Recipe: Cranberry Curd Bars with Walnut Shortbread Crust (2024)

For the crust:

• Cooking spray

• 1 cup

  walnut pieces

• 1 cup

  all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup

  powdered sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon

  ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon

  salt

• 8 tablespoons

  (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and at room temperature

For the cranberry curd:

• 12 ounces

  fresh or frozen cranberries (about 3 cups)

• 1/2 cup

  water

• 1 cup

  granulated sugar

• 4

  large eggs

• 4

  large egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons

  freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)

• 1/4 teaspoon

  salt

• 8 tablespoons

  (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and at room temperature

• Powdered sugar, for dusting

• Candied citrus zest (optional - see here for a tutorial, and spiral the pieces around toothpicks as they dry to get them to curl)

1. Make the crust: Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that there is extra paper hanging off the two long sides like a sling, as described in this tutorial. Coat the paper and exposed sides of the pan with cooking spray; set aside.
   

2. Place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until coarsely ground, about 15 (1-second) pulses. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse until finely ground, about 10 (1-second) pulses. Scatter the butter over the top of the flour-nut mix and pulse until the mixture forms moist clumps, 20 to 25 (1-second) pulses.
   

3. Transfer the mixture into the baking dish and press into the dish with your hands or the bottom of a floured measuring cup, making it as even as possible. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Twenty minutes before the crust is ready, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F.
   

4. Bake the crust until beginning to brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cranberry curd.
   

5. Make the cranberry curd: Place the cranberries and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all the cranberries have burst open and are mushy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, fit a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl.

6. Pour the cranberry mixture into the strainer and press the cranberry purée through using a spatula until only pulp remains in the strainer. Set the purée aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, discard the contents of the strainer and clean the strainer and the saucepan for reuse.

7. Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, and salt to the cranberry purée and whisk until smooth. Return the cranberry mixture to the saucepan over medium heat. Stir the curd continuously, making sure to scrape the bottom and corners of the pan, until it comes to a simmer and thickens slightly, coats the back of a spoon, and registers about 150°F on an instant-read thermometer (there's some wiggle-room, so don't fret about being exact), 5 to 11 minutes.

8. Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter all at once, and stir until completely melted. Pour the curd through the strainer again into a clean bowl to strain out any small chunks of cooked egg. Pour the warm cranberry curd onto the crust and spread into an even layer.

9. Bake until the curd is set but still jiggles slightly in the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

10. When ready to serve, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cranberry bar slab. Use the parchment paper as handles to lift the slab from the pan onto a cutting board. Trim off the sides to make even edges if desired. Cut into 24 pieces. Dust the tops of the bars with powdered sugar, which will melt into the cranberry curd and make a sweet glaze. Garnish each square with the candied citrus zest if desired.

Using almonds: Substitute 1 cup slivered almonds for the walnuts if desired. The crust may need a few additional pulses to come together into moist crumbs.

Making the crust by hand: Chop the walnuts as finely as possible. Combine with the dry ingredients and the cut or rub in the butter, as you would for a pie crust, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Press into the pan and bake as directed.

Less-sweet cranberry curd: As it is, this curd is definitely on the sweet side of tart, but still tastes distinctly "cranberry." If you really love the super tart taste of cranberries and would prefer the curd to be less sweet, try reducing the sugar in the curd recipe to as little as 1/2 cup.

To make cranberry curd by itself: To make the cranberry curd into a spread for toast, continue cooking it in the saucepan until it reaches an internal temperature of about 170°F. Mix in the butter, strain, and cool. Cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.