Cranberry Bliss Bars

I love these things. Every year Starbucks has them during the holidays. My husband became addicted to them a few years back. My sister buys them by the dozen every year as well. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I treated myself to one. Wow! They are bliss! But, being the tight wad that I am, even though they are sinfully good, and only available during the holiday season, I set out to find a recipe for myself. The internet has several options, some vary slightly. I found my favorite on Food.com. As usual, I altered it some to suit our tastes. This was a huge hit last year at all of our Christmas functions. It is a little time consuming, but well worth it. Not only are they delicious, they look so festive. Give them a try, and you can release yourself from the over priced ones that Starbucks only offers sometimes. No more teasers, you can bake, share and enjoy all year if you so choose!
Enjoy!

Cake:
1  cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3  eggs
1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2  teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6 ounce white chocolate, cut into chunks
3/4 cup chopped dried cranberries

 Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Drizzle Icing:  (I don't always do this step. It is delicious, but not really necessary, unless you want authenticity)

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
orange zest (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt. Beat well.
Gradually mix in flour until smooth.
Mix 3/4 cup of  dried cranberries and white chocolate into batter by hand.
Pour batter into a well greased baking pan. You can use 9x13, I prefer a larger pan so the bars will be thinner. I use a small cookie sheet. It measure about 11x14. Spread evenly.
Bake at 350 for about 30 to 35 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Let cool.
Frosting: Mix cream cheese,powdered sugar and lemon juice and extract with a mixer until smooth.
Frost cake and sprinkle with diced dried cranberries.
Drizzle:  Whisk together powdered sugar, milk and shortening.
Drizzle over top in a sweeping motion, or use a fine tipped pastry bag.
If desired top with orange zest.
 Allow to sit for several hours before slicing.

The Absolute Best Premade Cookie Dough!

Don't you just love it when a spouse or family member approaches you with "Oh I forgot, I'm suppose to bring something for a party at school / work tomorrow." This never happens when you just happen to already have something on hand. A couple of years ago, when my hubby needed something for a work party the next day and it was already 8:30 in the evening, past my creative cooking time, I went to Kroger and just couldn't bring myself to buy those bakery cookies or cupcakes. They are rather pricey and to be honest, not that tasty. His co workers have come to expect a little more than that from him, since they know I'll be representing him with something at least homemade, So I thought what the heck, they are getting premade cookies, that's the best I can do. I wasn't expecting much, I picked up a couple of packs of the premade Kroger brand of Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut cookies. I cut them in half to make smaller cookies so they would cook a little faster and go a little further. Let me tell you, not all of the cookies made it to his work, good thing I bought two packs! They are fantastic and taste like homemade! If you haven't tried them yet, please do! They will fool even the toughest critic. Everyone was asking for the recipe! Kroger got it right with this one, better than name brand. Next time you need to bake some cookies give these a try. I think you will agree with me, they are way better than you expect and may just become a new favorite.