Cranberry Lemon Bars

Filled with a luscious cranberry lemon filling. This recipe is perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert!

INGREDIENTS
Cranberry Sauce:
▢⅔ cup granulated sugar
▢⅓ cup water
▢1 cinnamon stick
▢2 cups cranberries
▢2 tablespoons cornstarch
▢2½ tablespoons lemon juice
▢3 teaspoons lemon zest

Crust And Topping:
▢¾ cup all purpose flour
▢1⅓ cups old fashioned oats or quick-cooking oats (not instant)
▢½ teaspoon cinnamon
▢¼ teaspoon ground ginger optional
▢¼ teaspoon salt
▢½ teaspoon baking powder
▢⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
▢10 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan

Cranberry Sauce
Place the water, lemon juice, cinnamon stick and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the cranberries and cornstarch and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Stir constantly until thickened and most of the cranberries have burst. Remove from heat.
Stir in the zest. Remove the cinnamon stick. Set aside to cool slightly.
Crust And Topping
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-inch square pan. Line the pan with a large strip of parchment paper. Leave an overhang on both sides of the parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, stir to combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and baking powder.
Add the cubed butter. Stir or mix together with your hands.
Spoon half of the mixture into the pan. Press it firmly in the bottom of the pan.
Spread the cranberry sauce over the crisp layer. Sprinkle the remainder of the crisp topping over the cranberry layer. Press lightly to make sure it’s in place.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Place the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Cut into squares and enjoy!

NOTES
Icing: Use the lemon icing from my Blueberry Blondies recipe if you’d like to top them with icing.
Powdered sugar: Dust bars with powdered sugar before serving if you like.

Storage: Store these cranberry lemon bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. Freeze leftover bars in an airtight for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature.