Cranberry Lemonade Bars

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I am so excited to share this wonderful recipe with you! These tart and refreshing bars are bright, festive and absolutely delicious. As if the lemon flavor on it’s own wasn’t perfectly sour enough, the crisp and tart cranberries add a perfect tang. These would be great on a spread that also included richer items like brownies, cookies, candy etc. Something about these tricks my mind and stomach into thinking that I’m not eating large portions of dessert. Bad news for my “wedding diet.” (I use that term soooo loosely.)

You may remember I made a version of these over the summer for my dessert party. Those were Strawberry Lemonade Bars and they were amazing. With these, I wanted to give them a holiday twist, so I added some fresh cranberries and a touch more sugar. I was a little nervous as they baked, but I am so happy with how they turned out. In fact, I’m bringing them with me tomorrow so that I can hopefully end up dumping them on whoever I happen to run into. They’re just too dangerous :)

Cranberry Lemonade Bars

Ingredients

  • Crust
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Filling
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2-3 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

Begin by making the crust:

  1. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until smooth and fluffy. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. Pour into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for about 17 minutes, until set at the edges.
  2. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a small saucepan, simmer the cranberries with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir frequently until they have softened and begin to burst. (about 5 minutes.) ?In the bowl of a food processor, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, 3/4 cup of the softened cranberries, sugar and eggs and process until smooth.
  3. Add in flour, baking powder and salt, then pulse until smooth.
  4. Gently pour the filling over the hot crust when it has finished baking.
  5. Return pan to oven and bake for 23-26 minutes, until the filling is set .?Cool completely before slicing and use a damp knife to ensure clean slices.? Store bars in the refrigerator.
  6. Note: A light crust forms on the top of these bars- I didn't think they looked right at first, but it's totally normal. :)
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

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Adapted from: Baking Bites

21 Comments

  1. I recently saw a lemonade bar on Pinterest and was going to wait til the summer to make it…now you have me wanting these!

  2. Wow, for once I’m not tempted ;) i don’t like sour/bitter foods, and cranberries and lemonade are both no-nos. Now, my wife *loves* these things and I may have to make a batch for her!
    Also, these are *gorgeous* – absolutely stunning!

  3. Wowzers…my favorite dessert…lemon squares…all decked out in holiday red, via the cranberry addition…Any possibility of using frozen cranberries…or the small varietal “areille” we find here in Europe, again frozen?…Love your blog…you have the best wedding photographer I have ever seen….(helps to have gorgeous subjects)..and are creative in such a consistent, humourous way…You have saved me…as well as I’m sure …the vast majority of your readers… from many “What the heck can I bake for brunch or dessert” situations…

  4. Pretty!
    Ive never tasted cranberries but im assuming these bars must be an amazing combination of sweet and sour.. would love to try these when ever I come to USA.. No cranberries in our part of the world :(

  5. Aw, thank you so much for your kind words!

    Yes- I think frozen cranberries would be just fine. I’d suggest cooking them the same way, and just measuring out 3/4 cup before adding them to the mixture.

    You could also use Strawberries or Raspberries :)

  6. Wow! These might be the best recipe I’ve seen all day. I can’t wait to try them. Too bad fresh cranberries are impossible to find in Spain (but I’m going home to Massachusetts for a week so I won’t have any problems!) Amazing blog!

  7. Thank you so much! And if you ever want to make these in Spain you could use another berry! :)

  8. I’m sorry to say that I’m going to have to confiscate all of your bars for “Quality” testing. These look simply amazing. Thank you so much for posting this. I’ll have to give these a whirl.

    Chef Felisha

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