Cranberry Bliss Bars

To tell you the truth, I don't really love sweets. I am definitely a savory gal - I'll pick chips over sweets any day. However, Starbucks and their Cranberry Bliss Bars have definitely won me over. When my friend Emily said she had a substitute recipe I was stoked to try it. 


Now I don't know where she got the recipe so I'll post it here for you. The only criticism I have of it was that the cake section was firmer than Starbucks. I am not sure if that's the recipe, my overly warm oven or that I over mixed the dough. Either way it looked great and people loved it. 




Cranberry Bliss Bars


Ingredients:

Cake

·       1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

·       1 1/4 cups brown sugar

·       3 eggs

·       1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

·       1 teaspoon ginger

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·       3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

·       6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) white chocolate chips (or chopped white chocolate)

Frosting:

·       4 oz cream cheese, softened

·       3 cups powdered sugar

·       4 tsp lemon juice

·       ½ tsp vanilla extract

·       ¼ cup diced dried cranberries

Drizzled Icing

·       ½ cup powdered sugar

·       1 tbsp milk

·      2 tsp vegetable shortening.

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     In a medium bowl, mix together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt. Mix well.

3.     Gradually add flour. Mix until smooth. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate.

4.     Pour the batter into a well-greased 9×13-inch pan. Use a spatula to evenly spread the batter in the pan.

5.     Bake 30-40 minutes, until edges are light brown. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

6.     Make the frosting: Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until completely smooth. Set aside the cranberries.

7.     Make the drizzling icing: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and vegetable shortening. Use enough milk to make a thick but drizzly consistency. I used closer to 2 tablespoons. [at first it will seem like the vegetable shortening is just going to clump things up, but if you mix the milk in first it will all whisk together smoothly].

8.     When the cake (er, cookie?) is fully cooled, frost. Sprinkle the top with cranberries. 

Some photos...at least of the icing part:

Mmmm Icing

Beginning the cranberry sprinkles

Tasty dried cranberries

Ready for the drizzle

Drizzled

Ready to be cut

Tasty

Served!

I am so looking forward to trying this again with a moister cake.

If you try it, please let me know how it goes!

Also I should note that this is what my kitchen looks like by the end of baking:

Thankfully my hubby and awesome home stay student Karen are always willing to help with dishes. Willing or stuck with that job...who knows really.