Cranberry Orange Bars

Similar to Starbucks Cranberry Bliss bars, but orangier! I found a number of online recipes and put together the parts I liked best. Basic recipe mostly comes from here with a few modest changes.

BARS
◦ 1 cup butter ( 2 sticks, very soft)
◦ 2/3 cup brown sugar
◦ 1/3 cup granulated sugar
◦ 3 large eggs
◦ grated zest from 1 orange
◦ 2 cups flour
◦ 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
◦ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
◦ 3/4 cup craisins ( dried cranberries)
◦ 3/4 cup white chocolate chips 

FROSTING
◦ 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
◦ 2 tablespoons butter, softened
◦ 3 cups confectioners' sugar
◦ 1-2 or more teaspoons orange juice from zested orange

TOPPING
◦ 1/3 cup craisins
◦ 1/3 cup white chocolate chips 

Directions 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 for a glass or dark pan). Prepare a 9x13 by lining it with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. 
2. BARS: With an electric mixer, beat together softened butter and sugars 3-5 minutes until light; gently blend in eggs and orange zest (don't overbeat eggs). Add the flour, baking powder, and ginger and beat briefly. Add the cranberries and chips, stirring just until incorporated. 
3. Spread thick batter in prepared 9x13 pan. It does level itself out a little bit while baking. Bake 350 for 24-28 minutes until light brown AT EDGES and a skewer tests clean. Don't overbake or your bars will be dry. Let it cool completely. Using overhanging parchment paper, lift from pan onto rack.  I turn it out upside down onto rack, peel off paper, then flip onto big cutting board to frost and cut. 
4. FROSTING: Blend cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add orange juice and confectioners sugar and beat until frosting is fluffy and spreadable (adding more orange juice if needed, but remember its easier to add liquid, than to thicken frosting up after adding too much liquid). Spread evenly over COOLED bars. 
5. GARNISH: Sprinkle Craisins and white chocolate chips over frosted bars. 
6. Allow one hour in frig for the frosting to set before cutting. Cut into 20 large squares (5 cuts by 4 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles. It has been my experience that triangles have fewer calories than squares. Or not.

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

Here is the original recipe that I got from our good friend Oscar, from back in the days when cranberries came in one pound bags, not the 12oz bags they come in now. I've done some recalculations and show those recipes afterwards. Plus, what could be better than leftover turkey sandwiches with homemade cranberry sauce in them?

Cranberries also freeze very well, and I usually make mine from frozen berries, so I have to add additional time to the cooking. Basically, you want all the cranberries to be exploded and breaking down and the sugar all melted and mixing with the cranberry juices, but the level of personal preference for "chunkiness" can be determined by you.

I also use less than the amount specified for the bourbon, especially if I am making it for people who have never had it or may not like the strong flavor the bourbon imparts. On average, about 1/4 cup per pound of berries. Again, your call. And sometimes I replace half the bourbon with some Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur. Tastes good! But it's important to add the alcohol while the berries are screaming hot so that it blends completely and some of the alcohol evaporates. You want a buzz? Drink a cocktail while cooking.

WARNING! I have tried cooking as much as 2 lbs per 13x9 pan and about 50% or more of the time, I've had boil-overs making the oven a sticky mess. When I cook a LOT, I use a big dutch oven on the stovetop and add a little water (.25 to .5 cup) to help get the process started. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer, stirring frequently, until your cranberries and dark red and burst. Then add bourbon, etc., but probably add less since it doesn't sizzle and evaporate as much as the oven version. Unless, like me, you adore bourbon- then just add away!

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour.

Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)

Makes about 3 cups

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12 oz bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

1 12oz bag of cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
Dash of cinnamon, optional
Less than 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 hour or less. Check often.

Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)

But 12oz of cranberries doesn't seem to make very much. But if you doubled it to 24oz of cranberries, you could make 1.5 times the 1lb recipe. Math is your friend.

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3 lb bag: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
(Costco sells cranberries in 3lb bags! Whoohoo!)

3 lb bag cranberries (split in half- about 6 cups each)
6 cups sugar (split in half- 3 cups each
Dash of cinnamon, optional (dash on both pans, if split)
3/4 cup bourbon (half for each pan if split)

If you have access to very large pans and restaurant sized ovens, you can make this all in one pan. (Note: I made this unsplit all in one roasting pan and it worked fine.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries and sugar (and cinnamon) in two 9x13-inch baking pans. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once -- about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. It thickens as it chills. (Can be prepared up to a week ahead.)

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Delicious AND easy, my favorites.