Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks)

250. Each Christmas Season, I wait in anticipation for Starbuck's delicious "Cranberry Bliss Bars". Beautiful white and red triangular cut Blondie bar, filled with cranberries and chunks of white chocolate. They come nestled in a paper cup, a perfect pairing with a cup of Pike Place, hot and steaming.

Recently, while on Pinterest, someone pinned a picture of, what they called, a "White Chocolate Cranberry Blondie". AAAAAHHHHHH! It was a Cranberry Bliss Bar! I did a little searching and voila', the recipe! And, it seemed to have all the ingredients as the Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bar. Only one ingredient seemed different...cinnamon in the Blondie (blonde brownie).

So, I stopped at Starbucks...for research sake, of course. And picked up a Cranberry Bliss Bar, brought it home, and we dissected it, tasting each little part and divulged that it was very close to this recipe.

Now, if you do any searching on-line, you will find there are "copy-cat" recipes for these treats. Like the "Top Secret Recipes" by Todd (recipe here) but it is not the same. There is no crystalized ginger in the recipe but a hint of ginger. Or, "Food.com's " recipe, (recipe here) . But, there is no orange zest in the brownie, only orange zest in the frosting. Now, Starbucks posts the nutritional information for their Cranberry Bliss Bar and you can see the bakery ingredients they use towards the bottom of the page. (Information here).

Choose which one is to your pleasing and try this recipe. Here is the one I made:

Cranberry Bliss Bars

or White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies (recipe here)

Blonde Brownie

3/4 cups

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cup flour

(1/8 teaspoon ginger or cinnamon - Starbucks does not use cinnamon - optional)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries, (Craisins by Ocean Spray are too sweet. Look for a natural dried cranberry)

6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting

1 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 Tablespoons grated orange peel

6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Melt butter and stir in brown sugar and cool. Transfer to a large bowl and beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup cranberries and chopped chocolate. The batter will be thick.

Spread into a parchment lined 13x9inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:

In a large bowl beat cream cheese, confectioners sugar and orange peel. Add half of the melted chocolate and beat till blended. Frost the cooled brownie

and sprinkle the top with chopped 1/2 cup cranberries.

Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Fantastic!!!! Now, I don't have to wait all year for this delectable treat...I'll just make my own!

"Starbucks represents something beyond a cup of coffee."

~Howard Schultz

Lemon Luscious Bars

207. When I think of dessert flavors that reign supreme to my palate, I have to say lemon is right up there next to peanut butter. Yes, I love chocolate, but when given a choice between peanut butter, lemon or chocolate flavors, I would choose in that order.

Once I heard Queen Martha say that lemon was one of her favorite choices as well...hmmm.

This recipe is a favorite of mine. My sister would make these yummy Lemon Bars from a Charlie Brown Cookbook when we were kids. Won me over every time! I found the recipe in a Taste Of Home Magazine but have improvised it to make it my own. You could make these bars lime flavored as well, just substitute the lemon juice and zest for lime. I always double this recipe because it disappears too fast. This recipe is also a beautiful and tasty addition to your Easter dessert buffet.

Lemon Luscious Bars

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup butter

pinch of kosher salt

Stir together the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until the mixture clings together. Pat into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking dish or pan; Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Lemon (or Lime) Filling:

2 eggs, large

3/4 cup sugar

zest of one large lemon, (or 2 limes)

6 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, (or limes)

1 drop yellow liquid food coloring, (or green for lime bars)

2 Tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Beat eggs in a mixing bowl; add sugar, zest, lemon juice and drop of food coloring. Beat till thick and smooth and light yellow, approximately 8 minutes. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture and blend till all the ingredients are moist and incorporated. Gently pour the egg mixture over the baked crust. Return to oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes till slightly browning on edges. Cool slightly and dustconfectioners sugar over the entire surface. Cool, cut into squares.

"When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade."

~Dale Carnegie

"Martha Stewart showed up at Manhattan FBI Headquarters to have her finger prints taken and pose for a mug shot. Then Martha explained how to get ink off your fingers using seltzer water and lemon juice."

~Conan O'Brien

"I'm so degradetated. I owe at least a dozen limes."

~Amy March, "Little Women"

Ten minutes after I put up this post, I was looking through the USA Weekend newspaper and what recipe did they have in the CookSmart section? "Luscious Lemon Bars". And here is a video of Pam Anderson and her daughters:

Three Many Cooks