A holiday bar cookie using cranberry sauce
This is absolutely decadent! I made a slight change after the first time I made the recipe. I wanted more cranberry sauce so I added a second can, doubled the corn starch, and omitted the brown sugar that was added to the cranberry sauce to make it a little more tart! But the basic recipe is incredible! I've taken it to 3 parties so far and it always gets gobbled up first and gets rave reviews! Thanks for my new favorite recipe!--Kim Johnston
Read MoreFor the first time I made it very close to the original... I substituted orange juice for lemon (its all I had), added a little bit of cinnamon to the crumble, and did not put more sugar in the cranberry sauce, I also added an egg to the cream cheese filling (this helped it to set and give a richer flavor). To make this a 4-5 star for me and my family I'd double the cream cheese filling. My dh and I agreed there were enough cranberries, but there was too much crust and not enough cream cheese filling.
Read More This is absolutely decadent! I made a slight change after the first time I made the recipe. I wanted more cranberry sauce so I added a second can, doubled the corn starch, and omitted the brown sugar that was added to the cranberry sauce to make it a little more tart! But the basic recipe is incredible! I've taken it to 3 parties so far and it always gets gobbled up first and gets rave reviews! Thanks for my new favorite recipe!--Kim Johnston
These are absolutely delicious! I didn't have any whole cranberry sauce, so I used a can of jellied cranberry sauce and omitted the corn starch. They were great! Reminds me of the raspberry cheese bars that I make. You could also use any flavor of jam or preserves without the corn starch and extra brown sugar..
Needed more cranberries! It was good, but tasted more like a cheese cake with strudle on top. I would add another can of cranberry sauce as 1 only left blobs in the middle to mix in, not enough to make an actual layer. Very tasty way to use up left over cranberry sauce.
These are amazing. The only thing I changed is I made homemade cranberry sauce the night before and chilled it overnight. I added the cornstarch and brown sugar just before layering it ontop of the cream cheese layer. Awesome . . .absolutely awesome!
For the first time I made it very close to the original... I substituted orange juice for lemon (its all I had), added a little bit of cinnamon to the crumble, and did not put more sugar in the cranberry sauce, I also added an egg to the cream cheese filling (this helped it to set and give a richer flavor). To make this a 4-5 star for me and my family I'd double the cream cheese filling. My dh and I agreed there were enough cranberries, but there was too much crust and not enough cream cheese filling.
The filling for this recipe is exactly the same as for "Cranberry Crumb Pie" on this site. Simply excellent. I made my own sweetened condensed milk (blend together 1c. milk powder, 3 tbsp butter, 1/3 c. hot water, 2/3 c. sugar) and it still turned out great.
I made these for Christmas and they turned out fantastic. I did double the cranberry sauce mixture like some had suggested, because I too like more of the tart/fruit flavor. Everyone raved about these, so I'm sure I'll be making again. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Delightful! I followed KIMIRAEJ's suggestion and added a second can of cranberries, doubled the corn starch, and omitted the brown sugar that was to have been added to the berries. I was very pleased with the outcome. I didn't find them as tart (as I would've wished) but my husband felt there was a nice extra zing there! As per other reviewers I also made sure to let the cranberries "peek through" the oatmeal topping. Very pretty.
I took these bars to a school bake sale and everyone wanted the recipe. They don't look like anything special, but one bite will win you over! Next time, I'm going to leave less crumb mixture for the topping and see if the cranberry bubbles up through for a little more colour. These are divine!!!
I can't beleive this recipe didn't get better reviews. I used huckleberries in place of cranberries. I imagine that blueberries are great too. But, this recipe with huckleberries is amazing. I can never seem to make enough of these. Thank-you so much for this recipe. It is definately a favorite.
OMG....these were awesome!!!! I also made a few changes. I followed what another person suggested and added an egg to the cream cheese and condensed milk..it made it like a cheesecake fillling. I also added some chopped pecan and coconut to the crumbs for the topping!! It was a huge hit at dinner tonight!!! Thank you for posting this!!
These were incredibly easy and came out perfect. I followed the recipe exact. Very good. Santa'll love these! EDITED LATER: If I were to make these again, I'd use fresh cranberry sauce and add a little lemon juice to it as well. I found these to be a little on the sweet side. I like my cranberry treats tarter.
I used raspberry preserves instead of the cranberry sauce (didn't add cornstarch or brownsugar), and it was a very good flavor. the bottom crust was a little crumbly at first, but the more it sat in the fridge, the better these bars seemed to hold together. I also drizzled semi-sweet chocolate mixed with a little espresso over the bars in a criss-crsos pattern, very pretty and very yummy!
