My Lemon-Cranberry Bars Are Famous Among My Family

It’s a sweet-tart way to end a holiday meal. Alex Lepe/TCA

There are those who only swear by chocolate desserts, but a bright citrus dessert wins out in my book any day. I love classic lemon bars, with their buttery shortbread cookie crust and lemon curd-like filling. Around the holidays, I like to shake things up by giving them a festive twist. Meet: Lemon-cranberry bars.

Spreading some cranberry onto the crust (made from canned cranberry sauce!) adds a vibrantly colored, sweet-tart layer to all the deliciousness that’s already there. Bring a tray of these to your next gathering and I promise you they’ll be one of the first desserts to disappear from the table.

Why You’ll Love It

• Lemon bars get a festive twist. Cranberries add a sweet-tart, brightly colored layer to traditional lemon bars, and you only need to buy canned cranberry sauce for it.
• It’s a perfect little bite or edible gift. Cut small squares if you’re serving these bars as part of a dessert spread, or cut them into bigger pieces, wrap in parchment, and gift some lucky friends a delicious treat.

Key Ingredients in Lemon-Cranberry Bars

• Lemons: To get the best lemon-y flavor into the bars, use both zest and freshly squeezed juice in the filling. Get four medium lemons, and try to buy organic if you can, as you’ll be using the zest.
• Whole berry cranberry sauce: Yup, the canned stuff served at Thanksgiving dinner with turkey makes for an easy cranberry layer in these bars. Get a whole berry one so that there are juicy pieces of cranberry, and serve the leftover sauce in the can with some turkey meatballs.
• Eggs: These help to add richness and set the lemon filling. You’ll need four that are at room temperature.
• Butter: Softened unsalted butter gives the crust a delicious flavor and shortbread-like texture.

Helpful Swaps

You can use smooth jellied cranberry sauce in place of the whole berry cranberry sauce (here are our favorite brands for both kinds of canned cranberry sauce).

Lemon-Cranberry Bars

Serves 16

For the 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
• For the cranberry layer, lemon filling, and serving:
• 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
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Make the crust:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degree F. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking pan (at least two inches high) with cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides with two sheets of parchment paper positioned perpendicular to each other so that there is parchment overhanging on all four sides. Lightly spray between the sheets if needed to keep the paper in place.

2. Beat one stick room-temperature unsalted butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula.

3. Beat in 1 cup all-purpose flour on the lowest speed just until a crumbly dough forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer to the baking pan and use your hands or the bottom of a flat measuring cup dusted with flour to press it into an even layer.

4. Bake until the crust is golden-brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. A few minutes before the crust is ready, make the lemon filling.

Assemble and bake the lemon bars:

1. Whisk four room-temperature large eggs, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl until smooth. Sift 1/2 cup all-purpose flour through a fine-mesh strainer over the mixture and whisk until smooth and combined.

2. When the crust is ready, immediately dollop and spread 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce onto the crust in an even layer while it is still hot. Very slowly pour the lemon filling (rewhisk first if needed) over the back of a large spoon evenly over the cranberry layer, being careful not to disturb the cranberry layer too much (a few pieces of cranberry may float; that’s OK).

3. Bake until the filling is set and does not jiggle anymore, 30 to 35 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the lemon layer is set, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

4. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the slab out of the baking pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 16 pieces, dipping the knife in hot water and wiping it dry between each cut for the cleanest-looking pieces if desired. Right before serving, place some powdered sugar in a fine-mesh strainer and generously dust over the lemon bars in an even layer.

Recipe Notes

• The bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days; the crust will soften over time and the powdered sugar will be absorbed.
• To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap, place in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to four months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 hour or at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar again before serving.

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