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.
I found this recipe for Cranberry Orange Bliss Bars in my good friend Laura’s new cookbook…
Christmas Desserts! This little book is full of beautiful, holiday themed desserts. Laura’s recipes are always easy to make, and delicious. You can buy this book at Amazon for $4.99! Isn’t that a great deal? It would make a fun stocking stuffer. I have two books available to giveaway to two luck readers. To enter the giveaway just leave me a comment below telling me your favorite Christmas Dessert. It can be homemade, or something you love to buy during the season. The giveaway will be open from today until Thursday November 13th at midnight. Winner will be announced on Friday November 14th, bright and early with the sunshine.
You can visit Laura’s food blog, Real Mom Kitchen by clicking here.
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 9×13 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.
Lovely!
16. Let them chill out in the fridge until the chocolate is set and the frosting has firmed up a bit.
Slice and enjoy!
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
Instructions
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. Lovely!
16. Let them chill out in the fridge until the chocolate is set and the frosting has firmed up a bit. Slice and enjoy!
Recipe from Christmas Desserts by Laura Powell
141 comments
Christmas isn’t Christmas unless I make my mom’s Pecan Tassies. Little bite sized pecan pies that melt in your mouth. YUM!
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We have two family favorites that are “must haves”.
Russian Teacakes and Merry Christmas Cookies. Can’t wait to make some. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes. Love, Love your site!
I always enjoy home made egg nog ice cream!
My husband never lets the holidays go by withou me having to make him a batch of creme de menthe brownies.
My husband never lets the holidays go by without me having to make him a batch of creme de menthe brownies.
Creme brulee… it’s a holiday must!
My dad makes the world’s best peanut brittle. It wouldn’t be Christmas without it!
Must have thumbprint cookies!
My favourite has got to be pecan pie. Simple and easy to make, this pie always reminds me of Christmases past when my mum would make it. I couldn’t wait! I could wait for the fruitcake.
Homemade sugar cookies…with lots of frosting. 🙂
Homemade divinity with pecans in it is truly divine and a true Christmas treat.
My family loves Smucker’s caramel pecan pie. Easy, quick and fantastic !
We make nut rolls that are amazing and little Italian cookies. Both are family favorites!
I love toffee.
Pumpkin Pie!
We make homemade donuts every Christmas season. Oh.My.Yum!
My family m
I love homemade caramels!
Those labor-intensive peppernuts are a requirement with our family.
Pumpkin rolls and pizzelle’s!
Pumpkin roll!
Peanut butter cookies with a hershey kiss on top! mom made them so good!
We always made homemade sugar cookies and frosting as kids and I continue the tradition today with my son. It just isn’t Christmas without decorating Christmas tree and Santa cookies!
Toffee!
Favorite dessert for Christmas is Edward’s Key Lime Pie
I have not posted here before, although I love to read your blog and try out your recipes! I thought with the give away it would be a fun time to say thanks for a great and interesting blog! My favorite Christmas dessert is Mrs. Parker’s Fruitcake Cookies. They may not be called this, but when I was a little girl Mrs. Parker made them and gave me her recipe… hence Mrs. Parker’s Fruitcake cookies. I don’t really like fruitcake, but I love these cookies made with condensed milk, candied cherries and pineapple, dates, coconut and pecans, with just a little flour to hold it all together. Mmmm!
I keep thinking of “favorites” like Yeary family Christmas Cookies (an anise flavored rolled out cookie) Raspberry Ribbons, and snowballs. The real key though is baking with family. The memories are what makes them special, making them with my mother and grandmother in the past and with my sisters, our children and even the friends they invite to join us because it is special to them and they want others to share the experience.
We always like Mexican Wedding Cookies, Pecan Pie Squares, and some type of shortbread. These cranberry orange bliss bars sound really good, so maybe we’ll switch up and try them! Thanks for all your great recipes.
Love your recipes … delightful!
My husband likes fruitcake … not the “real” fruitcakes … just lots of raisins and nuts … mostly NUTS! (Boiled raisin cake … using my mother’s recipe.)
Always always make my “Mom’s Famous Fudge”. It’s the best to eat and to make-taking turns stirring and then licking out the pan!
Snickerdoodles!!!
That’s the best answer of all time! JMHO
This is an article that makes you think “never thought of that!”
My family loves to eat my great grandpa’s peanut brittle in the holiday season.
Sugar cookies for the kids to decorate and my moms fudge! Yum. 🙂
My mom makes something called “clouds” chocolate and cool whip rolled in nilla wafers. It’s not Christmas without these lovelies!
I love cinnamon almonds!!!
[…] them with white chocolate and I’m a gonner, seriously. Last year I shared a recipe for Cranberry Orange Bliss Bars that has shown up a few times in my dreams. Embarrassing, I know. I need an intervention! This […]
[…] Cranberry Orange Bliss Bars […]
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