1. Recipes

How to Make Cranberry-Orange Cookie Bars - A Step-by-Step Guide

If you're looking for a festive and flavorful dessert to serve at your next holiday gathering, then look no further than these delicious Cranberry-Orange Cookie Bars. Bursting with the tartness of cranberries and the bright citrus flavor of orange, these bars are the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. Whether you're a fan of traditional holiday flavors or just looking for a unique treat to enjoy, these cookie bars are sure to be a hit with family and friends.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins®)
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
  • ½ (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins®), chopped
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, or more to taste
  • ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
  • ½ teaspoon canola oil

Information

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Additional Time: 1 hr 30 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
  • Servings: 24
  • Yield: 24 bars

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  • Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar for bars together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, orange extract, and vanilla extract until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, and ginger; mix until well incorporated and the batter looks like soft cookie dough. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips until well mixed. Spread the stiff batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until light brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Don't overbake, or your bars will be dry. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, mix cream cheese and butter for frosting together until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and orange extract; beat mixture until fluffy and spreadable. Spread evenly over the cooled bars.
  • Combine cranberries and orange zest for topping in a food processor and roughly chop. Sprinkle evenly over the frosted bars.
  • Mix white chocolate chips and oil together in a glass, microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave until fluid enough to drizzle, 1 minute to 1 minute 15 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds until melted. Use a fork or whisk to drizzle the melted chocolate diagonally across the bars.
  • Allow chocolate to set for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares or triangles.

    • Nutrition

    317 cal.

    • Total Fat: 14g
    • Saturated Fat: 9g
    • Cholesterol: 55mg
    • Sodium: 64mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 46g
    • Dietary Fiber: 1g
    • Total Sugars: 37g
    • Protein: 3g
    • Vitamin C: 0mg
    • Calcium: 54mg
    • Iron: 1mg
    • Potassium: 45mg

    Categories

    Baking recipes
    Dessert recipes
    Holiday recipes
    Cookie recipes
    Fruity recipes