These are wonderful! I used apricot preserves instead of the cranberries and it was delicious. Very easy to make, too!
Pretty darn good. The hubs loved it. Very unexpected, but really good. Used the homemade cranberry sauce on the website since I had a bag of fresh ones. Turned out delish.
This was a good recipe. I didn't have the can of whole berry cranberry sauce, so I used a can of jellied cranberry sauce and then mixed it with some cranberries. It came out well, however, I think next time I will double the cream cheese mixture because I would've liked to taste some more cream cheese more than all the crust and cranberries. Overall, a good recipe :) Thanks for sharing
This recipe was wonderful! A great for thanksgiving dessert that adds variety to the dessert table! Very quick and easy to make. Kids as well as adults find that these creamy-sweet desserts hit the sweet tooth!
I thought these were just okay, but the rest of my family liked them. I didn't have all of the plain oatmeal I needed, so I had to substitute some instant maple flavored oatmeal. I doubled the cranberry sauce and cornstarch (there would have been WAY too little cranberry flavor without it), added a little lemon juice, and omitted the brown sugar. I was looking for a more tart flavor, but instead of tart, it was just... not sweet. If I made these again, I would leave out the lemon juice and add the brown sugar. The cheesecake layer was AWESOME, though, and I realize that how the cranberry layer turned out was my fault, and not the recipes. These would also be very, very good with cherry pie filling.
This was a WONDERFUL recipe. I used cherry pie filling and YUMMO! I made it twice. Once for my baby's daycare and they raved over it. The second time for Thanksgiving/office--they loved it too. I ran out of oats for the second one and used some grahamcracker crumbs. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the crust seems so hard (both times)--but no one complains, they just come for seconds!
These bars have become a staple at our family's holiday dinners. Like others, I add extra cranberries/sauce - otherwise these are perfect, and people always ask for the recipe. Recipe adapts to the use of mincemeat or tart preserves in place of the sauce, too. Enjoy!
Well Peggy I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't appreciate this wonderful recipe you have shared. My boyfriend whom loves cheesecake and cranberries was yumming all the way through this delightful desert. We call it a desert because Garry is eating it by the slab. It is a pleasant change,to the norm. I cooked my own cranberries which I had a 500ml bottle on hand and I used the whole bottle, I just added what the recipe called for; the B sugar and cornstarch. YUMMY. Here is a big fat 5 stars for you Peggy. Thank you from Nova Scotia.
This was wonderful! I used real butter, put this in a large jelly roll pan, and doubled the recipe. I even added an extra cream cheese, didn't like it too sweet with the sweetened condensed milk. I cut them into little finger size rectangles, chilled and they stayed crispy until ready to serve. Great recipe!
This is an excellent recipe...good warm from the oven or cold out of the refrigerator...we have passed this one around the family...we have made this many times!!!
Good dessert! Entire family enjoyed it. Have one diabetic and he was not able to eat this due to the sugar content. Used fresh cranberries cooked with 1/2 Cup water and 1/2 Cup sugar until sweet.
Fabulous!!!!!!!!Everyone said they were "the bomb". Would give them 6 stars if I could. I followed the recipe exactly and they were awesome.
good recipe, very easy and also healty: with oats, fruits and cheese it's quite a good morning start, but it's ok on every brunch too... My kid suggested a bit of white choc morsels in the streusel, I'll try this.
These were very good. I made two modifications because of what I had on hand. I used steel cut oats instead of rolled oats and that worked out fine. I opened my can of Eagle Bran to discover it had completely caramelized, so I added an egg and some powdered sugar to the cream cheese instead, which worked great. Took them to a Christmas party at work and they were very popular.
Made as the recipe stated. Good but I think next time I will try with a different kind of fruit and use more of it. Might try to lighten up a little with using reduced fat products and a little less sugar.
Peggy this was really good. I took it to Relay for Life this weekend and everyone loved it. I doubled the recipe and added in an extra can of cranberry sauce. This is really good. Thanks and I will definitely be making this again. I forgot to say that I mixed the cranberry sauce and whole cranberry sauce on this. It has been years and it still is so good. I have been thinking of adding some cinnamon or allspice in the crumb mixture for a different flavor. Thanks again Peggy
Like other reviewers, I added an additional jar of cranberry sauce. I also successfully froze some of the bars.
