CRANBERRY BLISS BARS

CRANBERRY BLISS BARS

Cake

¾ cup (1 ½ stick butter, softened)

1 ¼ cups light brown sugar

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¾ cup diced dried cranberries

4 Ounces while chocolate, cut into chunks

Frosting

4 Ounces cream cheese, softened

3 Cups powdered sugar

4 Teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup diced dried cranberries

Drizzled Glaze

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cake:

Cream butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer. Add eggs, ginger, and vanilla, mixing well. Combine flour, salt and baking powder together in small bowl. Add flour mixture to electric mixer bowl and blend until smooth. Fold ¾ cup diced cranberries and white chocolate into batter with spatula. Pour batter into a buttered 9x13 inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cake is light brown top. Cool cake completely.

Frosting:

In medium bowl combine cream cheese, 3 cups powdered, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth using electric mixer.
When the cake has cooled, spread frosting smoothly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle ¼ cup diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

Drizzling Glaze:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar until smooth. If too thick to drizzle, thin with hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency. If too thin, add more powdered sugar. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a number 4, 5 or 6 round tip to pipe frosting across the top of the cake.

How to cut:

Cover and refrigerate cake 1-2 hours. Once frostings have firmed slice the cake lengthwise through center. Make 3 slices across the width of the cake for a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each rectangle diagonally creating triangular slices.

Make 16 bars.