Ingredients
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1 cup butter (2 sticks, very soft)
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1 cup brown sugar (some cooks reduce this to 2/3 cup)
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1/3 cup granulated sugar
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3 large eggs
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2 teaspoons orange extract or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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2 cups flour
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1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
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3/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
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3/4 cup white chocolate chips
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3 ounces cream cheese, softened
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2 tablespoons butter, softened
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1 teaspoon orange extract (or vanilla)
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1/3 cup craisins, chopped
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1 teaspoon ground ginger
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3 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 for a glass or dark pan). Prepare a 10x15 by lining it with parchment paper or use a non-stick spray.
- BARS: With an electric mixer, beat together softened butter and sugars 3-5 minutes until light; gently blend in eggs and orange extract (don't overbeat eggs). Add the flour, baking powder, and ginger and beat briefly. Add the cranberries and chips, stirring just until incorporated.
- Spread thick batter in prepared 10x15 pan. Bake 350 for 20-24 minutes until light brown AT EDGES and a skewer tests clean. Don't overbake or your bars will be dry. Let it cool completely. NOTE: If you use a 9x13 pan, the bars will be thicker and will take 26-28 minutes.
- FROSTING: Blend cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add orange extract and confectioners sugar and beat until frosting is fluffy and spreadable (adding 1 t. milk if needed). Spread evenly over COOLED bars.
- GARNISH: Use a zester to remove rind from an orange; sprinkle zest over frosted bars. Chop 1/3 cup Craisins coarsely; sprinkle over frosted bars.
- DRIZZLE: Mix white chocolate and oil in a glass measuring cup. Microwave 1 minute; stirring every 15 seconds until melted. Use a fork or whisk to drizzle the white chocolate diagonally across the bars.
- Allow one hour for the white chocolate to set before cutting. **To make signature Starbuck triangles, cut into 20 large squares (5 cuts by 4 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles.