When the Christmas season comes along, no matter how busy I am, I always find a way to make one or two kinds of holiday cookies. Buying cookies from the store is convenient, but I really enjoy making my own Christmas cookies to serve when family or friends drop in or to bring to my brother’s or sister’s for Christmas dinner. It’s a tradition I’m not prepared to give up. But I’ve been super busy this December so I wanted to make holiday cookies that didn’t take a lot of time. You’ll be happy to know that these White Chocolate Cranberry Bars can be made in just over an hour!
Cranberries are popping up on restaurant menus due to their high antioxidant level. In fact, they are higher in antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables including strawberries, broccoli, spinach and cherries. While baking does reduce the antioxidant level of cranberries, they still offer health benefits.
Because cranberries whether fresh or baked are quite tart, I thought they would pair nicely with sweet white chocolate. You could also add some nuts to these bars, but I decided to keep them nut-free.
The batter for this recipe is similar to a chocolate chip cookie batter in that it is quite sticky. That’s why I’ve suggested using parchment paper to line the pan – not only will this result in you not having to clean the pan, but your cookie bars will be very easy to slice and they won’t leave the bottom half of the bars stuck to the pan.
Let me know in the comment section if you make White Chocolate Cranberry Bars.
White Chocolate Cranberry Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup sugar I used cane sugar, but regular sugar is fine.
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place parchment paper in the bottom of an 8" x 8" pan. Grease side of pan and parchment paper with a bit of olive oil.
- Beat egg, butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt to mixing bowl and beat until well blended.
- Stir in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and 1 cup fresh cranberries. Batter will be sticky.
- Press mixture into pan.
- Bake for 30-33 minutes.
- Let bars cool completely. In the meantime, melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips over low heat.
- Drizzle melted white chocolate over bars and let bars sit for a few minutes.
- Slice bars into squares, cleaning knife frequently to ensure clean edges.
- Store bars in airtight container.
OK now this sounds like it would be right up my street I can never say no to something that includes white chocolate and the cranberries really give it that festive edge!
I agree…cranberries really make any dish festive! Cheers, Lori
One of these cookies that has simple ingredients that we keep in the pantry. Only thing I would have to get is the cranberries which is easy enough.
Yes, that’s true! You will probably have most of these ingredients at home! Cheers, Lori
Oh My! I would love to try this recipe. It looks so yummy! Love recipes with cranberries in them.
I also love recipes with cranberries in them! Cheers, Lori
These bars are so perfect to snack on all week! I love how packed with cranberries these bars are!
Yes, that’s if they last throughout the week! I also like that they are full of cranberries! Lori
They look delicious. More importantly they look rather simple to make. I’ve never had fresh cranberries but I would try them.
The fresh cranberries baked in the bars are really delicious. They are a bit tart, but that is balanced by the sweet chocolate! Cheers, Lori
This looks super delicious! I can’t wait to make this for my family!
The best part is how easy these bars are to make! Cheers, Lori
I don’t typically like cranberries, but this recipe looks so yummy that I feel like I have to try it! I can never say no to white chocolate!
I know what you mean about cranberries. But they’re cooked in this recipe so they soften a bit and they taste great with sweet white chocolate! Cheers, Lori
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