½cup(113 g or 4 oz) block cream cheese, softened, but still cool
½teaspoonorange extract
1cup(120 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
⅓cupdried cranberries
Orange zest for garnish
½cupwhite chocolate melting wafers, or almond bark
Instructions
Blondie Bars
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ginger. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar. Whisk vigorously for about 1 minute until the sugar absorbs the butter. Add egg, orange extract and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just until combined. It's okay if there are a couple pockets of flour. That will disappear when you add the chocolate and nuts.
Stir in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. The batter will be thick, but can be spread with an offset spatula.
Bake bars for 18 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden and shiny. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Use parchment paper to lift bars out of pan before frosting.
Topping
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and orange extract until fluffy. Add confectioners sugar and mix until combined.
Spread frosting over cooled bars. Sprinkle dried cranberries and orange zest on top of frosting.
For the white chocolate drizzle, melt white chocolate in the microwave at 50% power level, stopping to stir every 20 seconds until melted. Keep a close eye on the white chocolate as it burns easily. You can always use a double boiler if preferred. Use a spoon to drizzle white chocolate over the bars.
To cut the bars, cut into 3 columns and 3 rows. Then cut each square diagonally to form triangles.
Notes
Orange extract: This is a must for this recipe. Orange juice and orange extract alone will not provide enough flavor.Cranberries: Fresh cranberries will not work in this recipe. They will get bubbly while baking and ruin the structure of the base. Dried cranberries can be found all year round!Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature for up to 2 hours.Freeze bars for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.