Cranberry Crumb Bars with Mulling Spices
Crumb:
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (225 grams or 2 sticks), chilled, plus more at room temperature for the pan
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 1½ tablespoons (25 ml) orange juice
- 3 cups fresh cranberries (340 grams or 12-ounce bag)
- ½ cup (100 grams) sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions:
The bar cookies are pressed and crumbled in pans; they feed a crowd and rarely take more than an hour, from beginning to end.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, and butter the sides and the parchment. In a large, widish bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices. With a pastry blender or fork, work the chilled butter and the egg into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Pat half the crumb base into the bottom of your prepared pan; it will be thin.
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, briefly pulse the filling ingredients until the berries are coarsely chopped but not puréed. Spread the filling over the crumb base. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs evenly over the cranberry mixture.
- Bake cookies for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lightly brown on top. Cool completely before cutting into squares.