Cranberry Ecstasy Bars

 

 

These cookie bars are a great accompaniment to eggnog lattes or just eggnog during the holidays.  Linda Faus developed this version of the holiday treat. They are pretty awesome.

Ingredients

For the bars:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
• 1-1/4 cups firmly-packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup minced dried cranberries
• 1-1/2 ounces white chocolate (such as Ghirardelli brand), chopped
• 1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup minced dried cranberries

For the White Chocolate Drizzle:

• 1 ounce white chocolate
• 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and then butter the paper, or use the Silicone Baking Mats to prevent the cookies from sticking.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; continue mixing until light. Sift together flour, ground ginger and salt; add to the butter-sugar mixture.

Continue mixing until flour is incorporated. Fold in dried cranberries, chocolate, and crystallized ginger. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan before frosting.

Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and salt until well mixed.

Remove cake from pan and trim off the edges so cake is uniformly flat. Using an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon, uniformly spread the frosting onto top of cake. Sprinkle minced dried cranberries on top of frosting and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepare White Chocolate Drizzle. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt white chocolate, whisk in powdered sugar and milk until well-mixed. Scrape into a small, sturdy plastic bag; cut a tiny corner of the bag and squeeze to decorate.

Drizzle White Chocolate Drizzle decoratively over the entire frosted cake top.
To serve, slice the cake lengthwise down the center, making two long rectangles. Cut each rectangle into four equal portions; slice each of these in half diagonally. Makes 16 servings.

Now sit back and soak up the compliments. You're a genius. Happy Holidays