Recipe: Heavenly Cranberry Bars or Heavenly Toffee Bars (clone of Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars)

Heavenly Cranberry Bars or Heavenly Toffee Bars (clone of Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars)
From: Celebrate The Rain by the Junior League of Seattle

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (or craisins), coarsely chopped
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/4 cup grated orange zest

WHITE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3 Tablespoons grated orange zest, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
6 ounces high quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 11x15 inch jelly roll pan or rimmed baking sheet*.

Whisk together the brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended, then stir in the white chocolate chips, cranberries, pecans and orange zest.

Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan (it will be quite stiff) and bake until golden brown, about 20-22 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack to cool.

For the Frosting:
Cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, 1 Tablespoon of the orange zest, and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Spread the mixture over the cooled base.

Stir together the remaining 2 Tablespoons orange zest with the dried cranberries in a small bowl and sprinkle the mixture over the frosting.

Melt the white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the white chocolate over the bars and let sit until the chocolate is set.

Cut the bars into 3-inch squares and then diagonally into triangles.

*These bars can be baked in a 9x13 inch pan, increasing the baking time to approx. 30 minutes.

For Heavenly Toffee Bars:
Omit the dried cranberries, orange zest, and frosting. Decrease the white chocolate chips to 1 cup. Into the batter stir 5 chocolate-covered English toffee bars (1.4 oz. each), coarsely chopped, and 1/2 cups chocolate chips along with the pecans.