Cranberry Bars *edit*

*I think this has too much crust, so I’ve posted “take two” on 1/16/10 ( http://wp.me/pAGu5-3m ) .If you really like crust, then go ahead and make this one, but I  think I prefer the other one.*

Since there’s only about a month until Thanksgiving, I figured I better start sharing some of my favorite Thanksgiving-ish recipes, or I’ll run out of time.

I think I’ve always liked cranberry sauce with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but here’s a way to enjoy it in a bar. Sort of like a filled cookie, sort of like a crisp.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce can) cranberry sauce*
3 Cups quick cook oats
2 ½ Cups flour
1 ¾ Cups brown sugar (packed)
1 ½ Cups butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
a shake of cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg
a pinch of cardamom

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9X13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT the cranberry sauce; divide in half, press half into the bottom of the dish. Spoon the cranberry sauce out into a small bowl and mash/soften it up (it’s pretty solid when it comes out of the can). *You can use either jelly or whole berry sauce. If you use the whole berry sauce, you may wish to pulse it a bit in your food processor to break up the whole berries*. Spread the cranberry sauce evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the other half of the crumb mixture over the top, lightly pressing it down into the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. (Hint: given the high butter content of the crust, it will be more palatable if you allow it to come up to room temperature before serving.)