It wouldn't be Christmas at my in-laws without Cranberry Bars. The bars are fudgy in texture and studded with tart cranberries and crunchy almonds. For a little extra holiday flare, I like to drizzle the bars with melted white chocolate.
These bars are quick to throw together making for a great addition to your dessert platter or holiday cookie swap.
And I don't know about you, but I struggle to find either fresh or frozen cranberries come January 1st. So make these tasty bars while the gettin' is good!
Cranberry Christmas Bars
Ingredients
· ¾ cups butter, softened
· 1 ½ cup sugar
· 2 eggs
· 1 tsp almond extract
· 1 ½ cups flour
· ½ cups slivered almonds
· 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
· 4oz white chocolate
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line an 8x8in pan with parchment paper; leave a 2in overhang of parchment for easily lift bars from the pan. Lightly coat the parchment with non-stick spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar using a paddle attachment. Beat until just combined. If you over mix, the bars will become fluffy and cake-like. Stir in the eggs and almond extract. Beat in the flour.
Sprinkle over the almonds and cranberries. Fold into the batter by hand.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. The batter will be quite thick. Grease a small, off-set spatula and smooth the batter into an even layer into the pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until the bars are deep golden brown.
Allow to cool for about 30 minutes in the pan. Using the parchment sling, remove the bars from the pan. Cool completely.
Using a large knife, slice into 16 even bars. Transfer the bars to a parchment lined sheet pan.
Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave into 15 second increments, stirring often. Once the white chocolate is smooth, transfer to a small piping bag. Using a pair of scissors, cut a very small tip off the piping bag.
Drizzle the white chocolate over each bar. Transfer the bars to the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. Remove from the fridge and store at room temperature in an air-tight container.
Makes 16 bars
Gluten Free Friendly!
I had greatest success with Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend.
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