also love cooking cranberries on the stove, hearing them pop, watching them thicken into a sauce.

These are tangy and bright on a cloudy Saturday, or whenever.

Cranberry Streusel Bars
adapted from The Oregonian Cookbook

Cranberry filling:
1 12-oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 c. water
1 c. sugar
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Place these ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally as it comes to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are well-popped and it starts to feel like a sauce. Remove from the heat and cool while you make the bars. The sauce will continue to thicken.

Bars:
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. unsalted butter, cut into cubes and warmed to room temp.
1 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats, uncooked
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 7x11-inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients except for the oats and nuts. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter, and using your fingers as needed to break up the butter until no small lumps remain. Stir in the oats.

Press and flatten half the oat mixture in the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Add the chopped nuts to the remaining oat mixture, if using.

Remove pan from the oven and spread the cranberry mixture evenly over the crust. Top with the remaining oat mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake 25 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned. Let it cool before cutting into bars.