Foodie Fridays: White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

One of my favorite things about the weather getting colder is the Cranberry Bliss bars at Starbucks, and if you haven't had one, you are truly missing out my friends.  But the thing about loving a holiday treat, is just that, its only around for the holidays...boo! Doesn't this look great for Valentines day too?!?!?! So of course I hunted for the best replica I could find, and after a  little trial and error, I found it.  And it was a hit :)  PS- I know this isn't the healthiest thing on the planet, but we all have our weaknesses right?

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Blondie Layer

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter
1 cup 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
Zest from 1 orange

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. 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).

3. 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.

4. 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 and orange zest. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Cut into bars- square or triangle-shaped. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Recipe and Photo adapted from RecipeGirl