Nutty Oatmeal Cranberry Bars

[nverland]

Nutty Oatmeal Cranberry Bars
Yield: 24 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For Oatmeal Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice

For Cranberry Nut Topping:
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325-degrees F. Grease or coat with cooking spray a 9x13-inch baking pan.
For Oatmeal Crust: Prepare crust by whisking together flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter and lemon juice until combined. Evenly press mixture into the bottom of prepared baking pan.
For Cranberry Nut Topping: Combine sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, flour and brown sugar. Spread mixture over crust. Spread fresh cranberries evenly over mixture, lightly pressing into mixture. Evenly spread top with chopped nuts.
Bake at 325-degrees F for 45-50 minutes, until light brown. Let cool completely in pan before slicing.

Notes

Bars can be made and cooked ahead of time by a couple of days and kept covered and refrigerated. Or wrap tightly in plastic wrap, slip into a plastic freezer zip-top bag and freeze for up to a month. Then, when ready to enjoy, allow the bars to come to room temperature before serving.