Cranberry Orange Squares
Source of Recipe
How the Cookie Crumbles
List of Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg, graded large
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure orange oil (optional but very nice)
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
For the topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Recipe
Preheat a convection oven to 325 degrees F, or a conventional oven to 350 degrees F. Set the racks so they divide the oven into thirds. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil and butter it lightly.
Combine the 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and the 1 teaspoon cinnamon for 20 seconds using a mixer set on medium speed. Add the butter, egg, vanilla, orange oil (if you are using it) and the zest, and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and light colored. Scrape the bowl. Add the milk and orange juice and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. The mixture will look curdled at this point, but don�t worry. Scrape the bowl and add the flour with the cranberries and walnuts, beating on low speed just until the dough is evenly mixed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and give it a few stirs to be sure the dough is well blended.
Spread the mixture in the prepared pan and smooth the top. In a small bowl, make the topping by stirring together the 1/2 cup sugar with the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the dough and bake the bars in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, reversing the pan halfway through the baking time. The top will be light brown and feel firm when you gently touch it with your fingertip. A toothpick stuck in the center of the bars will come out almost clean. Remove the pan from the oven and set on a rack to cool for about 20 minutes.
When slightly cool, invert a wire rack over the top of the bars and carefully flip the pan over so the bars fall, upside down, onto the wire rack. Peel the foil away from the bars very carefully, and place another wire rack on the bars, flipping them over again so that they are now right side up. Allow the bars to cool completely on the wire rack, then cut them into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
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