These Lemon Cranberry Bars are a perfect balance of sweet and tart. With a brownie consistency, the flavors are delightful and it makes a lovely holiday treat.
Maybe you’ve tried these Rhubarb Dream Bars and Lemon Pie Bars, and it’s time for something new and festive with the holidays just around the corner. These cranberry bars with lemon accents will do the trick.
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Fitz and Floyd Vintage Holiday Cookie Platter
Wilton Recipe Right Non-Stick 13 x 9-Inch Covered Oblong Baking Pan, Set of 2 Pans with Lids
To be honest with you, this was a new flavor combination for me. However, it truly gave my taste buds a run for their money. And that is no exaggeration. It was delicious and my family kept asking if they could have more.
I’m baaaaack. Hey friends, it’s Kelly here again. Just in case we haven’t met, I’m the creator and writer behind the blog, Live Laugh Rowe. We like to celebrate food, life and all things creative.
Before we deep dive into the post, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite bar recipes. Like these Pecan Pie Bars that my husband and I devoured. Oh my goodness, so good.
And on a lighter note, these Skinny Lemon Bars are packed with that lemony zing. The shortbread crust elevates each bite. I might just have to make these again soon (wink-wink).
Back to the recipe. So, the extent to me using dried cranberries consisted of adding them to my chicken salad. Insert facepalm. And fresh cranberries? Well, they only made an appearance in my home as vase fillers at Christmas.
Cranberry sauce is something that I’ve never tried and probably never will. The consistency tends to keep me at bay.
Sweet, Tart, and Festive Dessert Bar
So yet again, I challenged myself to something new. We’ll see what you think.
I did a little hunting on different versions of this recipe — some added white chocolate chips, coconut flakes, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, brown sugar, etc.
Sticking with something a little more basic (and easy) was my goal. Plus, I really wanted the lemon and cranberry to be the star of the show.
While I may not have used a lot of extras, feel free to tweak the recipe to your liking. We’d love to hear what you do — so let us know in the comments below.
Can I bake with fresh cranberries?
Baking with fresh cranberries will give your recipe a juicy and tart flavor. A simple rinse and add them to your ingredients.
When I went to make these, I stared at the bag of fresh cranberries in fear that I was going to do something wrong. I just kept thinking that it couldn’t be as easy as adding them to the dough. Nevertheless, it was “that” easy.
These cranberry bars proved me wrong, they’re incredibly easy to use in recipes — and add some amazing flavor.
In fact, I don’t think this recipe would taste quite the same without the fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries would work too though.
Making Lemon Cranberry Bars
Let’s dive into making this deliciousness. Grab your mixer, a 9×13 pan, and your ingredients. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to pull this recipe together.
Simple ingredients with great results are always key to a successful recipe in my mind.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Then the ingredients come together quickly first beating in a medium bowl the sugar with the butter and lemon zest until fluffy. Next, add the eggs and lemon extract instead of lemon juice.
The dry ingredients are second to last with the cranberries being folded in at the end. Scoop this into a prepared baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes until light brown on the edges and top.
After the bars have been baked let them cool completely and then you can dust them with powdered sugar before serving if you like.
This is a great recipe that everyone will love. Plus, these bars have a great cranberry lemon flavor that so many enjoy for the holidays. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!!
![](https://noshingwiththenolands.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Lemon-Cranberry-Bars_680-250x250.jpg)
Lemon Cranberry Bars
Ingredients
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- Zest from 2 lemons
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries up to 2 cups will work as well
- Powdered sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper. You can also grease the pan if you prefer. However, the parchment paper will make it much easier to remove the bars from the pan.
- Using a mixer, beat together the granulated sugar, butter and lemon zest until it appears light and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon extract and beat well. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries.
- Spoon dough into prepared pan and press it down as best as you can to ensure that it covers the pan in its entirety. If you use your hands, be sure to grease them well due to the sticky consistency of the dough. It won't look perfect but will bake together nicely.
- Bake 35-40 minutes. Mine baked for 35 minutes in a gas stove. The edges and top will have some light browning.
- Allow to cool completely. Remove parchment paper and bars from pan. Peel away the parchment paper and dust with powdered sugar (optional)
- Cut into bars and serve.
Comments & Reviews
Trixy says
Don’t have lemon extract, could I use lemon juice instead and how much, if so??
Tara Noland says
I wouldn’t add much lemon juice as it will change the recipe, you could use 1-2 tsp. You could add more zest but I think you will be fine without the extract.
Jen says
Cranberry orange is a flavor combo I love ….think I’ll try swapping it out for lemon !! Can’t wait to try it!
Tara Noland says
Yes, definitely orange is great with cranberries too, enjoy!!
Bertha says
I made these for a senior gathering, everyone loved them. These freeze very well. I will make them again since I have one more bag of cranberries.
Tara Noland says
That is awesome!! Enjoy!! Happy Holidays!!
Marian says
Loved these bars. Easy to make and taste great even without the powdered sugar. I used 1.5 cups of fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped.
Chantal says
Can you freeze these squares? They are excellent. Made them numerous times and they are always a big hit.
Tara Noland says
Yes, I would say they would freeze very well. Enjoy!!
Lynn Nizan says
How would you store to serve the next day?
Tara Noland says
Store them in an air-tight container layered with wax paper. Refrigerate and bring them to room temperature before serving.
Heidi says
These lemon cranberry bars are amazing. I used gluten free flour and they turned out perfect. I went out and bought more cranberries so I could make them again. Have you tired other fruits? I will run out of cranberries soon…
Tara Noland says
So glad you like them, I have not tried other fruit but the combination of blueberries and lemon is perfect for spring!!
Mona says
Any suggestions for using dried cranberries instead of fresh cranberries in this recipe? I have a lot of dried cranberries that I’d like to use up.
Tara Noland says
I would just change it up and use them dried without altering anything else. So use 1/2 to 1 cup of dried cranberries. Enjoy!!
Paula B says
Just bought two bags of fresh cranberries and am ready for some baking. Would you believe the grocery stores had little or no fresh cranberries last Christmas – hello, this was in Massachusetts! One quick question, have you halved this recipe? I am baking in smaller quantities with this pandemic holiday. I was wondering how long to bake the bars if I did cut the ingredients down and used an 8 inch square pan. The bars sound yummy, looking forward to making them.
Tara Noland says
So happy you are making our cranberry squares!! I haven’t reduced this recipe before. I would start checking at 25 minutes and go from there, you will probably be closer to 30 minutes but that is just a guess. Tell me when you have baked them, please.
Bianca Dottin says
These looks perfect for the holidays!
Natalie says
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s super simple and so delicious. Very festive too. I can’t wait to make this.
Toni says
My family really loved it!
Ruth I says
This is new for me. I haven’t tried this and I am now craving for it. Looks delicious and enticing!
Catalina says
This is so delicious! I go crazy ove the cranberry flavor!
Ladena says
These look great! I love desserts with cranberries in them. I’m going to try to make this this weekend!
Heather says
Two of our favorite flavors in one yummy bar! I can’t wait to make these.
Karen says
Great holiday recipe!!
Karen
Stacie says
I am SO making these for Thanksgiving. The flavor is just perfect for the season.
Tara Pittman says
These look so yummy. I need to make these for my family.
Fern says
It’s up in the blog. A 9×13 pan. I had to look for it also.
Louise says
I may have missed it, but what size pan please.
Fern says
It’s up in the blog. A 9×13 pan. I had to look for it also.
Kelly Rowe says
Hi Louise. It’s a 13×9 pan. Enjoy!
Tara Noland says
I will add that too the recipe, sorry about that.