Cranberry-Orange Cookie Bars

The first time I tried these, a co-worker on a specialized team brought them in for breakfast. She got them from Starbucks® (a seasonal delight, I'm told). So, I checked them out after I got off from work and at over $2 per little "triangle" piece, I decided I'd learn to make them for a lot less. My family members all urged me to recreate these. So after a bit of research, I found that there's a few copycat recipes online; but this is my twist on that concept.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 317 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• ½ (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins®)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, or more to taste
• ½ teaspoon canola oil
• ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins®), chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Step 2

Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar for bars together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, orange extract, and vanilla extract until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, and ginger; mix until well incorporated and the batter looks like soft cookie dough. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips until well mixed. Spread the stiff batter into the prepared pan.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until light brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Don't overbake, or your bars will be dry. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Step 4

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese and butter for frosting together until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and orange extract; beat mixture until fluffy and spreadable. Spread evenly over the cooled bars.

Step 5

Combine cranberries and orange zest for topping in a food processor and roughly chop. Sprinkle evenly over the frosted bars.

Step 6

Mix white chocolate chips and oil together in a glass, microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave until fluid enough to drizzle, 1 minute to 1 minute 15 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds until melted. Use a fork or whisk to drizzle the melted chocolate diagonally across the bars.

Step 7

Allow chocolate to set for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares or triangles.