Cranberry Orange Bliss Bars

By srumbel

Oh, baby. Do I have a fabulous confection to share with you today! These bars are chewy and loaded with white chocolate and dried cranberries. The frosting has a fabulous white chocolate and orange flavor that is out of this world. Seriously, these bars are dangerous business. Make at your own risk, truly! They would be awesome to take to any holiday party this season.
from jamiecooksitup.com

Ingredients

• BARS:
• 3/4 C butter, softened
• 1 1/4 C brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1/2 C dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 C white chocolate chips
• FROSTING:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tb butter, softened
• 2 C powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 2 Tb orange juice
• TOPPINGS:
• 2 Tb dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/4 C white chocolate, melted

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Into your stand mixer or large mixing bowl place 3/4 C butter and 1 1/4 C brown sugar.
3. Mix them until well combined.
4. Add 3 eggs, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix until the mixture is nice and smooth.
5. Into a small bowl place 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 1/2 cups flour. Toss them together to combine.
6. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Should take a couple of minutes.
7. Chop 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and add them to the bowl. Add 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips as well and mix to combine.
8. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and place the dough inside. Spread it out evenly with a knife.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Allow the bars to cool completely.
11. To make the frosting, zest a beautiful orange. You will need 1/2 tsp of zest.
12. Into a medium sized mixing bowl place 4 ounces cream cheese, 2 Tb butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp orange zest and 2 Tb juice from the orange. Mix it well, until it's smooth and glossy.
13. Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled bars. Sprinkle the top with 2 Tb chopped dried cranberries.
14. Pour 1/4 C white chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat it in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one. You want to make sure the chocolate doesn't get too hot. It will start to clump up on you if it's heated to fast.
15. Drizzle the white chocolate over the top of the bars.
16. Let them chill out in the fridge until the chocolate is set and the frosting has firmed up a bit.
Slice and enjoy!

Yield: 16 bars