By ALEXA HOOD
Staff Writer
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter or margarine (1 stick), softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- Quick cooking rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Reese’s peanut butter chips
- 1 – 1/2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
- ⅔ light corn syrup
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
First, heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan.Then beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl until fluffy. Stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture, and mix until the mixture has the consistency of coarse crumbs. Then stir in peanut butter chips. Reserve 1 – 1/2 cups mixture for crumb topping. Then firmly press the remaining mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture boils. Reduce the heat; simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Spread evenly over the baked layer. Sprinkle the reserved 1 – 1/2 cups of crumbs evenly over the top. Return to the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely in a pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Enjoy.
