V-Day Treats for Alicia

In the last installment of the unintentionally two week long Valentine's Day blog roll, the treats I made for my dear friend Alicia. Even though we've only been friends for a little over a year, she has weathered a lot with me in recent months.   I always knew she was a good friend, but I don't think I truly appreciated her until she selflessly volunteered to accompany me to my grandfather's funeral in December. I continue to be amazed and jump at any chance to show her how thankful I am for our friendship. Because I tend to show my love for people with through the bake, enter Valentine's treats:

Cranberry White Chocolate Bars
[Adapted from Glorious Treats]

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (slightly softened)
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries, chopped
• 6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) white chocolate chips
• festive sprinkles (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 (F) degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan then set aside (I also like to line the pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the two long sides- this allows the bars to be pulled out of the pan after baking for easier cutting)
2. In a medium bowl add the flour, powdered ginger, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set bowl aside
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and orange zest and mix well. Gradually add the flour mixture and blend until combined
4. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate. Pour the batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Add sprinkles to top before baking
5. Bake 25-30 minutes, until edges are light brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
6.  After cooled, use cookie cutters to cut out heart shapes