Description
Cranberry Bliss Bars are a delightful dessert featuring a soft, cinnamon-spiced bar loaded with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, chopped cranberries, and a drizzle of melted white chocolate, these bars are perfect for holiday treats or any time you crave a festive, sweet bite.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Bars:
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (134g) packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (38g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
For the Frosting:
- 1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries, chopped into smaller pieces
- 1 ounce white baking chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Use a 9×9-inch dish if you prefer thicker bars.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- Cream Sugars and Butter: In another bowl, cream together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and melted butter until well blended. Then, mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a dough forms.
- Add Mix-ins: Fold white chocolate chips and dried cranberries gently into the dough. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish, pressing down with the back of a spatula to smooth the surface.
- Bake the Bars: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Prepare Frosting: While the bars cool, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl using a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Frost and Garnish: Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled bars. Sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries on top. Drizzle the melted white baking chocolate over the frosting.
- Set and Serve: Allow the white chocolate drizzle to set, then cut the bars into 9 large squares. Optionally, cut each square diagonally to create triangles. Store bars in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- To melt the white chocolate, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 10 seconds, stir, then heat again for 10 seconds and stir until smooth. Be cautious as white chocolate melts quickly and can burn easily.
- Do not overbake the bars, as even a few extra minutes can make them dry and crumbly.
- Add a teaspoon of orange zest to the cream cheese frosting or the batter to enhance flavor with a subtle citrus note, which pairs beautifully with cranberries.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (approx. 1/9 of recipe)
- Calories: 370 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
