I actually couldn't find cranberries when I wanted to try this and substituted blackberries instead. It was really good. I also drizzled a sugar glaze on top and it made a great presentation. Loved it, thanks.
These are excellent, and are now a permanent recipe on my Christmas cookie list. Everyone loved them.
excellent recipe! It was the first thing to go at a Christmas brunch; am making it again for Christmas morning! Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic! I committed the cardinal sin of baking - I made these for a group without having ever made them before. They turned out great. Just follow the recipe. I had the luxury of making them the night before so getting them out of the dish was not a problem. I also used my trusty serrated knife which works like a charm. Highly recommended
Excellent! The perfect combination of tart and sweet. I have made similar bar cookies with jam, and have always thought they were just a little too sweet and that something was missing. These are perfect! The dough is quite sticky, though, which makes it hard to apply the topping. A little crisco or cooking spray on your fingers helps. They cut into bars very nicely and are so holiday pretty! Thanks! I'll be sure to add this to the recipe box.
Yummy. the only reason I am giving this a 4 star is I have tweeked it just a bit, I didn't have yellow cake mix so used french vanilla and had a 16oz bag frozen cranberries & just used that, decided to add a splash of almond flavoring to the batter (maybe a teaspoon). I decided to drizzle some powdered sugar icing over it. We let it cool just a bit and had it with icecream. Hubby loved it, this is a keeper,,,oh this is the first time I am rating a recipe Thanks so much for it!!!
I made this recipe for a Christmas Cookie Exchange. It was a hit. Easy to make and tastes delicious!
This is a wonderful cookie bar. I made it just as written; waited for them to COOL before cutting, and they were beautiful! It's one that I'll make again and again for my family and friends. Absolutely fabulous!
The taste on these bars is fabulous! The first time I made this the topping was very hard and that made them difficult to cut into bars. I made it a second time and 1. used a bigger pan (11x15) 2. used all the batter on the bottom 3. added a crumble top mixture of flour, oats, brown sugar and butter over the cranberry mixture. Cooled overnight. Turned out excellent and was WAY easier to cut into any size bars. Either way you make it the taste is amazing! These are going to a public function and I KNOW they will be a hit!
I made these for one of our Christmas desserts and they were delcious. I made a simple powdered sugar glaze - laced with a few drops of Orange Oil - to drizzle on the top of each bar. Super good!
I followed this recipe exactly as its written and it came out beautifully. The only thing i would change next time is maybe shaving 5 minutes off the bake time. Mine came out just a bit too brown, not burned at all though. They taste great and my family LOVED it! (Even my boyfriend who isnt a big cranberry fan!)
Fabulous! A perfect balance of sweet and tart. I triple the cinnamon and omit ginger. Colorful and fragrant. Great for fall bake sales and Thanksgiving through Christmas potlucks. Everyone wants this recipe once they taste them.
Have made this recipe several times and it's always excellent. It's very sweet and tart. I always use a 9x13 glass casserole dish and there isn't enough batter to do 2 layers with cranberry layer in between. So I just spread all of the batter on the bottom and put all the cranberries on top. Then I sprinkle oats or granola on top. This dish is super sticky and I find it cuts much better if you let it cool for several hours or overnight and place parchment paper on the dish before you put in the batter.
I made these when I wanted to do something different with the cranberries I had. I thought they were good but didn't realize how good until I took them to work. They were such a hit, several coworkers are asking me to make it again. Some even asked for the recipe.
These were really good; moist, flavorful NO boxed cake mix taste! I used canned whole cranberries, and butter instead of margerine. Best if eaten within 2-3 days, after that the top tends to get soggy. I am going to make more with a different fruit and cake mix flavor. Thanks for the recipe.
Cutting these, even after they'd cooled, was a NIGHTMARE. However, the taste was great! Really easy to make!
SO easy to make and tasted great. I've always been a little wary about cake mix recipes, but this one turned out great. Not too tart, not too sweet. A great way to use up your whole cranberries!
One of my favorite Christmas recipes...I always cut the sugar though...the cake mix is so sweet that you don't really need much.
One of the best Cranberry desserts I have ever made. I prepared it the night before and cooked the next morning. It set up for about an hour before I cut it and it was prefect. There were all pros to this recipe...no cons. I will be preparing these Cranberry Bars more often. I always keep fresh cranberries in the freezer. Thank you, Wanda
This is absolutely WONDERFUL. Everyone loved these and the house does smell wonderful while they're baking. I'll make these again and again. Definitely, a keeper!
The combination of fresh cranberries, rolled oats and the dash of spices with the yellow mix makes for a fabulous autumn dessert. I baked this and many other goodies for my nearly 90 dad during my visit. These cranberry bars were his favorite.
this was very good, a bit too much sugar. it may have been the cake mix though. i will try again with a less sugar.
