Cranberry curd bars are just like a typical lemon bar except with cranberries. A homemade cranberry curd baked over a shortbread cookie crust. It is sweet and sour and the perfect dessert.

I had a scramble for a Thanksgiving themed dessert this year.

Last year I made snickerdoodle blondies. They were a hit.

The year before that I made cranberry cheesecake bars. It is hard to live up to those, in my opinion.

Bars are my easy dessert of choice these days.

They are easy to transport and you usually have all the ingredients already at home or readily available.

This year I was toying with a cranberry crumble bar.

I saw a lot of recipes already floating around the web for those.

Then I thought, why doesn’t anybody make cranberry bars instead of lemon bars?

Lightbulb!

Cranberries are tart and a little sour so it’s the holiday version of the summery lemon bar.

Now, this recipe is two parts so it may seem a little complicated.

The first step of the recipe is to make the shortbread cookie crust.

It is easy.

Just blend together butter, sugar, and flour with a little pinch of cinnamon.

press it into a square baking pan and bake until golden.

Now here is when the little bit of elbow grease comes in.

To make the curd you need:

• 3 cups frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup of sugar
• pinch of salt
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 stick of unsalted butter

Cook the cranberries and water over medium heat until they pop and you smash them all into a jammy situation.

Then it goes through a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl to chill.

Mix in the sugar, salt, and all the eggs.

Return it to the heat. 

Keep mixing until the curd gets thick and reaches 150 degrees F.

Mix in the butter.

Get out your handy strainer again.

Strain out any random bits of cooked egg out of the curd.

Pour the curd over the crust and bake for 15ish minutes until it isn’t super jiggly in the center.

Like I said earlier, it is an easy recipe, it just requires some work.

Make them the day before you need them and chill them until it is time for dessert.

Cut into squares and top with lots of powdered sugar.

Move aside lemon bars!

Cranberry Curd Bars

Yield: 16 Bars

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Tart cranberry curd baked on a shortbread cookie crust.

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Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of sugar
• For the curd:
• 3 cups frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
• powdered sugar, for finishing

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Add the flour, sugar, salt, cold butter, and cinnamon to a medium mixing bowl. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the crust dough together until the butter is the size of small peas or pebbles.
3. Transfer the contents of the bowl to the prepared pan. Use you fingers to press the crust into the baking dish until it is one smooth layer. Bake for 20 minutes until golden on the edges.
4. To make the curd, add the cranberries and water to a medium pot over medium/high heat. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until all the cranberries burst. Use your spoon to help mash them up as they break.
5. Once all the cranberries are burst, place a fine wire mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the cranberries into the strainer. Use the back of the wooden spoon to press the cranberries back and forth until only the thick pulp and seeds remain. Transfer the bowl with strained cranberries to the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
6. WASH THE POT & STRAINER YOU JUST USED! You will need them again later.
7. Whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, and lemon juice into the bowl with the cranberries. Once combined add back to the pot over medium heat.
8. Continuously whisk or use a rubber spatula to stir, the curd over the heat until it thickens and reaches 150 degrees F.
9. Once it comes together and reaches the temp, remove from heat and mix in the butter.
10. Line a medium heatproof with a fine mesh strainer. Pout the curd through the strainer to remove any cooked egg bits or big pieces of cranberry.
11. Pour the curd over the crust. Bake in the oven on the top, medium rack until the center is no longer super jiggly, about 10-15 minutes.
12. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cutting, but for best results chill overnight.
13. Once cut, top with powdered sugar before serving.

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Cranberry curd bars are here to stay!Recipe originally from The Kitchn.