Cranberry Clementine Coconut Bars

Cranberry Clementine Coconut Bars: 

(Indulge in a something sweet for breakfast this morning.)

      Ingredients:

      Crust and Topping:

• 1 cup sliced almonds, divided
• ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil, softened if necessary according to package instructions
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut chips

       Filling:

• 5 cups cranberries, divided
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup freshly squeezed clementine juice (save the zest)
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup chopped peeled clementine
• 1 ½ teaspoons clementine zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

       Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Make the Crust and Topping: Combine ¾ cup almonds, whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, ½ cup sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the almonds are ground. Add coconut oil and pulse until completely blended in. Whisk egg, sunflower or canola oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and almond extract in a small dish until combined. Turn on processor and drizzle egg mixture through the feed tube and continue processing and then pulsing, scraping down the sides a few times until the mixture becomes crumbly. {Note: the crumbs will be loose, but if you squeeze them together with your hand it will clump together.]
3. Reserve ½ cup of the crumb mixture and mix in a bowl with the remaining almonds. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish and set aside.
4. Make the filling: Stir 3 cups cranberries, ¾ cup sugar, clementine juice and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until very thick, about 5 minutes total. Stir in the remaining 2 cups cranberries, chopped clementine, zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
5. Spread the cranberry filling over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the top. Scatter the coconut chips over the topping and transfer to the oven. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue cooking until the filling bubbles and the topping is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Cool completely before cutting.

(image and content via healthy seasonal recipes)