Very Good, not even a cranberry fan but tastes delicious. Cranberries aren't overpowering.
These were good, but I wouldnt call them bars as this is a cake recipe...doesnt resemble cake whatsoever. I made it twice and settled on using half the batter in a bundt cake, top with cranberry sauce and add rest of batter. Marble the top and cook. Wait until completely cooled to cut or remove. It is very good any way you cook it "bars" or cake.
I served these as a Thanksgiving dessert this year, and everyone loved them. I took the advice of others and used a can of whole cranberry sauce instead of making my own. It probably could have gone a few minutes longer in the oven, but it was hard to judge if they were done or not because of the filling.
I don't cook so this is an easy delicious desert that EVERYONE loves. People ask me for this recipe. Sold out at the bake sale. Like others said, completely cool cranberry mixture and after baked COMPLETELY COOL. You can use half the sugar. I add a bit more oats. I don't use quick oats. Cake mix is 16.5 for me. Can't find what is called for in recipe at our local grocer. LOVE THIS RECIPES. YUM. My picky husband loves it too.
I made these last year (Christmas) with what I had in my kitchen. They were a refreshing change from all the other rich and chocolate goodies. I made them again for Thanksgiving and received good reviews. Nice with coffee.
Like the setup of an old joke, these tasted great but looked awful. I made them for a potluck, and had visions of tidy little squares, but they were (for me) impossible to cut into anything other than crumbly clumps. However, they were delicious, easy to make and garnered lots of compliments. I imagine they'd be great served warm with some vanilla ice cream.
VERY good, but you can definitely taste the cake mix flavor. I'll make again.
Yummy Yummy Yummy. These were so good. I liked their soft texture. I also liked the tartness of the cranberries. I read the other reviews and the ones who said that thier bars didn't set wasn't true for me, but I cooked my cranberries for a quite a while and I don't live in a humid area. I will be making these for thanksgiving and christmas, oh and inbetween. My family and I really enjoyed these.
My husband loved these bars, but I thought they were greasy, waaaay too gooey, and they still had that cake mix taste. I followed the recipe exactly. I am disappointed because the reviews were so good, I expected them to be a lot better than they turned out. Sorry.
yummmmmy!!! no joke about the house smelling delicious---you can almost taste the wonderful bars in the air! i added some orange zest to the cranberry...delightful. this recipe makes a decent batch of bars---plenty to share or freeze leftovers for another time. thanks, twilliams05! :)
These were tasty bars and well received by all that had some. They add nice colour to cookie tray or cookie tins. I did find that this was one of those recipes that was stubborn when trying to cut into squares and remove from the pan. Alot of the sides and crust were left behind. But the overall taste was wonderful.
These are great HUGE TIP!!! : One thing I have learned from professional bakers ( 5 ***** chefs) is that when it comes to BAKING, Never use off label items only use the best ingredients down to the last grain of sugar. There is a HUGE difference in the way things turn out and if you like to bake as much as I do you understand.
Great recipe. We made it with with orange cake mix, and only 1/2 cup sugar added to the cranberries, and no additional sugar after (except whatever is in cake mix) - NOT the 3/4 cup plus 1 cup, as recipe states. PLENTY sweet. Will make it exactly like this again. Cannot imagine how sweet it would be if we made it as written. Maybe will try with spice cake mix next time, will probably be delicious.
I've already been asked to make this 6 times since Oct. Eveyone loves it and it's easy! Thanks for the recipe!
OH MY GOD! This is SOOOO good. I brought it to work before Thanksgiving for a taste test. Everyone LOVED it. I made a special trip with a warm batch to my work on Thanksgiving day for the guys who were stuck working. They were so excited, you would have thought I brought them gold. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe!
This is a super easy and yummy recipe. I did add 1 cup of toasted pecans, half sprinkled on the base layer and half sprinkled on top. I served these to my couples Bible study group and everyone raved about how good and different they were. They didn't have a cake mix taste at all. I'll definitely make these again!
These bars are wonderful! I am adding them to my Christmas cookie list, and I'm sure I'll get requests for them throughout the year too!
Excellent....would give it a 6th star if possible. Made this in a 9 inch springform pan ( well sprayed) and left out ginger...hate it!.. Also gave it a fine dusting of icing sugar for a more festive look. Cut into wedges and served with ice cream and it got big raves! Like others, I made sure the filling was cooled well ( made it the day before). Such a simple to make recipe that turned out so well. Enjoy!
These are great! The ginger adds a nice dimension. I agree that the key to cutting and getting them out of the pan is to let the cool completely.