These are very good as the recipe reads, but not amazing. I changed the cranberry to rasberry sauce and it was SO much better. I also added 1/4 more butter to the crust and crumble recipe with 1/2 tsp salt and it make it just oh so much better! Rasberry is just much stronger and better than the cranberry.
Love this! I also added cinnamon to the crumble and omitted brown sugar from the cranberries. Delish!
These bars are great. For a healthier recipe, I used 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of canola oil for the butter, fat free cream cheese and fat free sweetened condensed milk. I also used the jellied cranberry sauce adding an extra tablespoon of corn starch. They turned out great. I can't wait to try them with with canned cherries. My whole family loves them.
I made the recipe as is except for doubling the cranberry sauce and corn starch. Tastes very rich, a little to sweet for me, but everyone loved them and asked for the recipe. If anyone has any ideas on how to make this rcipe taste less sweet please let me know!
Mine flopped . I'm not sure what I did wrong :( I've never flopped on a desert before. I will try again another time
This is my idea of the perfect cheesecake bar cookie. I followed the recipe exactly except for adding about 2 Tb. brandy to the cranberry mix. This was easy to make and utterly delicious.
This is a good recipe, they come out perfect and you can use different fruit if you prefer. I will try it with blueberry pie filling next time in place of the cranberries. Everyone loved it.
This is great. I took some of the other suggestions and doubled up on the cream cheese mixture. Great tip. Also, wait until it is completely cooled, I stuck mine in the fridge and cut it up the next day. That way it is not goowy and cuts in nice squares. I used fresh candberries. I put a bag and a half on the stove with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water until and let them simmer until it turned into a jelly-like substance. It was fabulous!
These are really yummy! Not as sweet as the squares I usually make but I have a real sweet tooth. They were a big hit with everyone!
Flavor? Amazing. But I ned to try again using regular flour, then tweak it from there. I used gluten-free flour, since it's all I had on hand, and the crust was just too hard. Also the ratio of bottom crust to cheese filling seemed off, as well. It is tasty and unique enough, however, to make another go of it!
I found, and made, this recipe because I needed to use a can of cranberry sauce that I had opened. The preparations and the bars turned out as expected, and they were quite delicious!...like mini cheesecakes, but better! I'd opt for these over cheesecake with canned cherry topping any day! I only wish they were low in fat!
I made this just as written, and they were delicious. Recipe says to chill before serving. They taste best chilled rather than sitting out on counter. Will definitely keep this recipe. Thanks.
YUMMY!! These were sooo delicious!! I brought them home for Christmas and everyone is asking for the recipe! Thank you!!!
I made these for a dinner. Everyone loved them and had seconds. I also doubled the cranberries and didn't add sugar to them.
My family loved it. I may have pounded the bottom layer in a bit too much but I didn't want it to fall apart.
To me, this was just OK. Quick, but no real wow to it. I followed the recipe exactly.
These were OK. Just OK. I could hardly wait for them to come out of the oven...but was disappointed when I tried them. They were pretty bland.
these are very good but the proportion of crust to cranberry/cream cheese mixture is more than I would like. I think next time, I will put this in a 11x15 pan and only reserve 1 cup for the top. I also will double the cranberry and cream cheese mixtures. The crust is nice, buttery, slightly crispy. I added a bit of salt to the crust so it would not be bland. I did add vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. I also love the taste of orange with cranberry so I added the zest of one orange to the cranberry sauce, and used the orange juice to replace the lemon juice in the cream cheese mixture. This added a nice component. I did like the fact that these were not messy, and could be eaten with the hand without having to use a fork and plate. Lots of possibilities with replacing the cranberry sauce with a can of blueberry or raspberry pie filling. easy recipe and will make again but in a bigger pan with the adjustments. Again, just a personal preference.
These were alright. I was disappointed with the filling and I thought there was a bit too much lemon flavor. I won't make these again.
Delicious prepared just as instructed. I like my bars and topping thick so I did prepare it in a 9 x 6" pan.
OMG....these were awesome!!!! I also made a few changes. I followed what another person suggested and added an egg to the cream cheese and condensed milk..it made it like a cheesecake fillling. I also added some chopped pecan and coconut to the crumbs for the topping!! It was a huge hit at dinner tonight!!! Thank you for posting this!!
This is exactly the cranberry bar I have been craving! I made the changes suggested by KIMIRAEJ because I wanted lots of cranberry flavor. I made the recipe as written except for adding a second can of whole cranberries, 2 additional Tablespoons of cornstarch, and no brown sugar in the cranberry layer. I'm adding a picture of the bars. They're the ones on the teal color paper plate.
