Cranberry Pear Bars
These Cranberry Pear Bars were not on the menu for today. I didn’t have all the ingredients for what I originally intended to make so when I saw a frozen package of cranberries in the freezer, I decided to do something with them instead.
I like baking with cranberries because of their tangy flavour and their ruby red colour. They’re vibrant and easy to work with. This recipe is easy as well because you can whizz everything up for the oat base in a food processor or you can use a pastry blender. The cranberry filling is similar to making cranberry sauce except you don’t let it get as thick or as sweet as the turkey topper. I suppose you could use regular cranberry sauce, the choice would be up to you.
The overall bar is quite wholesome and healthy tasting. It is definitely not sugary sweet and the tartness of the cranberries shines through. I think some cinnamon in the oat base would be a great addition to make it more flavourful but on the whole, it is quite a nice bar. I think you could even make this bar with different cooked fruit fillings such as raisins, apricots or mincemeat.They slice very cleanly and can be frozen so you can enjoy them for much longer than you first anticipated.
Cranberry Pear Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 cup regular rolled oats
2/3 cup pear nectar or apple juice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 °F. For crust, combine flour and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a food processor. Cover and process with one or two on-off turns to mix. Add butter; pulse several times until fine crumbs form. Add oats; pulse once to mix. (Or combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in oats.) Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture on bottom of ungreased 13×9x2-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until crust is lightly brown.
Meanwhile, for filling, combine pear nectar and 2/3 cup brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until filling is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in nutmeg.
Spread filling evenly over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32.
To store: Place bars in layers separated by pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Source: BHG Christmas Cookies, 2007.
