Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars

The cranberry sauce in these Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars will add a festive color to your dessert table.

And these easy bars also make great homemade holiday gifts!

The whole berry cranberry sauce adds a nice and subtle tangy and sweet taste, which make them the perfect treat for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

All the ingredients can be prepared in about 15 minutes, but these bars need to be baked twice.

The first bake time is only 20 minutes and it's for the bottom crust only while the second baking contains all the ingredients. So plan accordingly.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14-ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1/4 cup lemon juice from concentrate
1 (16-ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly greast a 13x9-inch baking pan and set aside.
In large bowl, beat the flour, oats, 3/4 cup sugar and butter until crumbly.
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture and press remaining mixture firmly into bottom of prepared baking pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
Gradually beat in sweetened codensed milk.
Stir in lemon juice.
Spread mixture over baked crust.
In a small bowl, combine cranberry sauce, cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
Spoon cranberry sauce mixture over cream cheese layer.
Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top of cranberry layer.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden.
Cool pan and cut bars into desired size and shape.
Store covered bars in refrigerator.