An easy last minute dessert recipe for Thanksgiving. These cranberry apple shortbread bars are a delicious holiday treat.
Ingredients
Dough
530g (~4 cups) all-purpose flour, sifted
454g (2 cups) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
240g (1 ½ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
200g (~1 cup) granulated sugar, separated
15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) vanilla extract
Filling
360g (4 cups) fresh cranberries (frozen will likely work, filling cooking time may differ)
100g (~½ cup) granulated sugar
59 milliliters (2 fluid ounces) water
8g (1 tablespoon) cornstarch
5g (1 teaspoon) minced ginger
2g (1 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
340g (~3 cups / 2 medium) chopped apples (I prefer to use a crisp apple like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
Line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper so that some parchment paper hangs over sides and set aside
Beat butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; mix in vanilla until well-combined
Stir in flour just until combined
Press half of the dough into prepared baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown; shape remaining dough into a disk and wrap tightly with seran wrap; chill in refrigerator
While bottom layer is cooking, prepare filling
Combine cranberries, granulated sugar, water, cornstarch, ginger and nutmeg in a heavy duty saucepan over medium heat; stir occasionally and let mixture cook until fruit has formed a thick jam-like consistency (cranberries will be very soft but some still whole), about 8 minutes
Remove from heat and fold in chopped apples
Pour fruit filling over crust; remove remainder of dough from refrigerator and use all of it by dropping large crumbs over fruit layer so that the layer is completely covered
Place back into oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until edges are very lightly golden brown and top feels set / firm
Set aside to cool before cutting into bars and serving
Notes
Shortbread recipe from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Filling adapted from Blueberry Rhubarb Shortbread Bars These bars are not overly sweet at all, the sweetness is mostly in the shortbread and the fruit filling adds a tart balance Store tightly wrapped at room temperature up to two days or freeze for up to one month
Recipe by Keep It Sweet Desserts at https://www.keepitsweetdesserts.com/cranberry-apple-shortbread-bars/