Cranberry Beet Pie Bars

What to do

Make the crust and topping:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat a 9 x 13 x 12 baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper allowing ends to overhang.
3. In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until a finely ground flour forms, about 20 seconds. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the coconut oil, butter, egg, vanilla, and vanilla seeds and continue to pulse until the mixture just comes together to form a wet and crumbly dough.
4. Press half of the dough firmly into the prepared baking dish to form the crust and set aside.

Make the filling:

1. To a medium saucepan, add the puréed beets, half of the cranberries (2 cups), maple syrup, and cinnamon and cook over medium-high heat.
2. Cook for about 8 minutes, letting the mixture come to a light boil. Once the fruit has produced a loose jam, add the remaining 2 cups of cranberries and stir in the lemon juice and starch. Remove from heat and pour the mixture over the crust.
3. Crumble the remaining dough over the fruit layer and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely, at least 2 to 3 hours before slicing and serving.

*Store the squares in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Best served chilled or at room temp.