(breaks into song)
“it’s the most wonderful time of the year!” And no I’m not talking about just Christmas itself…i’m talking about Starbucks Christmas!
Yes it’s that time of year already and once again Starbucks is displaying the wonderful red cups and Christmas schwag.
The Red Cup
I love this time of year, the peppermint mocha’s, the gingerbread latte’s and if you are an eggnog lover there are even drinks made out of eggnog. I am also a huge fan of the peppermint hot chocolate.
They also have the little goodies that come along with Christmas time. My personal favourite is the Cranberry bliss bar, but they also have gingerbread loaf.
While browsing around the net for some great Starbucks pictures, I came across this recipe for Cranberry Bliss Bars! If any of you enjoy baking, and decide to bake these up, let me know how they turn out!
| Cranberry Bliss Bar® | |
| by Todd Wilbur | |
| The tangy cranberries and sweet lemon frosting make this cake bar a holiday favorite that evokes piles of cloning requests when Starbucks stops selling it after Christmas. Now, with this easy-to-make clone, this treat can be a perennial hit. Break out this red and white treat for the gang on this holiday and you might be as popular as the guy in the red and white suit. | |
| Cake | |
| 1 cup (2 sticks) | butter, softened |
| 1 1/4 cups | light brown sugar, packed |
| 3 | eggs |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | vanilla |
| 1 teaspoon | ginger |
| 1/4 teaspoon | salt |
| 1 1/2 cups | all-purpose flour |
| 3/4 cup | diced dried cranberries |
| 6 ounces | white chocolate, cut into chunks |
| Frosting | |
| 4-ounces | cream cheese, softened |
| 3 cups | powdered sugar |
| 4 teaspoons | lemon juice |
| 1/2 teaspoon | vanilla extract |
| 1/4 cup diced | dried cranberries |
| Drizzled Icing | |
| 1/2 cup | powdered sugar |
| 1 Tablespoon | milk |
| 2 teaspoons | vegetable shortening |
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth. Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. Pour batter into a well-greased 9×13-inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Allow cake to cool.
3. Make frosting by combining softened cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.
5. Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip to drizzle frosting across the top of the cake.
6. Allow cake to sit for several hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices. (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com)
Makes 16 bars.
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