Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes Bar Cookie Recipes Chewy Cran-Apple Pecan Bars 5.0 (1) Add your rating & review These are a fall favorite—they're chewy, fruity, and not-too-sweet. By Greg Lofts Greg Lofts Greg Lofts is a New York City-based food stylist and recipe developer with 20+ years of professional experience. He was the former deputy food editor at Martha Stewart Living for six plus years, and his work can be found in editorial and television outlets such as Bon Appétit, Epicurious.com, Condé Nast Traveler, Martha Bakes, Next Food Network Star Season 8, Kitchen Boss with Buddy Valastr, and many more. Editorial Guidelines Published on November 1, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: David Malosh Prep Time: 35 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Servings: 16 Yield: 16 2-Inch Squares Jump to recipe Part bar cookie, part fruit crumble, these cranberry crumb bars are doubly delicious. They’re chewy, fruity, not-too-sweet treats with a toasted pecan mixture that works twice as hard because it’s both the bottom crust and the crumbly topping. In between those layers is the filling, a fall-forward mixture of fresh cranberries, dried apples, and Medjool dates with a touch of lemon zest and allspice. The fruits are cooked on the stovetop so they become thick and jammy—and this means they don’t make the bottom crust soggy during baking. Enjoy these bars with a cup of tea or coffee or dress them up with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. 16 Fresh Cranberry Recipes, Including Drinks, Sides, and Lots of Desserts To toast pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until darkened slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients For the Crust Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil, for pan 1 cup toasted pecans (3 1/2 ounces) 3/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal) 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled For the Filling 8 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (2 cups) 2 ounces dried apple rings, coarsely chopped (1 cup) 5 ounces pitted Medjool dates (12), coarsely chopped (1 cup) 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal) 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice Directions Prep pan: Coat the bottom and sides of an 8-by-8-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom and two sides with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang; spray parchment. Make crust: In a food processor, pulse the toasted pecans until finely chopped. Add sugar, flour, and salt and pulse to thoroughly combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles the texture of crumbly wet sand but holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Form crust in pan and chill: Firmly pack 2 1/2 cups of the mixture evenly on the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Chill crust until firm, about 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 10 minutes in the freezer. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to use. Preheat oven and bake crust: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prick bottom of the chilled crust at 1-inch intervals with a fork. Bake until set and darkened slightly, 22 to 23 minutes. Make filling: While the crust bakes, combine all filling ingredients in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens to a sticky, jam-like consistency, 7 to 9 minutes. Spread filling over crust; add remaining crust on top: Pour hot fruit mixture over warm crust and spread evenly to edges with an offset spatula. Squeeze remaining pecan crust mixture between your fingers to form clumps and sprinkle evenly over fruit mixture. Bake, cool, and cut into bars: Bake until fragrant and crumble topping turns golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan set on a wire rack. Run a knife between the crust and pan along the two sides without parchment. Use parchment overhangs to transfer to a cutting board and cut into bars to serve. Storing Cran-Apple Bars The bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 6 More Bar Cookie Recipes to Try Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip Squares Big Almond-Orange-Ginger Bar Cookie Martha's Pecan Bars Raisin Bars Blackberry Crumb Bars Rhubarb Crumb Bars Rate It PRINT