Best Cranberry Lemon Bars Recipe (Holiday Favorite!) Recipe
These Best Cranberry Lemon Bars are a holiday favorite with distinct, clean layers of buttery shortbread crust, a tart cranberry jam layer, and a bright lemon custard topping. Perfectly balanced sweet and tangy flavors come together in a beautifully layered bar that’s chilled to set and dusted with powdered sugar for a festive finish.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars (cut into 4x4 squares) 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Crust
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
Cranberry Layer
- 8 ounces fresh cranberries (or frozen, not thawed—about 2 cups)
- ½ cup water
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
Lemon Custard Layer
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, room temperature for best results
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 large lemons—never use bottled)
Topping
- Powdered sugar for dusting before serving
Instructions
- Prepare the cranberry layer: Rinse and sort cranberries. Combine cranberries, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan, bring to boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Cover with splatter screen, stir occasionally then constantly as it simmers for 10-15 minutes until cranberry mixture is thick and jammy. Set aside to cool at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven and prepare pan: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper leaving overhangs for easy removal, and coat with butter or nonstick spray to prevent sticking.
- Make the shortbread crust: In a bowl, mix melted butter, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Stir in flour until a thick dough forms. Press evenly and firmly into bottom of pan with no thin spots.
- Bake the crust: Bake 16-18 minutes until edges lightly golden. Remove and poke all over with fork to release steam. Let cool about 20 minutes on wire rack until barely warm.
- Prepare lemon custard: Whisk together flour and sugar, then add eggs and whisk smooth. Stir in fresh lemon juice until fully combined and slightly frothy. Set aside at room temperature.
- Layer cranberry filling: Pour cooled cranberry mixture evenly over shortbread crust. Refrigerate for 45 minutes to firm up cranberry layer and prevent mixing with custard.
- Add lemon custard and bake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour lemon custard gently over chilled cranberry layer. Bake 43-45 minutes until center is set and does not jiggle.
- Cool gradually: Cool bars at room temperature for 1 hour, then chill in refrigerator 1-2 hours until firm for clean cutting.
- Cut and serve: Lift bars out with parchment overhang. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares using sharp knife, wiping blade between cuts. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice, never bottled, for best bright lemon flavor.
- Use fresh or frozen cranberries, never dried or canned cranberry sauce for correct texture.
- Room temperature eggs help ensure smooth custard without curdling.
- Cooling each layer completely before adding the next prevents bleeding of layers.
- Poking crust before adding cranberry layer prevents puffing during baking.
- Keeping cranberry layer chilled before adding lemon custard prevents mixing and keeps layers distinct.
- Chilling bars after baking ensures they cut cleanly without crumbling.
Keywords: cranberry lemon bars, holiday dessert, layered lemon bars, cranberry dessert bars, lemon custard bars, shortbread crust bars, festive dessert
