Christmas Cranberry Walnut Bars are made with fresh cranberries, rolled oats, yellow cake mix, and a little Christmas spice! An easy and addictively tasty recipe!
Using a large saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, and water over medium heat. Stir continuously for about 10 to 15 minutes until all of the cranberries have cooked long enough to have popped open and the mixture has thickened.
Remove from heat to cool.
Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or a baker's cooking spray.
Stir together cake mix, melted butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add in the oats, ginger, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Spoon out about 2 cups of the mixture and set aside.
Using the remaining mixture, spread it into the bottom of the greased baking dish. Pack it down to create a firm and even crust.
Spread out the cooled cranberry mixture on top of the crust.
For a crumble topping - pinch off chunks of the crust mixture you set aside and sprinkle it on top of the cranberry layer. For cranberry bars - transfer crust mixture to a large piece of wax paper. Using a spatula, spread a layer of the crust mixture across the wax paper about the same size as the baking dish. Carefully lift the wax paper and flip it over on top of the cranberry layer. Smooth out the edges, careful to not disrupt the cranberry layer below.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top crust is a golden brown.
Remove from oven to cool for about 45 minutes before you slice or remove from pan. This will ensure the bars will set properly and remain intact when cutting into bars or squares.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top to resemble snow. Enjoy!