White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
Indulge in the ultimate festive treat: easy white chocolate blondies with a soft, fudgy base, vibrant orange zest, dried cranberries, and a creamy frosting. Perfect for holiday dessert boards and gifting!
Ingredients
Blondies:
- ¾ cup butter, cubed
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure orange extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter; stir in the brown sugar. Cool slightly before moving to the next step.
- In the same bowl, add eggs, beating well, and then add in the vanilla and orange extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then stir these dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
- Add in the cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick) and stir well. Spread the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not over bake), 18-21 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the frosting:
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave so it’s soft and ready to add to the frosting mixture. To melt white chocolate chunks in the microwave, use a microwave-safe bowl
- On medium power (or 50% power) for short intervals of 10-15 seconds, stirring well after each interval until smooth.
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange zest until smooth. Gradually beat in half of the melted white chocolate; spread over blondies.
- Sprinkle with cranberries; drizzle with remaining melted chocolate. Optional to add additional orange zest on top of the bars.
- As soon as the blondies are cool and frosted, cut into squares, or cut into triangles.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover white chocolate cranberry blondies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend leaving these blondies out at room temperature for long due to the cream cheese frosting. Allow the chilled blondies to come to room temperature before serving again, otherwise they will be too hard straight from the fridge.
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled white chocolate blondies (without frosting) as individual squares/triangles in plastic and again in foil. Transfer them to an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag to be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the number of blondies you want overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before topping with fresh frosting and a sprinkling of dried cranberries and orange zest.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 221kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 119mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 263IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 1mg