Lightened-Up Cranberry Bliss Bars

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper (make sure the paper hangs over two ends of the pan); set aside.

In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder and ginger; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and orange extract until just blended. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in cranberries and chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan.

Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let the bars cool in pan. Once cooled, take them out of the pan by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper.

For the frosting: Beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar and orange extract, until light and fluffy. Spread frosting over bars.

For the topping: Sprinkle bars with cranberries and grated orange zest.

Melt white chocolate chips and canola oil in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds then stir. Heat for additional 15 second intervals until chocolate is melted. Drizzle melted chocolate over bars.

Let the bars rest for 30 minutes and cut into bars. To make signature Starbucks triangles, cut into 20 large squares (5 cuts by 4 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles.

I found they are best to keep in the refrigerator.