White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
These blondies, made with orange, cranberries, and white chocolate cream cheese frosting, make the perfect holiday treat! They're easy to bake ahead and perfect for a cookie tray or sharing.
Servings: 30 bars
Ingredients
For the blondie layer
- 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur (or ¾ teaspoon orange extract)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 orange, depending on size)
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 6 ounces white chocolate coarsely chopped
For the frosting
- 6 ounces white chocolate
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier liqueur (or ¾ teaspoon orange extract)
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- ½ cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick baking spray and set it aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar until it is well combined, then allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, 10-15 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cooled butter mixture, eggs, vanilla extract, Grand Marnier, and orange zest. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are well incorporated and the batter is lighter in color, 3-4 minutes.12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar, 2 large eggs, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur (or ¾ teaspoon orange extract), 1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 orange, depending on size)
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Mix on medium-low speed until it is mostly mixed, then add the cranberries and chopped white chocolate (the batter will be thick). Spread the blondie batter into the prepared pan.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, ½ cup dried cranberries, 6 ounces white chocolate
- Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out nearly clean, with a few moist crumbs (do not overbake), 18-22 minutes. The blondies will be light in color with some brown areas. Cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting: Add the white chocolate to a bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted. Do not over-microwave the white chocolate, or it will burn. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese until it is smooth. Scrape the bowl and add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, Grand Marnier, and orange zest. Mix until it is well-blended. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate and beat until blended.6 ounces white chocolate, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier liqueur (or ¾ teaspoon orange extract), 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- Frost the cooled blondies and sprinkle with the chopped cranberries. Lastly, finely drizzle with the remaining melted white chocolate. Cut into 30 square or triangle-shaped bars. The bars are very rich, so cut them into smaller pieces. Store, covered tightly, in the refrigerator until ready to serve. These are good cold, at room temperature, and they freeze beautifully in an airtight container.½ cup dried cranberries
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 368kcal