Description
Cranberry Bliss Bars are a deliciously festive dessert featuring a soft, cinnamon-spiced bar studded with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, topped with a creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting, chopped cranberries, and a drizzle of melted white chocolate. These bars are perfect for holiday gatherings or anytime you crave a sweet, fruity treat with a hint of citrus optional twist.
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 Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. For thicker bars, you can use a 9×9-inch baking dish instead.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly combined.
- Cream Sugars and Butter: In a separate bowl, cream the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and melted butter together until smooth. Then mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until the batter is well combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Avoid overmixing to keep the bars tender.
- Add Mix-ins: Fold white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the dough evenly.
- Spread Batter in Pan: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan and press down gently with the back of a spatula to level the surface.
- Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake to avoid dryness.
- Cool: Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Prepare Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together using a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Frost Bars and Decorate: Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled bars. Sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries on top, then drizzle the melted white baking chocolate over the frosted bars.
- Set and Serve: Allow the white chocolate drizzle to cool and set. Cut into 9 large squares, then cut each square diagonally to create triangles. Store the bars in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy your festive Cranberry Bliss Bars!
Notes
- To melt the white chocolate, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 10-second increments, stirring in between, until fully melted. Be careful as white chocolate melts quickly and can burn easily.
- Do not overbake the bars; even a few extra minutes can make them dry and crumbly.
- For an extra flavor boost, add some orange zest to the cream cheese frosting and/or the batter. The subtle citrus complements the cranberries beautifully.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 triangle (approx. 1/18th of total batch)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
