Cranberry Lemon Bars

These Cranberry Lemon Bars layer silky lemon custard and sweet-tart cranberry sauce over a buttery shortbread crust. With their bright flavor and beautiful layers, they're a festive make-ahead dessert for the holidays or whenever a cranberry craving strikes!

Fresh cranberries are not available often enough, in my opinion. That's why when they are in stores, I grab a couple extra bags to keep in the freezer.

I never know when I'll get the urge to make something that features their sweet-tart goodness, like Glazed Orange Cranberry Bread. And let's not forget their classic use in homemade cranberry sauce!

I also love lemon bars, especially when updated to add other flavors, like my Lemon Lime Bars with Mint.

So it stands to reason that introducing cranberries into lemon bars will produce something delicious. Friends, that's what these Cranberry Lemon Bars are all about.

With their bright, sweet-tart flavor and buttery shortbread crust, these colorful bars are a festive addition to any holiday dessert table. And with frozen cranberries, you can enjoy them all year long!

Recipe ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make this Cranberry Lemon Bars recipe:

Ingredient Notes

Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen whole cranberries, NOT dried cranberries to make the cranberry layer. Frozen cranberries do not need to be thawed before using. For the best flavor and texture, I wouldn't recommend using canned cranberry sauce - making your own is quick and easy!

This is also a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving - you'll need about 1¼ cups to make the cranberry layer thick enough.

Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice will give you the best flavor - I recommend it over the bottled kind. Also, if you want the crust to have extra lemon flavor, include some lemon zest (not pictured) as you make the shortbread dough.

Butter: The better the butter, the better the shortbread. If you can, use the best quality butter you can get.

See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to make Cranberry Lemon Bars

Step 1: Make the shortbread

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cooled melted butter, sugar, lemon zest (if using), and salt. Stir in the flour and mix to form a soft dough (photo 1).

Transfer the shortbread dough into a 9- x 9-inch baking pan lined with two pieces of parchment paper placed perpendicular to each other.

Press the dough evenly into the pan, making sure to get the dough all the way into the corners, then refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Make the cranberry layer

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, water, and sugar. Bring the cranberry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally at first and then constantly as the cranberries cook, mashing any whole berries as they cook (photo 3).

The sauce should be thick and jammy, with no watery liquid pooling around the berries. It will thicken further as it cools.

Transfer the cranberry sauce into a small bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Carefully pour the lemon custard on top of the cranberry layer. You can pour the lemon custard slowly over the back of a spoon, holding it just above the cranberry layer. This helps distribute the liquid gently without disturbing the sauce underneath.

Tap the pan a couple of times on the counter to release the trapped air.

Bake the bars at 325 °F for 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is set around the edges with only a slight wobble in the center.

Crack the oven door and allow the bars to cool gradually in the oven for 1 hour (photo 6). The residual heat will continue cooking it during the slow cooling period.

Remove the bars from the oven and cool to room temperature, then chill for 1 hour.

Storage and make-ahead instructions

Storage instructions: Store the bars in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. They also can be frozen, cut into squares but without the powdered sugar dusting, for up to 4 months. Wrap the frozen bars in plastic wrap and store in an airtight bag. Thaw in the refrigerator for an hour or two, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Make-ahead instructions: You can make the cranberry sauce several days ahead, or use leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving (if your leftover cranberry sauce is chunky, mash it down a bit before using).

And of course, a generous dusting with powdered sugar will cover imperfections or disappearing topping. And no matter what they look like, these bars will taste fabulous!