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Homemade Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract or about one tablespoon grated orange peel
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup Craisins

Frosting:

  • 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • dash salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk to thin if needed

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup Craisins chopped
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips or white chocolate baking bar 4 oz
  • few drops of vegetable or canola oil to thin white chocolate

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center of oven.
  2. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs. Beat for about one minute.
  3. Add orange and vanilla extracts and set aside.
  4. In a small separate bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir, heat for 30 seconds. Stir again. Microwave again for a few seconds. In my microwave this takes a total of 1 min 15 seconds. The chocolate will melt as you stir.
  5. When melted, scrape into bowl with butter and sugars. Mix with mixer until incorporated. Or, alternatively, you may just mix the chips into the batter.
  6. Add the flour, powder, soda, ginger, sea salt and cornstarch all at once. Mix just until flour disappears and ingredients are incorporated. Fold in Craisins.
  7. Spread mixture evenly in a greased 9x13 pan.
  8. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
  9. Let cool completely.

Frosting:

  1. Make frosting by combining all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Add a little milk if needed. Spread frosting on cooled crust.

Topping:

  1. Sprinkle the chopped Craisins over the top of the frosting.
  2. Prepare toping by placing white chocolate in a small ziplock baggie. Microwave for about one minute. Pour in small amount of oil to help white chocolate pour smoothly.
  3. Using hands, press white chocolate chips together in bag to mix with oil and help melting process. Microwave a few more seconds if needed.
  4. Snip off a small corner of the bag and squeeze/drizzle over the frosted bars.
  5. Grate a bit of orange rind over the top of the finished bars, if desired.
  6. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, cut when completely cooled and set up.
  7. Best stored in refrigerator, in a sealed container such as a tupperware.
  8. Cut into squares, then half the squares on the diagonal to form a triangle.
  9. Yield about 30 small bars.

Recipe Notes

-These are very simple to make. They are basically a blondie recipe, with white chocolate added, then frosted and topped with more melted white chocolate. To simplify, just add the white choc chips to the batter and skip the melted drizzle. Just add more White chocolate chips to the topping along with the chopped Craisins.