Christmas Dessert

In addition to my christmas cookies, I also made one other dessert to have with Christmas Dinner. I went to Starbucks earlier this month to pick up a little gift for a work White Elephant exchange and while I was in there they had out samples of their Cranberry Bliss Bars. I wasn't in the mood to try it but boy was I glad I did. One taste and I was hooked, by that evening I was already looking up copy cat recipes and I have to say the recipe I found really was pretty close. They're a blondie with craisins and white chocolate mixed in and then with a cream cheese frosting on top. I'm sure it's the cream cheese frosting that makes them extra delicious. I was actually surprised at how much of a big hit these were at Christmas. I would def make these again, they'd be perfect to take to a Holiday party or I'm sure you could make them any time of the year as well! 

Cranberry Bliss Bars
Source: Recipe Girl

Blondie Layer:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Prepare the blondie layer: In a medium bowl, melt butter for one minute in the microwave; stir in brown sugar. Scrape the butter & sugar into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate (the batter will be thick). Spread the blondie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool completely on a wire rack.

Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well-blended. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Cut into bars- square or triangle-shaped. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.