Cranberry Crunch
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
These cranberry crunch bars include sweet and tart cranberries with a buttery streusel-like crumble topping and base that make them the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table this year.
Some recipes just get you talking about the old days, which is why we love them so much. Cranberry crunch is one of those recipes that gets my mother talking about her childhood. The school lunch ladies often made this around the holidays and she loved it so much that one of them gave her the recipe for it, which has led us to enjoy it for the past couple of generations. Nothing like an heirloom recipe to bring memories back to life, especially around the holidays.
You only need 5 ingredients to make this old-fashioned cranberry crunch recipe: cranberry sauce, flour, oats, butter, and brown sugar. All we’re going to do is combine our dry ingredients (flour, oats, and sugar) in a mixing bowl and then cut in the butter to make it deliciously crumbly. Then we press half of this into the bottom of our baking dish before adding all the cranberry sauce and then the remaining crumble topping.
Then you have to patiently wait for it to bake before grabbing a bowl and serving your cranberry crunch bar with a big dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I’ve also been known to enjoy one for breakfast, too. If you’re a fan of the humble crumble, you will love cranberry crunch. The combination of tart yet sweet cranberries with the buttery streusel-like crumble topping will be the perfect addition to your holiday table this year.
Recipe Ingredients
- Whole berry cranberry sauce
- Old-fashioned oats
- Flour
- Dark or light brown sugar
- Butter
How To Make Cranberry Crunch
Place your flour, oats, and brown sugar in a large bowl.
Stir them up.
Add your butter and cut that in with a long-tined fork or pastry cutter.
It will look like this.
Now spray a pie plate or 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.
You can see some of these pretty dishes by fellow food blogger, Ree Drummond here.
Press half of your crumble mixture into the bottom of the pie plate to form the crust for the cranberry crunch.
Top that with the entire can of cranberry sauce.
Then take that same spoon and spread it around a bit.
Sprinkle the remaining topping over the cranberry sauce.
Bake cranberry crunch at 350, uncovered, for 45 minutes to one hour, or until bubbly and golden brown.
Cranberry crunch is excellent served with whipped cream or ice cream but you can also serve it as a side dish. Enjoy!
Storage
- Store leftover cranberry crunch in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can serve it at room temperature, cold, or reheated either in the oven or the microwave. This is a great recipe to make ahead of time this Thanksgiving.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
- I use old-fashioned rolled oats but quick oats will work just as well if that is what you have on hand.
- As for brown sugar, I’m using dark because it is my very favorite, but if you have light or prefer light, knock yourself out!
- I don’t recommend using frozen or fresh cranberries for this particular cranberry crunch recipe, as the cranberry sauce has added sweetness, which is exactly what we want.
- If you like, you can add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans to the crumble mix for added flavor and texture.
- Another option is to make cranberry apple crunch. Spread a cup or so of chopped apples over the cranberry sauce before adding the topping.
- Another way to add flavor is to add some spices to the topping. I’d recommend 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
Check out these other tasty cranberry treats:
Pumpkin Cranberry Bread With Caramel Glaze
Chewy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Recipe
Upside Down Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
Instructions
- Mix the oats, flour, and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a long-tined fork or pastry cutter.1 cup old-fashioned oats, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- Press 1/2 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a greased 8x8 baking dish.
- Spread cranberry sauce over the crust before topping it with the remaining crumbs.1 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until lightly brown. Excellent served with whipped cream or ice cream.
Nutrition
Don’t set yourself so firmly on remembering Thanksgiving’s past that you forget to put your heart into this one.
So easy and looks so yummy! Can’t wait to make this.
Thank you Robin, I hope you enjoy it!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Three weeks before my son was born, we left our home in West Central Ill. for a Thanksgiving trip to my Grandmother’s house in Springfield, Mo. The weather was horrid and it only got worse as we got closer to St. Louis. We turned around and started back when we couldn’t see the road because of the blowing snow. After arriving home, I called my mom in So. Calif. and told her we were OK but couldn’t get to Grandma’s because of the storm. She understood and called my Grandmother to let her know we were home safe and sound and eating turkey TV dinners! Turkey TV Dinners! She was horrified!
I had to chuckle at this comment. I can just see your grandmother contemplating hijacking a snow plow to get you a proper Thanksgiving dinner!
We sadly lost my mom this past September. Luckily we are leaving town for Thanksgiving to make new memories and traditions since we always spent them with Mom. This was a bittersweet blog post to read today, but exactly the wisdom I needed for comfort. Funny story–I, not being a huge turkey fan, declared Thanksgiving 2010 “Turkey Free’–much to mom’s displeasure. Never into making a big deal of anything she went aong with it. She was still working as a nurse at that time and a co-worker after hearing this “craziness” invited mom over to have a turkey dinner the day after Thanksgiving. She was diagnosed with cancer the very next month. I’m so thankful for her friend and that she did get her turkey dinner.
I bet your beloved Mama is chuckling about he turkey free Thanksgiving now, and I know she will be with you this year and always, as you move on and create those new traditions for your own loved ones. My heart and prayers are with you. Hang in there.
Sincerely,
Christy
I did feel your heart, brought tears to my eyes! We are no longer in the south or surrounded by family to have the kind of Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations you just helped me to remember. That makes me very sad, then your quote of yourself Some parts of the holidays will always be bittersweet when you have loved and been loved, but living in the past should always
come full circle as a reminder to live in the moment and your remark about the memories my children will make this year helps me to be happy for their memories of our friends we will be surrounded with instead of Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and cousins. Though Id like them to have at least one memory of a Thanksgiving or Christmas like the ones I had as a child. Thanks Christy!
I feel the same way, April. You keep on keeping on girl, you’re steering them all in the right direction, even if the scenery is different 🙂
Gratefully,
Christy
Christy I love your insight into so many of our hearts. I’m always a little sad even 31 years without my mama when the holidays come around-but I’ve always lived in the moment and enjoyed the loved ones I have and hopefully when I’m no longer here they’ll be doing the same. Thanks again, Girl!
Thank YOU Carolyn!
Always great to see you 🙂
Gratefully,
Christy
Thank you for the reminder to focus on the happiness of the present rather than the sadness of the past. I needed to read this because our Thanksgiving table will have several empty seats this year due to a death, my son’s deployment, some that cannot come this year, and one that might be there only in body due to some stablity/mental issues she has been experiencing. I appreciate your words of wisdom, and I intend to do my part to make it a great day for those that can be there.
Thank you so much for your strength, love of family, and wisdom to keep all of this in this special day. You’re family is blessed to have you, as are all who know you, I’m sure.
Gratefully,
Christy
This was really timely, Christy, as I will be attending my grandfather’s funeral tomorrow. I had been thinking about what it would mean for this years Thanksgiving. Thank you for reminding me that have to keep making the happy memories for the next generation, not focus entirely on my sadness of memories past.
Praying for you Annette…