cranberry bliss bars

Can you smell something baking? It's the third project in the 12*12*12 Holiday Blog Hop! Hopefully you've already enjoyed the projects in the last two hours from my talented friends, Laura and Melissa. Up next you are in for a treat inspired by Starbucks... the Cranberry Bliss Bar.

 

The Cranberry Bliss Bar is a well-loved treat that Starbucks carries only during the holidays, so popular they also sell pans of the bars to take home. If you've purchased one before, you know the appeal... delicious cranberry and white chocolate cake, with just a hint of orange, and topped with cream cheese frosting.

The flavors and colors of this bar are so festive. But who wants to pay Starbucks' prices to share this treat with your friends and family? So here is my knock-off recipe for the Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar.

 
cake ingredients
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1-1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups dried cranberries, diced
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

frosting ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries, diced

icing ingredients
2 ounces white chocolate, melted


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
3. Add eggs, extracts, ginger and salt to bowl and beat together.
4. Slowly add in flour and mix until smooth.
5. Add cranberries and white chocolate, then stir by hand.
6. Pour batter into greased pan and spread evenly.
7. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until cake turns slightly browned.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for approximately one hour.
9. Make frosting by combining cream cheese, powdered sugar, and extracts with an electric mixer until smooth.
10. Spread frosting onto cooled cake.
11. Sprinkle cake with cranberries.
12. In microwave, melt 2 ounces of white chocolate.
13. Place melted chocolate into small plastic sandwich bag and cut a small hole in the tip of bag.
14. Use as a "piping" bag to drizzle melted chocolate over cake.
15. Allow icing to set, then cut as desired.
16. Enjoy!





To replicate the size and shape of the bars from Starbucks, cut as follows:

Start by cutting your bars in half lengthwise, the long way.
Then quarter cut your bars the short way so that you have 8 rectangular pieces.
Finish by cutting your rectangles on the diagonal. 

 

Mmmm, so yummy! I do hope you give this recipe a try. And in an hour we are bringing you another awesome holiday project, this time from the lovely Carrie at Through the Camera Lens. It's a surprise what she's making, so you'll definitely want to visit her blog in an hour.

Happy Holidays and hope to see you back again for my second project this afternoon for the 12*12*12 Holiday Blog Hop!