Lime Cranberry Squares

A slightly tart filling atop a crunchy shortbread studded with cranberries, these are a nice twist on the typical citrus bar.  The combination of cranberries and lime is an underused flavor in desserts, and I happened to make these twice in a week, once for a work meeting and the second batch for Cindy's birthday/a celebration treat for Jessie's arrival (since I didn't get a chance to see Cindy for her birthday).  The sweet and tart flavors are a nice addition to the shortbread, which is simple except for the unique addition of cranberries.

Whenever I need a quick bar dessert with a little different flavor, I've found that my Christmas Cookies book has a ton of easy recipes that are traditional enough that they seem like new takes on regular recipe.  My alteration to these bars was that instead of using pecans in the shortbread, I swapped them out for the cranberries.  Also, since I don't have a 12 x 8 inch pan, I used a 13 x 9 and scaled the cooking time back a touch.  And it totally worked.  Two bowls, a whisk and a pastry blender are the tools you'll need to create these simple yet very flavorful bars.



Lime Cranberry Squares

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
2-3 Tablespoons lime juice
1-1 1/2 Tablespoons lime zest, grated
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
powdered sugar, optional

In a large bowl, combine flour, butter, cranberries and 1/4 cup sugar using a pastry blender until crumbly.

Press mixture into a well-greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.

While the crust bakes, in a medium bowl, beat eggs.  Then whisk in lime juice, lime zest, remaining cup of sugar and baking powder until all incorporated and smooth.

Pour over hot crust and return to oven to bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.  Once cool, dust with powdered sugar if desired, cut into bars and serve.

Makes 24 bars.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess

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