Cranberry Bars

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature

Filling

  • 1 14-ounce canned cranberry sauce smooth or whole berries
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

 

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare an 8×8 pan by lining it with parchment leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides and then spraying the parchment with pan spray. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the butter and mix until combined. You may need to use a hand mixer or clean hands to fully combined the ingredients.
  • Press about ⅔-½ of the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan for the crust.
  • Create the filling by mashing the cranberry sauce, both zests, and orange juice together. Add the filling to the pan on top of the crust. You can use all of the filling or about ½-⅔ of it. The more filling you use the more jammy the center of the bars will be.
  • Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the top of the filling and bake for 22-25 minutes, until the top crust is just beginning to turn a light golden brown. Let cool for 45-60 minutes before lifting out from the pan and cutting into bars. Cut 3×3 for 9 bars or 4×4 for 12 smaller bars.

 

The original recipe can be found here: