These Cranberry Oatmeal Bars are a must have dessert for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. They’re soft with some texture and a gooey filling. Made with rolled oats, almond flour, maple syrup, and the best sweet and tangy cranberry filling.
Line a 10x15 baking sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the oatmeal crust; oatmeal, almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, baking powder and pink sea salt. Use your hands to work everything together making sure all the ingredients are well combined. Add crust to lined baking sheet pan and evenly spread crust throughout it forming a thick layer. Cover with saran wrap and place in fridge for 1 hour to chill.
While crust is chilling, in a medium sauce pan combine all of the ingredients for the cranberry filling with the exception of the arrowroot flour; fresh cranberries, fresh orange juice, maple syrup, water, orange zest, vanilla extract, and pink sea salt. Place on stovetop and turn heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Keep boiling until cranberries reduce and sauce starts to thicken. About 10 minutes. Turn heat off and add arrowroot flour to help thicken the sauce a bit more. Stir making sure the flour is well combined into the sauce. Set to the side.
Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
Remove crust from the fridge. Using a spatula, pour cranberry filling over the crust and spread evenly. Make sure you get those corners! Set to the side.
In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the oatmeal crumble; oats, almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup and pink sea salt. Use your hands to thoroughly combine all ingredients together. Crumble evenly over the prepped crust and cranberry filling.
Place bars in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the bars to completely cool-off. I like to give it at least an hour.
Once they're completely cooled off, place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. The longer they stay in the fridge, the more firm they will get. (see note)*
Remove from the fridge. Lift parchment paper to remove bars from the sheet pan. Slice into four parts horizontally and three parts vertically. Making 15 even squares. You can slice them smaller or larger if you wish.
Serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you wish! Enjoy!