Cranberry Crumble Pie Bars

I always stock up on cranberries during the winter months because this is the only time of year they seem to be available fresh. Although very tart when eaten fresh, they soften and become much sweeter when cooked, making them the perfect fruit to use as a filling in these crumble bars!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 cup margarine

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup milk

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Cranberry filling:

• 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tbs cornstarch

• 2 tsp orange zest

• 1 tbs fresh orange juice

Orange icing:

• 2 tbs fresh orange juice

• 1 cup icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the margarine and cut in using a fork until all the flour is coated and resembles pea-sized crumbles.

3. Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Pour over the flour/margarine mixture and gently mix together until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand.

4. Set 2 cups of the crust/crumble mixture aside. Pour the remaining into the prepared pan and flatten down with your hands or a flat spatula to form an even crust.

5. Mix all of the cranberry filling ingredients together. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture (plus the almonds) all over the cranberries.

6. Bake for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.

7. Whisk the icing ingredients together. Drizzle over cooled bars, then cut into squares.