Creamy Orange Bars
Easy Creamy Orange Bars are a delicious winter dessert made with an oat crust and crumble and an easy two-ingredient filling. These bars are perfect with fresh oranges during dreary winter months to brighten up your day!
While Marc and I are both huge fans of chocolate desserts, I also like to bake with ingredients depending on the season and my cravings. In the winter, especially after Christmas, I’m all about the citrus desserts. Lemon Almond Ricotta Cake, Grapefruit Bars, Orange Carrot Oatmeal Muffins, you name it. I love them all!
While I love a good lemon bar, I decided to switch things up a bit by using orange juice and orange zest.
Ingredients
Butter - in the crust and crumble topping.
Brown Sugar - adds sweetness to the crust and crumble topping.
Old Fashioned Oats - oats add a bit of chew and texture to the crust and crumble topping.
Flour - I use unbleached all-purpose flour.
Baking Powder
Salt and Cinnamon - Salt to bring out the flavor and cinnamon to complement the orange flavor.
Sweetened Condensed Milk - this is the main ingredient in the bar filling.
Orange - orange zest and orange juice are in the filling for maximum
Refer to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy - this recipe comes together super quickly and is very easy to make.
- Flavorful - there is so much flavor in these bars from the orange zest and orange juice!
- Bright and Cheery - these are great to brighten up a dreary winter day.
- Seasonal Produce - these are perfect to make in the winter when citrus is in season!
Step by Step Instructions
Photo 1. In a bowl, add the butter and brown sugar.
Photo 2. Beat together with an electric mixer until creamy, about 1 minute.
Photo 3. Add the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Photo 4. Beat until combined and the mixture resembles large crumbs.
Photo 5. Press ½ of the mixture into a parchment lined 8x8" baking dish.
Photo 6. In a medium bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, orange zest, and orange juice until well combined. Pour over the crust.
Photo 7. Sprinkle the rest of the butter/oat mixture over the orange filling.
Photo 8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-34 minutes. Let them cool completely. Cut into bars and enjoy!
These Creamy Orange Bars are a ray of sunshine on any kind of day and a perfect excuse for a sweet treat!
Expert Tips
The crust and topping are supposed to be crumbly and not dough-like. Press it into the bottom of the pan firmly and you'll be good to go.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Yes these are actually ideal if made in advance, as they are best cold.
Yes, you can easily use grapefruit or lemon zest and juice instead of orange.
Easily! Simply double all of the ingredients and use a 9x13" baking dish.
Other Bar Citrus to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Creamy Orange Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 stick
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- Zest from 1 orange
- ½ cup fresh orange juice from about 2 navel oranges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line 8x8” baking dish with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a bowl with electric mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Add in flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix until crumb mixture forms.
- Press half of the mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, orange zest, and orange juice.
- Pour orange mixture on top of crust.
- Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-32 minutes, until golden on the edges and set in the middle. It will still seem kind of jiggly but it will set up as it cools.
- Cool completely.
- Remove bars from the pan with the foil and peel foil from edges. Cut into bars.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The crust and topping are supposed to be crumbly and not dough-like. Press it into the bottom of the pan firmly and you'll be good to go.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Hi, would like to make this. But how much flour do I need? The recipe says 1? cups all purpose flour. Maybe a typo. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Hi Rachel,
It is 1 1/3 cups of flour - I will fix the recipe now! Thank you for pointing this out to me 🙂
Taylor
Thanks a lot for replying and updating the recipe. Will try to make this.