I’ve been playing this game with myself recently. It’s called “Don’t Ever Go Grocery Shopping Ever, and Make Up Dinner From the Nothingness That is in Your Fridge.” It’s pretty exciting. Have you guys ever played? Everyone’s really loving it so far. Recent comments from the kids include, “What IS that?” and “Why are we eating this?” and “Can I have mac and cheese please.”
You would think that as a food blogger I would be a master at whipping up dinner from sparse ingredients. Uh uh. I’m not one of those cooks. I’m a recipe person. I work really hard on the recipes on my site, and love them all, but that doesn’t mean I’m good at improv cooking. Is anyone else like this? I can follow any recipe, adapt any recipe to my heart’s content. But opening the fridge to find nothing but 2 cucumbers, 1 pepper, eggs, and yogurt makes me reach for peanut butter and jelly faster than you can say charlatan. Instead two nights ago we got this weird ravioli concoction with carrots and peas and poultry seasoning. <– what?? Why, why??
Eric pretended to like it because he’s a good husband. He even texted on the way home the next night, “Can’t wait to eat leftover ravioli!” You’re really nice Eric. You’re also a liar.
Instead of dinner, I’m making much better use of my time with more important and less healthy things. Like Butter Pecan Cookies. And Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing. And Dulce de Leche Cream Pie. Tis the season for dessert! That’s really why they call it the most wonderful time of year I think. Baking improv is WAY more fun that cooking improv, if you ask me.
These Cranberry Bars have been on my list of things to experiment with for a long time, and I freaked out all the other shoppers in the grocery store when I finally found the season’s first fresh cranberries. (Why doesn’t anyone else shriek with joy when they encounter difficult-to-find produce items??)
How to Make Cranberry Bars
First you start with a lot of butter. And I mean a LOOOT of butter. Talk about moderation to Responsible Karen next time she posts a healthy dinner. For now, just accept that these bars have a pound of butter in them.
Beat that butter to within an inch of it’s life, then add some sugar and vanilla. No eggs necessary in this easy recipe. This is just a really basic shortbread glorying in all it’s buttery, flaky simplicity. Add a whole bunch of flour (it seems like too much but it’s not) and some salt, and call it good. Press half into a pan and dump a bag of cranberries on top. No need to fuss or chop them, just throw them in.
Mix in some walnuts with the remaining dough and crumble it on top. Walnuts are optional but I really like the crunch they add! You could also experiment with adding white chocolate chips at this point! I wanted to keep my bars really simple and focus on the buttery-cranberry flavor, so I left them out. But it would be good. Probably 3/4 cup will do ya. I like to shape medium/big pieces of dough to go on top of the cranberries (see above), but you can do it however you like. At this point, I think it’s worth it to chill the bars before cooking for about 20 minutes. Cold shortbread going into a hot oven is what gets you that rich, flaky texture we are going for. Just be careful if you are using a glass pan. Chill the bars and then let them sit out of the fridge for a couple minutes before putting them in the oven so your glass doesn’t shatter.
Cranberry Bars: perfect dessert for the holidays!
And voila! Perfect cranberry bars. I’m in love. These bars are perfectly buttery, and not overly sweet. I love TART desserts, and this one is perfectly balanced. Lots of cranberry bar recipes you find will have you cook the cranberries on the stove with a bit of sugar, making the finished bars a lot more sweet.
These cranberry bars are sweet enough for me while still holding onto that perfect Christmasy tartness that cranberries have to offer! But, if your sweet tooth is growling, I’m not going to stop you from adding a drizzle of salted caramel…or dulce de leche. You could also serve it with the Warm Vanilla Butter sauce that goes with this Cranberry Cake with Warm Vanilla Butter Sauce. And maybe a scoop of ice cream, too, for good measure!
More cranberry recipes you are going to love!
Cranberry Cake with Warm Vanilla Butter Sauce « this is my favorite cake to make every December! Cranberry Custard Pie « seriously the most festive holiday pie ever, especially if you garnish with these Sparkly Sugared Cranberries! White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies « Perfect for your holiday plates! Brown Butter Cranberry Tart « this is such a gorgeous, impressive dessert. Cranberries are just so pretty. Cranberry Dulce de Leche Hand Pies « Why is pie so much more fun when you can hold it in your hand? Cranberry Cherry Pie with Almond Glaze « why don’t we glaze every pie ever?? Cranberry Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats « if you love cranberries, you will love these rice krispies! Cranberry Orange Walnut Bread « so good with a slather of butter Cranberry Bliss Bars from Recipe Girl Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cake from Life Love and Sugar Creamy Cranberry Pie Recipe from Wonky Wonderful Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
