Cranberry Bliss Bars

My hubby found this recipe online for me to make for him because he loves Starbucks Bliss Bars so much! He said these are a little more cake-like than Starbucks, but he really liked them.

Cranberry Bliss Bars - modified from Mr. Breakfast

(Printable Version)

Cake base:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup dried cranberries, minced
1/4 cup white chocolate, chopped (I used white chips)
1/4 cup crystallized candied ginger, minced

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 T butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

Garnish:
2 T dried cranberries, minced
1/3 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.

Beat butter and sugar together for the cake base, and add eggs/vanilla beating until fluffy. Sift together flour, ginger, and salt and then add to the butter/sugar mixture beating well. Fold in the cranberries, chocolate and ginger. Spread thick batter in pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden.

When cake is cooled, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread a thin layer over the cake. Immediately sprinkle with the minced cranberries. Then use a cake decorating bag of melted white chocolate with a tiny decorating tip (like the size used for writing on cakes) and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Cut this into bars immediately because the white chocolate hardens pretty fast and makes cake cutting messy.