Paleo Cranberry Crumb Bars (Gluten Free)

These paleo cranberry crumb bars have a cassava flour shortbread crust and crumble topping and a tart cranberry-orange filling.  The tart filling is perfectly balance by the sweetness of the shortbread and even better topped with a dollop of coconut cream. These healthy cranberry bars are gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free - a delicious paleo friendly dessert!

One of the things I love about having a blog and creating content is that I'm always using new ingredients and products.  I haven't used fresh cranberries in any of my recipes prior to this one.  In fact, this was my first time ever purchasing raw cranberries!

Originally, I needed the cranberries for a holiday photoshoot, but didn't have a plan for what to do with them afterwards.  Since I hate letting food go to waste, I decided to use them in a new recipe - these paleo cranberry crumb bars.

After one bite, I was immediately sold - these are the best cranberry crumb bars! This is an easy cranberry recipe worth making every year around the holidays.

Paleo Cranberry Crumb Bars

• paleo friendly - made with real, whole food ingredients
• gluten free and nut free - these crumb bars are made with cassava flour
• egg free - they use a flax egg, however an egg will work too
• dairy free - no butter or milk
• refined sugar free - no white sugar, no brown sugar and no corn syrup

Even though I provide a recipe for the cranberry filling, any leftover cranberry sauce can be used.  So yes, these bars are an excellent way to use leftover cranberry sauce from a holiday meal.

Ingredients

These easy cranberry crumble bars include a nut-free shortbread crust/crumble and a honey-sweetened cranberry filling.  You can either make the cranberry filling from my recipe, or use leftover cranberry sauce.

Crust & Crumble

• cassava flour
• coconut sugar
• cinnamon
• baking soda
• salt
• non-hydrogenated shortening (or butter)
• flax egg (or real egg)
• water
• vanilla extract

Cranberry Filling

• cranberries
• orange juice (I used fresh squeezed orange juice)
• raw honey
• cinnamon
• salt

How to Make Paleo Cranberry Crumb Bars

To make these cranberry orange crumble bars, first preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line an 8 square o 7" x 11" baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

Make the Crust & Crumble

Next, make the crust and crumble.  To do this, combine the cassava flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add in the shortening, flax egg, vanilla and water.  First, mix with a fork, then use your hands to mix the dough.  The dough will be quite dry and crumbly at first.  Just keep mixing it until the dough can be shaped into a ball.

Separate the dough into two equal halves (one half for the crust, the other for the crumble topping). 

Press one half into the lined baking dish.  Keep the rest in the mixing bowl and set aside.

Make the Filling

Next, make the cranberry filling.  Grab a large sauce pan and add cranberries, orange juice and honey.  Place the pan on your stovetop and set heat to medium.  Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.  After cooking, the cranberry filling should be thick and most of the berries should have burst.

Stir in the cinnamon and salt.

Pour the filling over the crust and spread out in a nice, even layer. 

Lastly, add the crumble on top.  Lightly press down the crumble with your hands.

Bake the Cranberry Bars

Bake the bars in your preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When done, the filling should be bubbling and the crumble topping a golden hue.

After baking, cool the bars to room temperature in the baking pan. You may eat them warm, but I find them best refrigerated overnight before being enjoyed.

How to Serve Cranberry Bars

These paleo cranberry crumb bars can be eaten warm or chilled.  Personally, I think they taste better after sitting in the fridge for a day; which is great if you're looking for an easy dessert you can prep ahead of time. They are also easier to cut after chilling.

In addition, these cranberry shortbread bars are great topped with a dollop of coconut cream or served alongside a large scoop of dairy free vanilla ice cream.

Storage

These gluten free cranberry bars must be stored in the fridge. Place them in an air-tight container or cover the dish they were baked in. They keep well in the fridge for up to one week.

More Recipes Using Cranberries

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