oh starbucks, how you tempt thee...

Cranberry Bliss Bars
from RecipeZaar.com

photos from: good eats blog

Cake
1 cup butter , softened
1-1/4 cups light brown sugar , packed
3 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla or orange extract
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups All Purpose flour
3/4 cup diced dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks
2 tbsp candied ginger, minced

Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat Neufchatel cheese)
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tsp lemon juice or 2 tsp orange extract (I used 4 tsp orange juice)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Drizzled Icing
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp vegetable shortening
orange zest , garnish (optional)
(Instead of this icing, I used melted white chocolate instead - approximately 2 ounces of chocolate with 1/4 tsp shortening)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt; beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth.

Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. (If using the candied ginger, add it during this step.)

Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Let cool.

Frosting: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth.

When the cake has cooled, spread frosting over the top of cake. Sprinkle top with diced cranberries.

Icing: Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip.
(Alternatively, melt the white chocolate and shortening in a ziploc bag on low heat in the microwave. Cut a small hole in the corner of the ziploc bag and drizzle chocolate over the top of the cake.)

Allow cake to sit for several hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally, creating 16 triangular slices.

Yield: 16 servings.



drool...........