Cranberry Almond Shortcrust Bars
Ingredients
- SHORTCRUST
- 1-7 oz box Odense Almond Paste (grated using large hole side of a box grater)
- 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- CURD
- 3 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest from 1 orange
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 eggs
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- HONEY WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp honey
- Handful of chopped almonds
Recipe by Abigail Connolly
Luscious, velvety cranberry-orange curd on a sweet, almond-infused crust is topped with a light, airy cream for the perfect festive bite.
Time
Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Cool time: 3 hours
Bake time: 45 minutes
Cool time: 3 hours
Yield
16 bars
Ingredients
- SHORTCRUST
- 1-7 oz box Odense Almond Paste (grated using large hole side of a box grater)
- 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- CURD
- 3 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup sugar
- Zest from 1 orange
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 eggs
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- HONEY WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp honey
- Handful of chopped almonds
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment so that it hangs over all edges for easy removal. Spray with non-stick spray.
- Put all the shortcrust ingredients: Odense Almond Paste, cubed butter, all purpose flour, and sugar in a food processor and blend until they form a uniform dough.
- Press into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, cook cranberries, 1 cup sugar, zest, and orange juice over medium heat until all the cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to puree until smooth.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve and return to the pot. Slowly add the eggs while beating with a whisk quickly. Place pot back onto medium heat and whisk until thickened or 170°F.
- Place butter at the bottom of a medium bowl. Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve over the butter. Once strained, whisk with the butter until smooth.
- Pour over the baked crust and bake for another 15 minutes until set.
- Let cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Once cooled, slice with a hot clean knife. Make 4x4 cuts to get 16 squares.
- Whip cream to soft peaks, add in honey and whip to medium-stiff peaks. Pipe a quarter sized amount onto the corner of each square and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
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