Orange-Cranberry Bars

By Addie

With the incredible combination of orange and cranberry, these bars are fast sellers at my church's Christmas bazaar.—Agnes Ward, Stratford, Ontario

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1 cup orange marmalade

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and ginger; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the oats, coconut and orange peel.

Place 3 cups of mixture in another bowl; stir in pecans. Set aside for topping. Press remaining oat mixture into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Combine cranberry sauce and orange marmalade; spread over crust. Top with reserved oat mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: 4 dozen.
..........................

REVIEWS:

These yummy bars have already become a a Christmas cookie tradition at our house. Unless we eat them right away I've had trouble with them getting soggy. I tried mixing 2 tablespoons of corn starch into the filling and microwaving it until it's thick before I put it on the bottom layer. Problem solved. If you happen to have any left, they freeze very nicely.