Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bars & Easy Chia Jam

Cranberry orange bars smothered with fresh chia jam makes for a lovely breakfast, snack for a toddler, or coffee sidekick. Sweet, dried cranberries get mixed into a simple batter of almond and teff flour along with orange juice and dried orange peel. Naturally gluten free, plus full of fiber and nutrients. Even better, everything comes together within the time it takes the oven to pre-heat.

I found inspiration for this recipe from a few places. One being, it’s wintertime and the stores are flooded with citrus. I love finding ways to use the most of a food item. Instead of throwing away the orange peels, I let them dry on a paper towel for about 2 weeks and then blitzed them up. I continued to add to the orange peel paper towel system for about a month and ended up with a 4 oz jar of homemade orange peel.

The sweet and tart flavor combo of orange and cranberry work so well together. Cranberries are native to North America and have been used in recipes by indigenous tribes for hundreds of years. I find inspiration in ingredients that are native to the land I call home. American cuisine is rather a melting pot, pushing to import product from a country a thousand miles away, while often ignoring the treasures naturally thriving right here. I wish when people thought of American food they were reminded of the cranberry bogs in Massachusetts, streams of wild rice in Wisconsin or rows of corn in Iowa. Instead, most think of a familiar red and yellow sign.

Flour Breakdown.

An equal amount of almond flour and teff flour make up the dough for the cranberry orange grain bars.

Teff flour is an ancient grain popular in Ethiopian dishes. It’s nutty and cooks up much like oatmeal. It’s fiber rich and will not spike your blood sugar like some wheat products might do.

Almond flour is made from almonds and nothing more. It is higher in protein and low in carbs. It can feel a little gritty so I like to mix it with other flours. The taste is mildly sweet and nutty, complimenting teff flour.

Recipe Key Ingredients

Using the same ingredient prepared in two ways gives the grain bars the best of both worlds. This recipe utilizes sweet, juicy dried cranberries, accompanied by tart, full bodied fresh cranberries. Orange peel in the batter and sprinkled on top adds a burst of citrus, while the balanced tang and sweetness of orange juice ensures a moist, light tasting bar.

Ground cardamom is in the same family as ginger. Being spicy and having an affinity toward sweet and savory runs in their family. A little goes a long way but do not leave it out. It adds a warmth and mild sweetness.

Maple Syrup. In mid-February to early March, my stove just about always has a pot of sap boiling away. The sugar maple in my backyard gives us over 30 gallons of sap. One 5.5qt stock pot full of sap equates to about 3 tbsp maple syrup. Yes, really. The end product is so out of this world delicious that, in my opinion, it’s worth it. I did vow to cut the tree down once when I burned the syrup so bad that the pot even had to be thrown away. I still think about that pot sometimes. Maple syrup makes in an appearance in the batter and again in the chia jam. Honey also works, but I do prefer the balanced sweetness of maple syrup.

Helpful Tips

-An 8×8 baking pan is recommended for this recipe.

-Grease with lard, butter or cooking spray. This is important if you want it to easily come out the pan in one piece.

-When removing from the pan, let cool a few minutes and then place a cutting board on the top of the pan and then flip onto cutting board. From there, take another cutting board, or serving tray and do the same thing.

– Smother the top with chia jam when everything is still warm for easy spreading.

Easy Chia Seed Jam

The topping for the cranberry orange bars couldn’t be easier and a better match. Start with frozen cranberries and drop them in a hot pan. Their juices will start to release rather quickly. Combine with maple syrup, a dash of orange juice, vanilla extract and chia seeds and that’s all. Keep the heat at a low/medium. Break up the cranberries with a wooden spoon and stir to encourage the mixture to thicken. Once everything is starting to look harmonious, place in a jar and mix with a fork vigorously, to break up the cranberries. It is okay if it looks like a watery consistency. The chia seeds will expand as it sits, creating the quick and easy jam dreams are made of.