A little bit of Bliss

To confess, this is not a recipe I would have chosen. This IS a recipe I was hunting for because these bars from Starbucks are a favorite of one of my favorite people but are not always easy to find and if you do, they are only available for a short time. I wanted to gift these to them as a surprise and a tasty treat just for them. There are many copycat recipes for this bar, but this is the one I chose. If you haven't heard of these bars, or had one, I highly recommend them. For me, chocolate always wins, but this bar is delightfully satisfying for my sweet tooth. Let's break it down. The base, perfect texture and good flavor, the icing is delish (and yes it makes a lot, but that's a good thing, it will be perfect on some many other things), the added cranberries and white chocolate with a sprinkle of orange zest takes it over the top. This bar is gorgeous to look at and looks so pretty on my new Bridgewater plate. It's a showstopper of a bar and so nice for cookie exchanges or on your holiday dessert table. Finally, the review from my giftee - she said it was better than Starbucks and assured me, she wasn't just saying so! Now, let's get to the recipe. . . Cranberry Bliss Bars Bottom Layer In a bowl, combine 3/4 c. melted unsalted butter 2 c. brown sugar Add in and mix together 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 c. flour 1/2 tsp. b. powder 1/4 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 c. dried cranberries 1/2 c. chopped white chocolate. Add the dry to the wet and mix well. Spread into a 9x12 parchment lined baking dish and bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes until the edges are a nice golden brown. Let cool. Cream cheese icing *this makes a lot (save it for cinnamon buns, cupcakes and loaves) In the stand of your mixer, add in and cream together 8 oz brick of cream cheese (room temp) 1/4 c. unsalted butter (room temp) Add in 2 c. icing sugar 2 tbsp. milk When mixed in add in 3 c. icing sugar zest of 1 orange. Spread onto the cooled cookies. Drop dried cranberries onto the icing. Melt 1/2 c. white chocolate and drizzle over the icing (I put mine into a ziploc and cut the tip off) Sprinkle with a bit more orange zest (optional, but pretty) Cut into squares or triangles. This can be frozen and taken out when you need. Enjoy!