These are incredible! I had a large bag of FRESH cranberries from costco that I used half of for cranberry sauce at thanksgiving. Looked up recipes that had cranberries in it so I could use up the rest of the bag. I chose this one. My whole family loved them and I shared them with extended family and friends during the holiday season and we talked about how good they were a month later. I tried to make them again several months later but fresh cranberries weren't in season anymore!!! So sad!! Can't wait to make them again. A must bake for the holidays!
I made these at Christmas time. I make 6-7 different kinds of cookies and make platters to give away. I was very disappionted with this recipe. I thought the flavor of the cake mix was overwhelming. They were very soft, so not a good addition to my platters. And with the first batch (I made them twice), I did not let the cranberries cool enough to allow them to thicken, so the filling too runny (I actually drained some of the juice off). The second batch I did cool the filling and it was thicker, but I found this version of the filling overwhelming. My suggestion would be to put it in a bigger pan (like 11x15) to make them thinner, and maybe crisper. Unfortunately I will not be making them again. Sorry.
Difficult to make - the dough was SO sticky. However, these are absolutely delicious! Will make again, despite the annoyance of the sticky dough.
These were amazing! Super-easy to make and tasted wonderful! You might want to double the recipe, though, because these bars seem to disappear!
I made this recipe exactly as specified and took it to work. Not a crumb was left. Very good and it travels well.
Great recipe! Everyone loves it. The trick is to make sure you bake these for the entire 40 min. And let them cool completely before cutting. If you do they will cut easily and keep a firm texture. I bake them for all the holidays! Thanks for the recipe
Delicious! Make sure to cook your cranberries down to a jelly consistency so they make a suitable filling. Let them cool before you cut them or the filling will ooze out. They do get a bit chewy the next day but are still delicious. These would be great warmed up with some vanilla ice cream. I will definitely make these again!
I really just didn’t like this. The cake mix flavors completely overwhelmed the cranberries. It was way too sweet for me.
I made them exactly as recipe except just half cup of sugar with cranberries. They are delicious! I will make again.
I thought these were too sweet, but my husband said they were "awesome" and my friends also seemed to like them. I think I will cut the butter and brown sugar to 1/2 cup each if I make them again.
I thought it was very good, except I might use twice the cranberries next time; I like less crust and more fruit!
Easy and yummy! My husband was disappointed that we couldn't keep more for ourselves instead of bringing them to our hostess. He liked a bar with a scoop of ice cream on top. Perfect fall dessert.
Cut down on sugar a bit. Be sure to cook berries till thick and put in ice water to cool b/4 spreading on crust.
I make these every autumn, and everyone loves them. I'm starting to worry what may happen if I show up at a holiday party WITHOUT them. :)
I loved these. I made them today for a get-together and everyone loved them. I can't keep out of the leftovers - what little there was left. They'll be gone soon! I only used 1/2 tsp of ginger as I was worried it may be too strong, but next time I'll probably put the whole tsp in. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this using frozen cranberries and cooked the sauce as directed in the recipe. I really liked it and thought my guests would too but while they thought it was good, they (including my husband and daughter) thought it was just ok. I like the fact that it's different from the same old same old and I plan to make it again. Next time I'll cut the pieces smaller as it makes a fairly thick bar. I let it cool thoroughly and didn't have any trouble getting it out of the pan, which I had sprayed very well. It looks very nice on a plate! Thérèse
I made these just as the recipe called for. They were way too sweet for me. I was thinking the tartness of the cranberries would make the taste okay but I didn't count on the cake mixture being so sweet. Won't make these again. Way too sweet.
Absolutely outstanding. I followed the recipe as written the first time, but when we ate it all and my husband wanted more, I didn't have another cake mix. I used a basic cookie dough recipe (Big Batch Kris Kringle cookies without the add-ins), and added ginger, cinnamon, and oats. It came out a little firmer, and next time I would use a little less flour or underbake it for a softer bar. I'd rather not use cake mixes anyway.
My husband loved these bars, but I thought they were greasy, waaaay too gooey, and they still had that cake mix taste. I followed the recipe exactly. I am disappointed because the reviews were so good, I expected them to be a lot better than they turned out. Sorry.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. They were excellent! Most everyone liked them. I especially liked the tart flavor combined with the sweet. The only thing that I did different from the recipe was to leave out the ginger (as I do not care for it). Also, it was very easy to make. Will definitely make again!
I added coconut and pecans to the top served with whipped cream and it was a hit. This is easy, tasty and festive.
While it came out softer than I expected, they were still great. I was worried it wouldn;t fit the 9x13 pan so I used an 8x8 and they were pretty thick. The taste is amazing.
