Cranberry bars

These easy cranberry bars, with a sweet and buttery shortbread crust, cranberry filling, and delicious crumble topping, make a perfect dessert that combines sweet and tart flavors.

Why you should try these cranberry squares

• Balance of flavors – The combination of tart cranberries with the sweet, crumbly dough creates a balance of flavors in every bite. And the hint of lemon zest in the dough binds all parts of this cranberry dessert together.
• Festive look – Just like these Red velvet brownies, these cranberry squares not only taste amazing but also add a festive touch to any occasion. Their vibrant red filling and golden crumbly topping make them visually appealing for holiday gatherings or special celebrations. 
• Easy to make – If you have a stand mixer or a hand mixer, go ahead and use them to make the cranberry crumble dough. However, it’s totally doable to make it with just a mixing bowl and a metal whisk.

What cranberries to use

This Cranberry bars recipe can be made with frozen or fresh cranberries. I used wild lingonberries that I picked in the forest myself, which belong to the same family as cranberries. They are smaller in size but identical in flavor, so they are interchangeable.

If you use frozen cranberries, there's no need to thaw them. Place them in your saucepan and cook according to the instructions.

If you are all about cranberries this time of the year, you can also try this Chocolate bark and Cranberry walnut bread made with dried cranberries.

Other ingredients you will need

• Granulated sugar – Can be replaced with the same amount of brown sugar.
• Lemon juice and lemon zest – Alternately, use orange zest and orange juice of one medium orange.
• Vanilla extract
• Cornstarch
• Flour – Use all-purpose flour to make these cranberry crumb bars.
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Butter – You’ll need unsalted butter at room temperature.
• Powdered sugar
• Egg at room temperature

Cooking tips

• Cook the cranberry filling enough to eliminate starchy flavor. Any cream or filling that has cornstarch as an ingredient needs to be cooked long enough to remove any starchy aftertaste. I recommend taste-testing your filling after cooking it for 2 minutes. If you still can feel starch in your mouth, cook the filling for one or two extra minutes.
• Don’t overmix the dough. When combining the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients for the dough, be cautious not to overmix. Overmixing can lead to a tougher texture, so mix just until the dough forms a clumpy texture for the best results. It will also help you to make crumble topping without a problem.
• Don’t spread the filling edge to edge. When layering the cranberry filling on the dough, leave a small border untouched. This will help prevent the filling from spilling over the edges during baking.
• Allow to cool down before slicing. Allow the cranberry bars to cool down to room temperature in the pan before slicing them. This allows the filling to set and ensures clean, neat slices when you cut into them.

How to make cranberry bars

Preparing the cranberry filling

1. In a saucepan, combine all the cranberry filling ingredients.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens, and the starchy aftertaste disappears.
4. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Making the dough

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
2. Cream the butter and sugar using a hand mixer or a metal whisk just until smooth and well combined.
3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, then beat just until combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients until no dry ingredients are left and the dough has a clumpy texture.

Baking cranberry crumble bars

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a 9” x 13” (23cm x 33cm) baking pan with parchment paper so the bottom and the sides are covered.
2. Take ⅔ of the dough and press it onto the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the dough is no longer shiny and it just starts picking a golden color on the sides.
4. Remove from the oven and spread the cranberry filling on top of the dough leaving ½” (1cm) border untouched.
5. Take the rest of the dough and spread it on top, creating a crumbly topping.
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden on top of the crumbles and the filling is bubbly.
7. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down in the pan to room temperature.

Possible variations

• Icing sugar – You can make a sugar icing recipe from my Lemon poppy seed muffins page and drizzle it on top of completely cooled cranberry lemon bars.
• Melted chocolate – To sweeten up these fresh cranberry bars, you can melt white chocolate and drizzle it on top of the squares.
• Almond flour – Reduce the all-purpose flour to 300g and add 40g of finely blanched almond flour to add a nutty flavor and tender texture to the crust.

FAQ

More dessert recipes you may like

Christmas bundt cake

Cranberry orange muffins

Saffron buns

Recipe card

Cranberry bars

These easy cranberry bars, with a sweet and buttery shortbread crust, cranberry filling, and delicious crumble topping, make a perfect dessert that combines sweet and tart flavors.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 14 servings

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Anna

Ingredients

For the cranberry filling

• 300 g cranberries fresh or frozen
• 100 g white granulated sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 15 g cornstarch

For the dough

• 340 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 200 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 115 g powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Lemon zest of one lemon
• 1 large egg at room temperature

MetricUS Customary

Instructions

Cranberry filling

• In a saucepan, combine all the cranberry filling ingredients.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
• Taste the filling (be careful, it’s hot!) to ensure there's no starchy flavor or aftertaste. If needed, continue to cook for a couple more minutes.
• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

The dough

• In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar using a hand mixer or a metal whisk just until smooth and well combined.
• Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, then beat just until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula, or you can use a pastry knife or a fork until no dry ingredients are left and the dough has a clumpy texture. Do not mix it until it’s smooth and homogeneous in texture.

Baking instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a 9” x 13” (23cm x 33cm) baking pan with parchment paper so the bottom and the sides are covered.
• Take ⅔ of the dough and press it onto the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the dough is no longer shiny and it just starts picking a golden color on the sides.
• Remove from the oven and spread the cranberry filling on top of the dough leaving a ½” (1cm) border untouched.
• Take the rest of the dough and spread it on top, creating a crumbly topping.
• Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden on top of the crumbles and the filling is bubbly.
• Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down in the pan to room temperature.
• Remove from the pan, cut into squares, and serve.

Video

Notes

Store leftovers in the fridge for one week.

Store the dough in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Cranberry bars

Serving Size

 

1 serving

Amount per Serving

Calories

271

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

12

g

18

%

Saturated Fat

 

7

g

44

%

Trans Fat

 

0.5

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

42

mg

14

%

Sodium

 

121

mg

5

%

Potassium

 

52

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

38

g

13

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

16

g

18

%

Protein

 

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

 

387

IU

8

%

Vitamin C

 

3

mg

4

%

Calcium

 

28

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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