Cranberry curd bars with a pistachio shortbread crust are the perfect holiday dessert bars to make for Christmas this year. Tangy, sweet, and beautiful, they’re a treat that’s sure to impress!

“These are better than lemon bars!”
Those aren’t my words…that’s what my stepmother (the former caterer and event planner) said when she first tasted these cranberry curd bars with a pistachio shortbread crust.
I’ve always loved a sweet-tart combination. It’s why I ended up making three versions of lemon cake mix cookies, and beautiful candied cranberries.
But if you’re looking for a holiday cranberry bars recipe that’s different from everything else you’ll see all over Pinterest, then this is it.
Cranberry curd bars with a pistachio shortbread crust are delightfully tart and sweet. The crust is flaky, but it doesn’t fall apart.
Seriously, I had to give away half the pan just to avoid eating them all myself.
And now you know how my stepmother got a taste.
How to Make Cranberry Curd Bars with a Pistachio Shortbread Crust:
Start by Preparing the pistachio shortbread
For the shortbread crust, you’ll be letting a food processor do all the work.
It’s as simple as grinding nuts, then blitzing in some flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. And then finally, you add some butter to pull it all together.
It takes about 3 to 4 minutes altogether. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture sticks together when you squeeze it in your hand.
Then you get it in the pan, press it down firmly (I used a package of cold butter!), and freeze for an hour before baking.
What if you don’t have a food processor:
I haven’t yet attempted to make this without a food processor, but you can try to chop the nuts as finely as possible with a chef or santoku knife.
Then add the dry ingredients and use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the butter, just like you would a pie crust. Keep going until the mixture is as close as possible to the consistency shown in the picture above.
Can you use other kinds of nuts for the crust?
I haven’t yet tried other types of nuts, but you can certainly try a substitution. However, you may need to adjust the amount of butter you use and your baking time.
For example, walnuts can easily become bitter if baked too long, almonds have a lower fat percentage than pistachios, and almonds and pecans can both burn easily.
If you try other nuts in your crust, let me know how they turned out!
While the Crust Chills and Bakes, Prepare the Cranberry Curd
I won’t lie, the cranberry curd is time-consuming, but the process is actually very simple.
You’ll just combine fresh cranberries, sugar, water, and lemon juice in a pot and heat them until they pop. Then comes the first strain to remove the cranberry skin from the mixture.
The resulting pulp will go back into your stockpot with some sugar, eggs, an extra egg yolk, and some salt. It all gets cooked down until you can see drag lines in the mixture from your whisk.
Then you strain it all again, to create a sumptuous and silky cranberry curd.
If you want to reduce the sweetness of the curd
Yes, there’s quite a bit of sugar in the curd, but remember, cranberries are seriously tart. They need at least a little bit of sweetness to balance the flavors out. And don’t be fooled, you can definitely taste the cranberry in these bars.
If you really want to reduce the sugar in the recipe, then you can try cutting it down to as little as ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar.
But if you choose to reduce the sugar, please remember to taste test your curd before adding the eggs. And if it’s still super tart, add a tablespoon or so of either sugar into the mixture until you get a balance of sweetness that you like.
Do you really have to strain everything twice?
I suppose you could try to skip the second strain, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The first straining removes all the cranberry skins and large bits that would be unpleasant to eat. The second strain is what makes sure your curd is silky smooth.
If you skip the first strain, your curd won’t set up properly. If you skip the second strain, then you’ll likely end up with unpleasant chunks in your bars.
I’m always surprised at how many solid pieces are still in the sieve with the second strain.
Assemble the Cranberry Curd Bars
When the crust is baked and cooled, and the curd is nice and silky, you’ll finally assemble everything together and then bake the bars one more time.
Once cooled, the bars are easy to pull out of the pan when you’ve got the parchment paper lining. Just grab the paper and carefully lift them out.
Then dust with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and cut into 16 squares. Yum!
How to Display Your Cranberry Bars
The star of these cranberry bars is the curd, so they look best displayed in a single layer on a platter or cake stand.
If you’re serving these at a party, you can cut them into smaller squares or cut the squares diagonally to create triangles. This will create the perfect bite-size treat for your guests to pop in their mouths.
Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh cranberries and pistachios to finish off your platter.
Tips & Tricks:
- Use a light mist of cooking spray between parchment sheets to keep the sheets from slipping around.
- When pressing the shortbread into the pan, use a layer of parchment paper on top of the dough and press down firmly with a solid object, such as a flat bottom measuring cup or a cold package of butter. This not only helps make sure the crust is packed down, it also helps make an even crust.
- When straining the cranberries, it helps to use the back of a wooden spoon to push the pulp through.
- Don’t forget to occasionally scrape the bottom of the sieve as you strain as well. The pulp/curd tends to stick to the bottom. This will also make it easier to push additional pulp through the sieve.