Sweet & Tart, even though I realized after the fact I left out the brown sugar in the dough, they're still sweet enough. The husband who typically doesn't like cranberries even liked these. I don't care for ginger very much, so I may cut down on it next time, I think its a tad strong.
I tried a gluten free vanilla cake mix instead of the yellow cake mix. It tasted amazing!
I take this to work every Christmas and they love it. I always make the cranberry sauce the the before so it can cool and gel. I also buy the Costco size bag of cranberries so I can make two batches. I add a 1/4 cup orange juice to the cranberry mix and after it has cooked down for a while I use a potato masher to pop all berries. If the mixture is too liquidy I will spoon out a little of the juice. I also add a 1/2 a cup of white chocolate chips to the cake mixture.
Instead of working so hard with the cake mix, use some really good cookie dough to make the crust. I used some holiday stuff which was loaded with pecans and it was amazing! It browned beautifully and there was no problem cutting it in bars and bringing it out of the pan. Also if you're not a fan of cranberries, you can use your favorite flavor of jam and add the crumbles and nuts on top. Definitely a crowd pleaser. I took it to work for a holiday party and everyone begged me for the recipe.
Something happened where mine didn't set up all the way, but that didn't take anything away from it. I made them for a friend, and had to fight my brother off with a stick to keep him from eating the whole pan.
Bought the cranberries to make again later in week. My husband totally loved them. He was disappointed when I told him this batch was for our friends. I promised to make more later in the week , just for us.
I had leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and decided on these cranberry bars to use it up. I made a mistake of adding water,to an already liquidy cranberry sauce, which I tried to cook down to thicken it up,which did little to firm up the texture of the bars.Nothing on the recipe's fault.With all that effort of dealing with a very sticky dough,(even after I oiled my hands) after it baked just didn't hold up and after cooling it still was mushy. My husband thought it tasted good,I on the other hand wanted more of a shortbread type of crust and struscil topping from regular flour ,butter and sugar. I had a cake mix to use up too- another reason for choosing this recipe. Even though I messed this up,I don't think I will be making it again. Just wasn't the taste from a cookie bar I was looking for. Thanks for posting
yum. easy to make.
This was ok but I wouldn't call them bars exactly. When left for the next day, these bars get softer and almost cake like. I did like the contrast between tart cranberries and the sweetness of the dough, but this is probably something I won't try again.
This recipe turned out too cakelike. First time I have dealt with real cranberries, and that was easy. I could tell just from the cake batter what the result would be. Turned out to be more oatmeal cake with cranberry filling rather than bars. Not sure that I would make again. Just okay.
These were phenomenal! I could have eaten the entire pan myself! I made these for a dinner party and they were a HUGE hit. I followed some others' advice and doubled the cinnamon and added orange zest (about one oranges worth) and I literally cannot say enough about how delicious they were. Definitely will make this recipe again and again!
i made a few changes used strawberry cake mix instead of yellow and i used strawberry jelly for the filling just omit the sugar and water was so goood
My family and I loved this recipe. I thought I had cranberries but come to find out it was tart cherries. I used them and added some cornstarch to help thicken. Delicious!
Easy to make, and good for you too! I added more cranberries to the mix because I like a little more "oomph" in the filling, and coked it a little more to make it thicker. No other changes made.
These are absolutely delicious!! I had to use canned whole cranberries because the store didn't have the fresh. After that I followed the recipe. It was not difficult to work with at all. I made half the batch in a square pan and half in mini muffin tins. They turned out wonderfully!
I really love this recipe and I did not give it 5 stars because what I got was more like cranberry cobbler--super delicious--just not something I can slice up to share with a group of people or as a cookie exchange. The picture I submitted shows how the left side is more like the texture I'd prefer in a bar, the right side shows gooeyness more akin to a cobbler. Perhaps cooking it longer would result in a firmer bar, or adding less liquid, but it tastes great just the way it is! (BTW I was out of ginger and only had a white cake mix--yummy!)
This was okay. I followed the directions exactly. I expected it to be crunchy, or at least more firm, especially on the bottom layer. It doesn't hold together very well either, as I expected it to. This tasted like cake, with oats in it, and cranberry sauce in the middle. I would not make this again.
These were awesome. I shared them with quite a few people and never met any resistance in coming in for seconds!
Awesome and easy! I did tweak a little as per some of the reviews by cutting the water down to 1/2 cup and adding orange zest once berries were cooked down. Allowed to sit overnight to cool before making the bars. Made a second batch using Saskatoon berries with lemon zest in place of cranberries. Oh my!!!!!! I think I like these better than the cranberry version, but then again , I'm partial to Saskatoon berries. So good!
Oh my goodness! I made these for christmas cookie platters. I was afraid they would be too tart so I tryed a sample of them... I could hardly keep out of them. Wonderful! A must make!
