Cranberry Pretzel Oat Crumble Bars

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 cup crushed pretzels (save remaining 1/4 cup for topping). Next, add butter cubes and applesauce to the bowl. Use your hands to mix and squish the wet and dry ingredients together completely until a wet crumbly mixture forms.

Add about 3 cups of crumble mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers to press the mixture into the pan, forming the base layer. Next, spread cranberry sauce in an even layer over the base. Finally, alternate sprinkling the remaining crumble mixture and 1/4 cup pretzels over the cranberry sauce. Lightly press the topping into the cranberry sauce.

Bake in the preheated 350F oven for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let the bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and continue cooling to room temperature (or chill in the fridge) before cutting.

Cut into 12 bars. Serve once cooled and cut. Store leftover bars in an airtight container or wrapped in foil on the counter for up to 5 days.