Cranberry Curd Bars with Walnut Shortbread Crust
Makes roughly 24 squares
For the Crust:
1 cup (4.5 ounces) walnut pieces
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3 ounces) confectioner sugar, tamped lightly down and leveled off
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon pieces
For the Cranberry Curd:
12 ounces (about 3 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries (see note below)
1/2 cup water
1 cup (8 ounces) granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1/2 of a lemon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon pieces
Powdered sugar for dusting
Candied citrus zest (optional - see here for a tutorial, and spiral the pieces around toothpicks as they dry to get them to curl)

• Substitute for Fresh Cranberries - Substitute 3/4 cup cranberry juice and 1/4 cup lemon juice for cranberry puree if fresh cranberries can't be found. Watch the bars carefully while baking, and extend the baking time as needed until the bars are set around the edges but still jiggly in the center.
• To Prepare Crust Without a Food Processor - Chop the nuts as finely as possible with a chef's knife. Combine with the dry ingredients and the cut or rub in the butter, as you would for a pie crust, until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Press into the pan and bake as directed.
• To Make the Cranberry Curd Less Sweet - As it is, this curd is definitely on the sweet side of tart, but still tastes distinctly "cranberry." If you really love the super tart taste of cranberries and would prefer the curd to be less sweet, try reducing the sugar in the curd recipe to as little as 1/2 cup.
• To Make Cranberry Curd By Itself - To make the cranberry curd into a spread for toast, continue cooking it in the saucepan until it reaches an internal temperature of about 170°. Mix in the butter, strain and cool. Store curd in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.