- Make these cranberry bars up to 2 or 3 days in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
- 9×9 baking pan
- Parchment Paper
- Cooking Spray
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food processor (this is the system I use)
- Wood spoon
- Mesh sifter/sieve
- 2-quart saucepan
- Whisk
- Spatula or offset spatula
- Sharp knife
More Desserts You’ll Love
- Orange Vanilla Candied Cranberries
- Sweet Potato Bars with Maple Frosting
- Beer Brownies with a Pretzel Crust
- Cinnamon Spice Cake Mix Blondies
- Pear Pie Crumble Bars with a Cookie Butter Drizzle
Cranberry Curd Bars with a Pistachio Shortbread Crust
Cranberry curd bars with a pistachio shortbread crust are the perfect holiday dessert bars to make this year. Tangy, sweet, and beautiful, they’re a treat that’s sure to impress!
Ingredients
Pistachio Shortbread Crust
- 3/4 C chopped pistachios
- 3/4 C All-Purpose Flour
- 2/3 C powdered sugar
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/8 t cinnamon
- 1 stick 1/2 C unsalted butter, cubed and softened
Cranberry Curd:
- 1/2 C water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 12- oz package cranberries
- 2/3 C granulated sugar
- 1/4 C brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter cubed and softened
Optional Garnish
- 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar for Dusting
Instructions
Prepare the Pistachio Shortbread crust:
- Prepare a 9x9 pan with criss-crossing sheets of parchment paper.
- Grind the pistachios in a food processor on high until course, approximately 30-45 seconds.
- Add flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and continue grinding until mixture resembles a course flour, about another 20-30 seconds. You may want to stir the mixture halfway through to make sure everything is ground evenly.
- Drop cubed butter into the food processor and pulse until the mixture holds together when you squeeze it in your hand, about another 30-45 seconds.
- Pour the flour and nut mixture into your prepared pan and press it down firmly to create a flat and even crust. (*See tips)
- Freeze the crust for 60 minutes, then preheat an oven to 350°F.
- After freezing, bake the crust for 20-25 minutes until only lightly golden around the edges.
Prepare the Cranberry Curd
- Combine the water, lemon juice, and fresh cranberries in a 2-quart saucepan.
- Heat mixture at medium heat, stirring frequently, until most of the cranberries pop, about 10-15 minutes.
- Strain the cranberries through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Rinse the saucepan and sieve, and set the sieve aside for later.
- In the rinsed and cooled saucepan combine cranberry pulp, white and brown sugars, eggs, egg yolk, and salt.
- Stir with a whisk on low heat until well combined.
- Add butter and increase heat to medium-low. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens and you can see drag lines in the mixture from your whisk, about 10 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F, and pour the mixture through the cleaned strainer into a clean bowl to ensure all solids are removed.
Assemble the Bars
- Pour the warm cranberry curd onto the pistachio crust and smooth with a spatula.
- Bake at 350°F until curd is set, but still jiggles in the center, about 10 - 15 minutes.
- Cool to room temperature for about 45 minutes, then chill until the bars are firm enough to be removed from the pan, about 60 minutes.
- Cut into 16 even bars and dust with powdered sugar immediately before serving.
Notes
- Use a light mist of cooking spray between parchment sheets to keep the sheets from slipping around.
- When pressing the shortbread into the pan, use a layer of parchment paper on top of the dough and press down firmly with a solid object, such as a flat bottom measuring cup or a cold package of butter. This not only helps make sure the crust is packed down, it also helps make an even crust.
- When straining the cranberries, it helps to use the back of a wooden spoon to push the pulp through.
- Don’t forget to occasionally scrape the bottom of the sieve as you strain. The pulp/curd tends to stick to the bottom. This will also make it easier to push additional pulp through the sieve.
Note: This recipe is adapted from The Kitchn
Now It’s Your Turn
Some things are totally worth a little extra effort, and these cranberry curd bars with a pistachio shortbread crust definitely fall into that category. I’ve made them a few times now, and every time I find myself wishing I had more.
If you love sweet and tangy desserts, then this is a holiday dessert worth trying. So yummy!
Janine Huldie says
Wow!!! I love both pistachio and cranberries, so am definitely going to have to try to make these now. Seriously, what a winning combo and thank you Leslie for sharing!! <3
Jen says
Yum! You know this is getting pinned right now. I am a sucker for all things pistachio!
Karly says
These bars are gorgeous! Thanks for linkin’ up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Michelle says
You’re speaking my language here!
What a fun and unique recipe!
Thanks
Michelle
Pinning!
Ashley says
Wow!!! What color!! I can’t wait to make these for the holidays – they look so so so good!!
Leslie says
They’re one of my favorites! I hope you like them too!
Jamie says
I love this pairing of cranberry curd and pistachio crust! The curd was amazingly tangy and delicious. It was a hit!
Leslie says
Cranberries and pistachio are so classic together. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
We made this the other day and everyone loved it.
Kelly Anthony says
What a great combination. These will be perfect for serving at any upcoming holiday gathering.