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Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks' Copycat Recipe)

These festive bars are pretty, moist and delicious and would be perfect for your next brunch or holiday get together! The addition of chopped, crystallized ginger adds a chewy and satisfying bite. Enjoy!
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Course Dessert
Servings 48 triangular sections

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp orange extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 3/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

FROSTING

  • 3 0z cream cheese. softened
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 3 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1 tsp orange extract

TOPPING

  • 1/3 cup craisins, chopped
  • 1-2 Tbsp grated orange rind
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tsp canola oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° (325° for dark or glass pan). Prepare a 10 x 15 pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying with non-stick spray. You can use a 9 x 13 pan instead, but the cooking time will be slightly longer (see note below).
  • BARS: With an electric mixer, beat together the softened butter and sugars for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the orange extract and eggs and mix until just combined. Add the flour, baking powder and ginger (which are combined in a bowl ahead of time). Add the cranberries, white chocolate chips and chopped crystallized ginger, stirring until just combined.
  • Spread the thick batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 20-24 minutes until light brown at the edges and a skewer inserted in the center tests clean. Don't over bake or your bars will be dry and crumbly. Let it cool completely. (NOTE: for a 9 x 13 pan, the bars will be thicker and will take 26-28 minutes to bake).
  • FROSTING: Blend cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add orange extract and confectioner's sugar and beat until frosting is fluffy and spreadable (adding 1 Tbs of milk if needed. Spread evenly over the COOLED bars.
  • GARNISH: Use a zester to remove the rind from an orange. Sprinkle zest over the frosted bars. Chop 1/3 cup Craisins coarsely; sprinkle over frosted bars.
  • DRIZZLE: Mix white chocolate and oil in a glass measuring cup. Microwave 1 minute; stirring every 15 seconds until melted. Use a fork or put the chocolate into a small ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to drizzle the white chocolate diagonally across the bars.
  • Allow 1 hour for the white chocolate to set before cutting. To make the Starbucks' signature triangles, cut into 24 large squares (6 by 4 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square diagonally to create triangles.