White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Play a little Bing Crosby, dream of a white Christmas and bake up a batch of these White Chocolate Cranberry Bars. Packed with dried cranberries, white chocolate and crystallized ginger, they’re the perfect holiday sweet. The bars can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for a few days before serving.

Bars

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup minced dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped good quality white chocolate
• 1/4 cup minced crystalized ginger

Frosting

• 4 ounce reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish

• 1/3 cup minced dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup good white chocolate, chopped coarsely and melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Cream butter and sugar and then add the eggs and vanilla, beating until fluffy. Add flour, ginger and salt and beat well. Fold in cranberries, white chocolate and ginger. Spread batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden. Set aside to cool.

When cooled, beat all frosting ingredients together until smooth and then spread over the bars. Sprinkle with minced cranberries. Drizzle melted white chocolate over the top. Cut immediately, before the chocolate hardens.

Makes 15 bars.