Imagine sinking your teeth into a chewy and soft blondie filled with sweet dried cranberries and creamy white chocolate, all topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting, a drizzle of white chocolate, and more cranberries. It’s the perfect treat for this time of year!
White Chocolate Cranberry Blondie Bars
Ingredients
**Blondie Dough:**
- 1 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 to 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2/3 to 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
**Topping:**
- Chopped dried cranberries for sprinkling
- Melted white chocolate
**Frosting:**
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In another bowl, whisk together melted unsalted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula. The batter should be between a cake batter and cookie dough consistency, not too thick or too runny.
- Stir in the orange zest, white chocolate chips, and dried cranberries.
- Line a 9×9 or 9×13 pan with parchment paper (use 9×9 for thicker bars, 9×13 for thinner bars).
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, being careful not to overbake. Thinner bars will cook faster if using a 9×13 pan.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling to room temperature.
- While it cools, make the cream cheese frosting by beating cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy and smooth.
- Frost the blondies to your liking and chill in the fridge until the frosting is set (optional but helpful for cutting).
- Once set, cut the bars into squares and then diagonally into triangles.
- Drizzle melted white chocolate on each triangle and sprinkle chopped cranberries on top.
- Enjoy these delightful treats!