Cranberry Shortbread Bars

Cranberry Shortbread Bars make a delicious treat for the holidays and are the perfect way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce.

The holidays are here! Can you believe it! With all the holiday dinners, cranberry sauce is sure to make an appearance at the dinner table. I love the pop of color it adds plus it helps to offset the richness from the other dishes.

Do you always find that you have cranberry sauce leftover though? If you’re looking for another way to use up any of the leftover sauce, these Cranberry Shortbread Bars make a delightful treat and go perfectly with a nice cup of tea.

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

They start off with an easy shortbread cookie base that you bake for around 15 minutes.

Once the dough has cooled slightly, spread a layer of cranberry sauce over and pop it back in the oven for another 7 minutes.

Allow them to cool slightly then slice them up into bars. As much as I love making cookies around the holidays, bars are SO much easier to make and transport.

These fresh cranberry sauce adds a bit of sweetness as well as some tartness to balance out the rich, buttery crust.

These Cranberry Shortbread bars would make a festive treat and perfect for any holiday dessert table. 

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Cranberry Shortbread Bars

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Buttery shortbread bars topped with a sweet and slightly tart cranberry sauce makes a delicious treat for the holidays.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Holiday

Keyword: christmas desserts, holiday dessert recipes, thanksgiving dessert ideas

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 238 kcal

Ingredients

Shortbread Bars:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

• 3 cups apple cranberry sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F Degrees.
2. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside
3. In a medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy.
4. Add vanilla extract, and slowly mix flour until just combined.
5. Press shortbread dough in prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
6. Let cool slightly before adding topping.

7. Spread cranberry topping (see notes for a link to recipe) smoothly over shortbread with a spatula.

8. Return to oven and bake for another 7-8 minutes.
9. Cool completely in pan prior to cutting into bar or placed in fridge to speed up the cooling process. Lift out of the pan using parchment paper. Cut into squares before serving.
10. Stored in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes

Shortbread Bars adapted from Taste of Home

You can find the apple cranberry sauce recipe here

Nutrition Facts

Cranberry Shortbread Bars

Amount Per Serving (1 bar (1/12 recipe))

Calories 238 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 9g 45%

Cholesterol 40mg 13%

Sodium 2mg 0%

Potassium 26mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 22g 7%

Sugars 6g

Protein 2g 4%

Vitamin A 9.5%

Calcium 0.8%

Iron 5.4%

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

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Apple Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Bliss Sheet Cake

Easy No-Bake Pumpkin Icebox Cake