Description
Festive bars featuring tangy cranberries, white chocolate, and warm spices topped with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for holiday celebrations and gifts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ¾ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons white chocolate chips, melted
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line pan with parchment paper leaving overhang on the sides.
- Whisk flour, ginger, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl until it’s all mixed up.
- Beat butter and sugar with a mixer for 3 minutes until it looks light and super fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla to the butter mix and beat until everything is smooth and combined.
- Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until you don’t see any dry flour left.
- Fold in orange zest, chopped cranberries, and white chocolate chips gently until they’re spread out evenly.
- Spread batter in prepared pan evenly and bake for 18 to 22 minutes until bars are set.
- Cool bars in a pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before you do anything else.
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add powdered sugar and orange zest and mix.
- Spread frosting over cooled bars using a spatula to make it smooth and even on top.
- Drizzle melted white chocolate over the frosting and sprinkle cranberries and orange zest on top for decoration.
- Put in fridge for 15 minutes to set frosting, then lift out and cut into 24 squares.
Notes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 165
- Sugar: 12 grams
- Sodium: 90 milligrams
- Fat: 7 grams
- Saturated Fat: 4 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 23 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 2 grams
- Cholesterol: 30 milligrams