Brown Butter White Chocolate Cranberry Blondie
Rated 4.0 stars by 3 users
Category
Dessert
These White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies are melt-in-your-mouth good. The sweet and tart flavors pair perfectly with our Brown Butter Cookie Baking Seasoning.
Author:Eva Zapata
Ingredients
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1 cup butter, melted
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1.5 cups brown sugar
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2 eggs
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1 tsp orange extract
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1 tsp vanilla
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2 tablespoons Brown Butter Cookie Seasoning
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1 tsp baking powder
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½ tsp salt
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup white chocolate chips
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¾ cup Craisins
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8 oz. cream cheese, softened
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1.5 cups powdered sugar
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½ tsp orange extract
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½ tsp vanilla extract
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⅓ cup Craisins, roughly chopped
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½ cup white chocolate, melted
Base
Frosting
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 15×10 or 13×9 inch jelly roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Beat together melted butter and brown sugar over medium speed with an electric mixer. Add in eggs, 1 tsp orange extract, and 1 tsp vanilla extract and beat until mixed well. Add in baking powder, salt, and flour, beating until just blended. Don’t overmix. Add in Brown Butter Cookie Seasoning.
Stir in white chocolate chips and Craisins by hand. Spread evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes until set and golden brown at the edges. Don’t overbake or bars will be hard. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool. Allow bars to cool completely before topping with frosting.
To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 tsp orange extract and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract,sprinkle with more brown butter cookie blend and mix well. Top cooled bars with frosting. Sprinkle with chopped Craisins and drizzle white chocolate over the top with a fork. I dip my fork into the chocolate then shake it gently over the top of the bars to create little streaks. You can either slice right away and enjoy, or place the bars in the refrigerator for about an hour (what I like to do) to help them set up before cutting. Cut into triangles.
Recipe Video
Recipe Note
What pan works best: I’ve made these successfully using two sizes of pans; a 15×10 jelly roll pan, or a 9×13 jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet.) The larger size pan will lend to thinner bars, and the smaller pan will make thicker bars which are more similar to the true Starbucks version. Either will work, but the 9×13 pan is what I prefer to use. If you don’t have a 9×13 jelly roll pan, you can also use a regular 9×13 Pyrex casserole dish.
Line your baking pan: for easier removal and cutting of your cranberry bliss bars, line your pan with parchment paper that overhangs on the sides. This will allow you to “lift” the bars out of the pan and slice them easily.
Orange extract is essential! Don’t skimp on it. It really brings out the true flavor of these bars! If you don’t have orange extract or are unable to find it, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of orange zest and 1 teaspoon of orange juice.
Frosting: The frosting on these is slightly thinner than the Starbucks version, but will set up well once refrigerated. If you prefer a thicker frosting, feel free to add an additional 1/2 cup of sugar.
Topping: You can use either white baking chocolate or almond bark for the topping. Both are easy to melt in the microwave. To make the pretty streaks on top of the bars, dip a fork into the melted chocolate then shake gently over the top over the bars.
How to store: once the bars are sliced, place them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
