Dried Cranberry Shortbread Bars Recipe Recipe For Hand

CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place the wire oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray) a 9x9 inch pan.
• Cranberry Filling: In a medium sized saucepan, place all the ingredients. Over medium heat, cook the ingredients until boiling. Continue to boil the filling until it becomes thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool while you make the shortbread.
• Shortbreads: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the butter until smooth (1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.
• Evenly press two-thirds of the shortbread into the bottom of the prepared pan. Then evenly spread the cranberry filling over the shortbread base, leaving a 1/4 inch border.
• With the remaining shortbread dough, using your fingers crumble it over the top of the cranberry filling. Then lightly press the dough into the filling.
• Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and while hot, cut into 16 squares. Allow to cool completely in pan. Makes about 16 bars.

DRIED CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325F with rack in center.
• Put butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt, in large mixing bowl. Stir together by hand until combined, but not creamy. Stir in dried cranberries.
• Press dough evenly into 8" square baking pan.
• Bake until firm and pale golden, about 30 minutes.
• Let cool in pan on wire rack about 20 minutes.
• Run knife around edges to loosen from pan and move to work surface, right side up.
• Cut out using cookie cutter, or cut in to squares using knife.

DRIED-CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD HEARTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees with rack in center. Combine butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt in large mixing bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined but not too creamy. Stir in dried cranberries.
• Pat dough evenly into an 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Bake until just beginning to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack until cool enough to touch, about 20 minutes. Run knife around edges, remove shortbread, and transfer, right side up, to work surface. Use 1 1/2- to 2-inch heart cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Use a paring knife to trim stray bits of cranberry from edges. Cookies will keep for 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.