Cranberry Bliss Bars (almost Like Starbucks)

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups splenda brown sugar blend
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup low-carbohydrate baking mix (such as atkins or home made)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• 6 ounces chocolate, finely chopped (sf preferred)
• 1/3 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups splenda granular (pulsed in food processor into a powder) or 1 1/2 cups nature sweet powder sugar substitute (low-carb powdered sugar available at netrition.com)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon sugar-free vanilla
• 1 tablespoon dole lite orange juice
• 1 teaspoon powdered orange rind
• 1/2 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chocolate, shavings (1/2 to 3/4)

Recipe

• 1 for bars:.
• 2 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 3 line a 10x15 jelly roll pan with parchment, trimming away any excess.
• 4 cream butter and brown sugar blend splenda in electric mixer until smooth.
• 5 add eggs one at a time, allowing each to incorporate.
• 6 add dry ingredients in small amounts, allowing time to blend and not forgetting to scrape down the mixer bowl.
• 7 turn off mixer, remove paddle, and fold in cranberries, chocolate, and ginger peel.
• 8 spread batter over parchment on pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until bars are not puffy and slightly firm to the touch.
• 9 allow to cool.
• 10 for topping:.
• 11 in another kitchenaid bowl, blend softened cream cheese with nature sweet powder, butter, vanilla. orange juice and powdered rind, making sure you scrape down the mixer bowl and blend (to make powdered rind, run dried peel through a spice mill then sift to remove any grit).
• 12 turn off mixer, remove paddle, and fold in dried cranberries.
• 13 when bars are cool, spread frosting evenly on top and sprinkle with chocolate shavings (scrape a bar on the side with a large knife to get these- doesn't matter if it crumbles instead of curling).
• 14 cut bars into fourths along the length, and into 3 parts along the width, then cut each square into a triangle.
• 15 store bars in the refrigerator.