Cranberry oat streusel bars

Ingredients

Serves: 12

• 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda 
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt 
• 1 cup (250 mL) large flake oats (old-fashioned oats) 
• ¾ cup (175 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• ½ cup (125 mL) brown sugar  

• 2 cups (500 mL) fresh or frozen cranberries  
• ½ cup (125 mL) water 
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) brown sugar 
• Juice of ½ a lemon 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C). Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper, allowing 2-inch (5 cm) overhang on 2 sides of pan. 
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in oats.  
3. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add oats and flour mixture and mix until a crumb like consistency (you may need to work together with your hands). Press 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared pan; set aside.  
4. Cook cranberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, and pressing with the back of a spoon until a thick paste forms (about 10-12 minutes).  
5. Spread cranberry mixture evenly over prepared crust. Crumble the remaining dry mixture over top, pressing down gently to form the streusel topping.  
6. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing into 12 squares. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or freeze. 

Tips:

• Nutrition know-how: Oats are a great addition to desserts! Their high (soluble) fibre content helps to slow the release of carbohydrate into the blood.  
• Variation: To make date squares or matrimonial cake, substitute 2 cups pitted dates for the cranberries and increase the water to 1 cup to soften dates into a paste.