Cranberry Lemon Bars are the perfect combination of sweet and tart and such a fun dessert for the holidays!
The cranberry lemon bars are made with a gluten-free shortbread crust, a layer of tart cranberries and then a sweet lemon layer.
For my gluten-free baking like to use finely ground almond flour because it gives the crust the best texture. The crust also has coconut flour and arrowroot flour and I like to use grass-fed gelatin as a binder since this is a gluten-free flour mixture.
You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for the cranberry layer. Just make sure to thaw the cranberries and then weight them before using.
The lemon layer is bursting with bright lemon flavor and it gets lots of sweetness from the honey. I like to use a light honey for my cooking and baking because it gives a clean and bright flavor. This one is my favorite.
The lemons, eggs, honey, butter and zest are all cooked over medium heat until they get thick like a custard. Make sure to use organic lemons for this recipe since you’ll be using fresh zest from the lemons.
After the bars come out of the oven and they are completely cooled, put them in the fridge to get them nice and cold. I like to serve them in a dusting of organic powdered sugar.
PrintCranberry Lemon Bars (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Yield: Makes 12 bars
- Category: dessert
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the crust
2 cups finely ground almond flour
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1 teaspoon unflavored grass-fed gelatin
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon arrowroot flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (for dairy-free use 6 tbs. coconut oil)
Cranberry layer:
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, thaw the cranberries before cooking
1/2 cup organic cane sugar (you can reduce to 1/3 cup if you want a more tart flavor)
Zest of 2 lemons
Lemon layer:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for dairy-free use 6 tbs. coconut oil)
1/2 cup raw light honey (I use this one)
4 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1/4 lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground Celtic sea salt
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and adjust the rack to the middle position.
Place the almond flour, coconut flour, gelatin, sugar, and arrowroot flour in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 4-5 times to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse for eight 1-second pulses, or until the mixture is like wet sand. Process agin until the mixture forms a firm dough.
Spoon the dough into a buttered 8×8-inch baking dish and evenly press to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is just turning golden brown on the edges. Let cool while you make the lemon and cranberry layers.
For the cranberry layer:
Place the cranberries and sugar in a medium sauce pan and heat over medium. Stir occasionally, and cook until the berries burst and the mixture is the texture of jam, about 15 minutes. Add the lemon zest. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over the baked crust and spread evenly.
For the lemon layer:
Place the melted butter, honey, eggs, yolks, lemon zest, juice and salt on the top of a double boiler (or place a heatproof glass bowl over a small pot of simmering water). Whisk continuously until the mixture turns thick, like a pudding, about 6 minutes. Immediately pour the lemon mixture evenly over the cranberry layer to create 2 distinct layers.
Bake for 23 minutes, or until filling is set on the edges. It will still jiggle a bit in the middle when shaken, but don’t worry — the filling will set as it cools. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until cold. Dust with powdered sugar, cut into bars and serve.
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