Cranberry Blissed Out Bars

_{Photo credit: Mary Roujouleh}

These Cranberry Blissed Out Bars are a hot take on the Starbuck’s treat

These Cranberry Blissed Out Bars made a resurgence recently at Steph’s McVox’s work bake sale and at my work’s Bake Off fundraising event (where the image was taken). With the holidays around the corner, it seemed like a good time to post the recipe that went through a few tweaks recently. This recipe was originally shared by our friend Brandy (Cran Bran) and didn’t need a lot of adjustments—just a few to suit our tastes!

The base of these bars resembles a blondie and it develops flavour over time. The bars are studded with dried cranberries and candied ginger—and finished with a tangy cream cheese icing. Together these elements balance the sweetness. This recipe is good for a crowd and the Vockeroth sisters will be making some together soon! -bvox

Ingredients

Bars

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 to 1½ cup brown sugar (adjust depending on preferred sweetness)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger or ¼ cup chopped candied ginger
• ¾ cup dried cranberries
• 6 oz white chocolate chips
• 1-2 teaspoon orange zest

Icing and topping

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar (add more if you want it sweeter)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
• 6 oz white chocolate chips, melted
• ¼ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup candied ginger, roughly chopped
• ¼ teaspoon flaked seat salt (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9” pan with parchment paper, oil lightly.
2. In a large bowl, beat together melted butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time, add vanilla and orange zest; mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and baking spices. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are combined—but don’t over mix! Stir in dried cranberries, candied ginger, and white chocolate chips.
4. Spread evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake! Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool. Allow bars to cool completely before topping with frosting.
5. Remove the bars from of the pan by gently lifting the sides of the parchment paper and placing/sliding it on a cutting board.
6. To make the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar together and then add half of the melted white chocolate and vanilla and mix well. (add more icing sugar if you want the icing thicker/sweeter.
7. Top cooled bars with frosting and spread evenly. Sprinkle with chopped dried cranberries and candied ginger; drizzle remaining melted white chocolate over the top. Place the bars in the refrigerator for about an hour to help them set up before cutting. Cut into triangles. You can finish with a bit of flaked sea salt.
8. Store in fridge until ready to serve. Can be made a few days in advance.

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