Cranberry Bliss Bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars- we recently had one of these at Starbucks while we were getting our (almost) weekly coffees. We loved them but thought they were way too rich and were talking about how they were made. Lo and behold, I was searching for something else on this board and found the recipe . So, we decide to make them for our trays. I cut out a whole cup of powdered sugar from the frosting and it was much better. I actually liked these better after sitting a day and have been storing mine in the fridge.

Cranberry Bliss Bar (Starbucks)
~*~Sandy~*~ via Top Secret Recipes

Each holiday season Starbucks brings out one of its most beloved dessert recipes: A soft triangle of white chocolate and cranberry cake, covered with delicious creamy lemon frosting and dried cranberries. But, when the holidays leave us, so do the Cranberry Bliss Bars, and that’s when the dozens of requests to clone the dessert start rolling in here at TSR. Each of the more than 3500 Starbucks stores contracts with local bakeries so that the Bliss Bars are fresh for customers each day. The end result may vary slightly from city to city, but the basic recipe is the same, and it rules. Now you can get your Bliss Bar fix anytime of the year, at a fraction of the cost of the real thing, with a little sneaky kitchen cloning.

CAKE
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup diced dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

FROSTING
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

DRIZZLED ICING
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth. Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Allow cake to cool.

Make frosting by combining softened cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip to drizzle frosting across 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.

Makes 16 bars.

Sandy's Notes: I recommend that you cut back on the frosting, it's quite sweet. Next time I'd use no more than 1/2 to 2/3 of the frosting.