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–+ servings
Triangular cranberry bliss bars topped with cranberries and cream cheese frosting.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

mylifeinbalancegroup.com/cranberry-bliss-bars/
Pure bliss, in cookie form! Decadent blondies are topped with a rich cream cheese frosting, white chocolate chips, and dried cranberries for a delightful winter treat.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Cool 15 minutes
Total 1 hour 5 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 24 bars

Equipment

  • Oven
  • 9x13 rimmed baking pan
  • parchment paper
  • large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • paddle attachment for hand mixer or stand mixer
  • medium mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • Silicone spatula
  • toothpicks or butter knife
  • Small microwave-safe bowl
  • Microwave
  • Fork or whisk
  • large chef's knife

Ingredients

For the Blondie Layer

  • 1 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1 ¼ packed cup brown sugar (light or dark, 250 grams)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
  • 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1 large egg yolk (at room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (285 grams)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon fresh baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup roughly chopped dried cranberries

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 1 8-ounce block full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (up to 4 cups if needed)

For the Topping

  • ½ cup roughly chopped dried cranberries
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips (or ½ cup chopped white chocolate bark)

Instructions

For the Blondie Layer

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line 9x13 pan with parchment paper, folding excess parchment paper over sides of pan.
  • Add 1 cup melted unsalted butter, 1 ¼ packed cup brown sugar, and ½ cup granulated sugar to large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl. Use hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to mix butter and sugars until combined.
  • Add 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract to bowl. Continue mixing ingredients together until fully incorporated. Set mixture aside.
  • Add 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon fresh baking powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to medium mixing bowl. Whisk dry ingredients together until well-blended.
  • Once blended, add dry ingredients to bowl of wet ingredients in small increments, mixing ingredients together on medium speed until all ingredients are fully combined.
  • Add ½ cup roughly chopped dried cranberries to mixing bowl. Use silicone spatula to gently fold cranberries into blondie batter, until cranberries are just incorporated.
  • Transfer blondie batter to prepared pan, smoothing batter evenly across pan. Place pan in preheated oven.
  • Bake blondie layer 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, begin checking blondies by inserting toothpick or butter knife into center of blondies. Immediately remove toothpick or knife and check for wet batter or crumbs. Continue baking blondies as needed, checking often, until toothpick or knife comes out clean or with few crumbs.
  • When blondie layer is fully baked, carefully remove pan from oven and set aside to cool.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Once blondie layer has cooled completely, add ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 8-ounce block full-fat cream cheese to mixing bowl. Use hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment to beat butter and cream cheese together until combined and fluffy.
  • Add 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest to bowl. Mix ingredients together until fully incorporated.
  • Add 3 cups powdered sugar in ¼-cup increments, mixing between each addition to fully incorporate powdered sugar. Continue adding powdered sugar, mixing after each addition, until desired frosting consistency is achieved. Note: frosting should be thick but spreadable. Use more or less than 3 cups powdered sugar as needed.
  • Once frosting is prepared, carefully remove blondie layer from pan, using excess parchment paper as handles to gently lift blondie layer out of pan.
  • Set blondie layer on flat surface. Dollop prepared frosting on top of blondie layer and spread frosting out evenly, covering blondies completely.

For the Topping

  • Scatter ½ cup roughly chopped dried cranberries across top of cream cheese frosting. Gently press cranberries into frosting if needed to ensure berries stick.
  • Add ½ cup white chocolate chips to small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave chocolate chips on 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring well between each burst, until chocolate has melted. Be careful not to overheat or burn chocolate.
  • Once chocolate is melted and smooth, use fork or whisk to drizzle white chocolate over frosting and cranberries.
  • Set aside 5 minutes or until white chocolate has set up.

To Serve

  • Once chocolate drizzle has hardened, slice bars into 4 rows of 3 squares per row.
  • Slice each square in half diagonally to create 2 triangular bars per square.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Brown Sugar: For richer, more moist blondies, use dark brown sugar.
  • Leftovers: Refrigerate cranberry bliss bars in an airtight container up to 1 week. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
  • Freezer Storage: Prepare and slice bars as instructed. Place sliced bars on baking sheet and place baking sheet in freezer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove baking sheet from freezer. Wrap each bar tightly in food-safe plastic wrap, then placed wrapped bars in airtight container. Store container in freezer up to 3 months. Defrost individual bars in refrigerator overnight before serving.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1 barCalories: 345calProtein: 3gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 219mgPotassium: 57mgTotal Carbs: 46gFiber: 1gSugar: 36gNet Carbs: 45gVitamin A: 387IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://mylifeinbalancegroup.com/cranberry-bliss-bars/