Description
Delightfully tart and sweet, these Lemon-Cranberry Bars combine a buttery crust with a zesty lemon filling swirled with whole berry cranberry sauce, making them a perfect festive dessert for holidays or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- Cooking spray
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Filling
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 1 medium lemon)
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4 medium lemons)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce
Topping
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare the Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and lightly dust it with flour to prevent sticking.
- Make the Crust: In a mixing bowl, cream together the unsalted butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 cup flour, mixing until just combined. Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking dish to form the crust.
- Bake the Crust: Bake the crust in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is lightly golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Prepare the Filling: In another bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar until well combined. Stir in the lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 cup flour, mixing until smooth and without lumps.
- Combine Cranberry Sauce: Gently fold the whole berry cranberry sauce into the lemon filling, smoothing it on top of the baked crust evenly.
- Bake the Bars: Return the filled baking dish to the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set and slightly golden around the edges.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Once cooled, dust the top generously with powdered sugar, cut into 16 squares, and serve.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for better mixing and texture.
- Fresh lemon juice works best for bright flavor, but bottled lemon juice can be used in a pinch.
- Swirl or light fold the cranberry sauce to create pretty patterns in the filling.
- You can substitute fresh cranberries cooked down with sugar if canned cranberry sauce is unavailable.
- These bars keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 237 kcal
- Sugar: 28.5 g
- Sodium: 138 mg
- Fat: 7.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 3.0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
