Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cookies

These oatmeal cookie bars are the perfect way to use up leftover cranberry sauce from a holiday meal. They are sweet and tart with a mix of textures that will have you coming back for just another slice of these Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cookies.

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I love to make good use of holiday leftovers, and leftover cranberry sauce is no exception. It’s delicious on oatmeal or yogurt, but it’s extra tasty in these Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cookie Bars.

In fact, my family asks me to make extra cranberry sauce each year so that we are sure to enjoy a few batches of these oatmeal cookie bars layered with leftover cranberry sauce.

The oatmeal crust is buttery and toothsome, the cranberry filling tart and sweet. It’s a cookie with a fun play of textures that is perfect for your Christmas Cookie trays.

Why Make These Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cookies?

This recipe helps you avoid food waste. Anytime you can use up leftovers, you’re saving money. These leftover cranberry sauce cookies are a great way to shop the kitchen.

They taste amazing! These cranberry sauce cookies are so good, you’ll want to have extra cranberry sauce just to make a batch.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cookies:

flour – I like to use unbleached all-purpose flour, but you can use whatever you normally bake with, including gluten-free baking mix.

rolled oats – Both quick oats and old fashioned rolled oats will work.

brown sugar – You can use white sugar if you prefer, but I love the flavor of brown sugar. In fact, I make my own brown sugar to make sure it’s dark enough.

zest of 1 orange – The orange zest complements the cranberry flavors well. Be sure to use the rest of the orange for eating so as to avoid food waste.

ground ginger – I love how orange, ginger, and cranberries combine in a flavor explosion.

baking soda and salt – These leavenings add texture to the cookie bars.

melted butter or neutral oil – Butter adds the best flavor, but if you’d like to make these dairy free, use a neutral-tasting cooking oil.

leftover cranberry sauce – I suppose your cranberry sauce doesn’t have to be “leftover”. You can use canned or homemade cranberry sauce, though I prefer the latter.

Variations: Instead of cranberry sauce, feel free to substitute a favorite jam or even applesauce.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s how to make Leftover Cranberry Sauce Cookies:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, orange zest, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the butter until small clumps form.

• Remove 1 cup of this mixture and set aside. Press the remaining amount into the prepared baking pan.
• Spread the cranberry sauce over the crust.
• Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack prior to cutting into squares.

More Fresh Cranberry Recipes

Special thanks to Kate Schat of Venison for Dinner for inspiring this recipe. This is my adaptation of her Oatmeal Jam Bars.