Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars Recipe

27 Replies

Cranbery Bliss-fully Happy Bars recipe

Dried cranberries and white chocolate. Recipe for Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars at Beauty Observed

Dough for Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars

Make sure to push the dough into the corners

Unfrosted Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars

Even the frosting wants to be made into a Valentine's Day treat.

Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars recipe from Beauty Observed.

I call these Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars because they make my youngest daughter super happy when she sees me mixing up a batch.  For some reason, she thinks I bake them just for her.  She doesn’t like to share.  It actually works out okay because my son doesn’t like cream cheese.  I usually hack off an end for him before I frost them.

There’s also a little hint I’d like to give you.  I always grease  the 9×13 pan with butter and then line it with a piece of parchment paper that is big enough to hang out the sides. This makes it very easy to lift the cooled bars out of the pan.  It is much simpler to frost and cut the bars into triangles or squares when they are flat on the counter.

I hope these make you as blissfully happy as they do my 13 year old daughter!  (They make me pretty happy, too!)

Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars recipe from Beauty Observed.

pdf-recipe-button2

Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars

Cookie Bar Recipe

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate baking chips (6 oz.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 9×13 baking dish with butter.  Line baking dish with parchment.  Make sure that there is enough parchment to overhang the sides of the dish.  You will be using this to lift out the bars after they have cooled.

Melt butter.  Mix in brown sugar.  Let cool.  using a mixer, beat in eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, sift or whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.  Dough will be very stiff.  Stir in cranberries and white chocolate baking chips.

Spread cookie dough into the prepared pan.  (I use my fingers to press the mixture into the corners.)  Bake for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.  Do not over bake.  Cool completely on wire rack.

Using parchment paper, lift cookie bars out of pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. package of full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cups white chocolate baking chips (6 oz.)
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with electric mixer until fluffy.  Frost cookie bars that have been removed from pan.  Sprinkle with chopped cranberries.  Melt white chocolate baking chips in microwave.  Drizzle melted white chocolate over frosted cookie bars.

Cut into triangles or squares.

Refrigerate leftover bars.

pdf-recipe-button2

Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars recipe from Beauty Observed. PMR Bavaria China

Leave a comment.

Shared at  Graced Simplicity, Imparting Grace, Jordon’s Onion, Nancherrow, A Delightsome Life, Tea Time Blog * Smart Party Planning *

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

27 thoughts on “Cranberry Bliss-fully Happy Bars Recipe”

  1. Dawn @ Reveal Natural Health

    These bars look so amazing! I remember you one time saying it was difficult to photograph recipes. You would never know it looking at these pictures. My family will love these! I am going to try making them this week.

    I just have one question: Is parchment paper about the same as wax paper? I always have wax paper on hand.

    Reply ↓
    1. BeautyObserved Post author

      Dawn,

      Thank you for the compliments. I’m learning as I go 🙂

      I wouldn’t use wax paper for a couple of reasons. Wax paper is not made for the high heat of the oven and could catch fire. The wax would probably melt and become part of the the cookies. Parchment paper is coated with silicon and is heat stable.

      If it were me, I would just really grease up the pan. You can still frost and finish the bars in the same manner-just in the pan. It will be like any cake, brownie, or cookie bar that you would serve straight from the baking dish. It won’t affect the taste. The parchments purpose is only to help remove the bars from the pan if you want to have an easier time cutting them into triangles.

      I might also check them earlier in the baking process to see if they are baking faster.

      I hope that answers your question and that your family really enjoys them!

      Reply ↓
      1. Dawn @ Reveal Natural Health

        Thank you for your advice. I baked these this afternoon and my husband and I enjoyed them after the kids went to bed. I know that’s mean but I will let them join in the blissful happiness tomorrow. I messed up the white chocolate drizzle, but according to my husband, you can’t really mess up melted white chocolate. I’m thinking one of these will go great with my cup of coffee in the morning too, just like your picture above. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

        Reply ↓
        1. BeautyObserved Post author

          Oh, I agree. You can’t mess up white chocolate. lol

          And I don’t think it’s mean at all to enjoy a special treat after the kids are in bed. It builds your marriage. And building your marriage is the very nicest thing you can do for your children! <3

          Reply ↓
  2. Dawn Stachler

    These look amazing!!! I can’t wait to try them. I might bring the ingredients with me to my parents house and make them up there!!!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply ↓
    1. BeautyObserved Post author

      Anna Mujica,

      Isn’t it funny how the frosting looked like a heart? It wasn’t on purpose and I couldn’t do it again if I tried. A happy accident.

      The Blogelina twitter party was fun. Are you doing the commentathon?

      Thanks for stopping by!
      Elizabeth

      Reply ↓
  5. kathy

    Oh my goodness! These look just like the ones at Starbucks (my son works there) and I ate way too many of those during Christmas. ha ha I love them. I will have to try these. I love the way you photographed it all.

    Reply ↓
    1. BeautyObserved Post author

      Kathy,

      I’ve never had the ones from Starbucks. I bet they are good! I hope you enjoy these.

      I’m glad you liked the photographs. I find food photography quite challenging.

      Thanks for stopping by! Come again 🙂

      Reply ↓

  7. Pingback: What was for Dinner Last Week? {Week 2} - Reveal Natural Health

  10. Pingback: Home and Garden Thursday

  11. Richella Parham

    These look absolutely delicious. Part of that is your beautiful photography, I know–just gorgeous! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party! I’ve pinned this and I’m featuring you at this week’s party.

    Reply ↓
    1. BeautyObserved Post author

      I hope you like them, Rachelle. I agree, anything with cream cheese is a winner. Add white chocolate and cranberries? Oh my, cut me an extra piece. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a wonderful weekend.

      Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.