I first became obsessed with crumb-topped bars when I discovered Whole Foods' caramelita bar, a decadent mixture of chocolate, caramel, pecans, sugar and butter. Definitely not vegan, and not all that good for you either. If made with real fruit, the jelly crumb bars at least hit one of the healthier food groups. This vegan version of the recipe takes advantage of the wonder that is Earth Balance and combines it with homemade cranberry jelly, dried cranberries and cashews.

2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ¼ cups vegan "butter" (Earth Balance)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup chopped cashews

½ cup chopped dried cranberries

1)
1 ½ cups cranberry jelly (I made from scratch, from back of cranberry bag: boil 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar. Add 1 12-oz package of whole cranberries and return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put through a ricer/sieve/wire mesh strainer to collect the jelly part. Cool slightly).

2)
Grease a 9X13 glass dish and preheat oven to 350F (177F). Beat the top seven ingredients together until crumbly, about 1 minute. Remove 2 cups and place in a medium-sized bowl. With the rest of the crumb mixture, press into the glass dish and bake uncovered for ten minutes.

3)
In the bowl with 2 cups of the crumb mixture, add the ½ cup chopped cashews to this and mix. In a small bowl, stir the jelly and dried cranberries together. Spread the jelly mixture onto the crumb mixture and top with the cashew mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Yum!