Carrots and Spice

Healthy Lifestyle for Busy Families

Desserts & Breads Thanksgiving

Cranberry and White Chocolate Streusel Bars

Thanksgiving in the US is around the corner and we are all digging for new recipes and new ideas.  If you have something you are looking for I would love to hear about it as I will be mostly posting thanksgiving ideas in the next two weeks.  First I am starting with cranberries.  I love cranberries and always looking for new things to make with them.

Not only are cranberries sweet, sour and bitter, but they are also very good for us.

Did you know that cranberries are a source of polyphenol antioxidants, which is good for our immune system. Many of us know that cranberries may reduce urinary tract infections and the amount of dental plaque-causing oral bacteria, thus being a prophylaxis for gingivitis. It has also been observed that cranberries have a relaxing effect, reducing stress.

Here is an excellent idea for cranberries.  These bars are sweet, tart, colorful and delicious.  Original recipe from December 2007 Sunset Magazine but with several adjustments.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Streusel Bars

Yields: 24 bars | Prep: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 45 Minutes

1 cup butter, softened and cut into bits
2 cups flour
2/3 cup oats
½ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
Cranberry filling from 8 oz fresh cranberries (recipe below)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350F. Butter a 7×11 inch pan.

Prepare the cranberry filling first.

In a food processor, mix flour, oats and sugar 10 seconds. Add 1 cup butter; mix until mixture forms a ball. Set aside ½ cup of mixture. Mix in yolks.

Press yolk mixture into pay. Spread with cranberry filling. Sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chips, then press into dough. Form pea-sizes crumbs with reserved dough mixture, sprinkle over top.

Bake at 350F until topping is pale gold, about 45 minutes. Cool on rack and cut into 24 bars.

Cranberry Filling

8 oz (2 ½ cups) fresh cranberries
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp water

In a medium sized saucepan, place all the ingredients. Then, over medium-high heat, cook the ingredients until boiling. Continue to boil the filling until it becomes thick and syrup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool while you make the shortbread.

Other Thanksgiving Recipes:

Pumpkin Brownies
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
Butternut Sqaush Apple Soup
Sweet Potato Soup

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Comments

  3. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog.

    These beauties could not look more delicious and they are perfect for this time of year. I once made a cookie with white chocolate and cranberries and loved the flavor combination.

  4. I’ve got fresh cranberries on the brain right now and am determined to cook them every which way while the short season lasts. Actually, I was just thinking about a recipe very much along the lines of the excellent one you’ve made here. Wow! Delicious! And thank you for this recipe. Now I can make your lovely one instead of struggling to devise my own.

  9. Cranberries and white chocolate sound like a very delicious combination! Your bars look scrumptious and I love the picture of the cranberry suspended in mid-air!

  11. First, I’d like to thank you for the wine aerator…I received last week and already used it…
    These bars look great, love the idea of some tartness with sweet, and they look so pretty 🙂

  17. Back again … had them on my mind for an hour, and then decided to make them! They came out fab, with a few substitutions…Thank you!

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