Cranberry Blondies

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you! I hope that you all have a wonderful day, surrounded with warmth and love and friends and family and great food and...of course, a time for reflection and gratitude.

And if you have any leftover cranberries after making the traditional relish or sauce, then please take a few extra minutes to make some cranberry blondies. Even if you don't have leftover cranberries....go out and buy more and THEN make these blondies. I promise that you will have one more thing to be thankful for....

I have had my eye on this Cranberry Blondie recipe since November of 2007 when it appeared in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The recipe gives an option for serving with Cinnamon Whipped Cream. Wow. How good would that be?! I haven't tried it yet, but if there is any leftover whipping cream after I make the bread pudding in the morning, I am SO using it to top a few of these blondies! Even without the whipped cream, these blondies are pretty amazing all on their own.

Here's the play by play:

First, beat 1/2 cup of butter until softened. Then, add in white and brown sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Next, mix in eggs and vanilla.

Then, beat in the flour on low speed until combined.

Stir in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into a 9X9X2 in. pan lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries and press them down into the batter...just a little. I used my hands, but a spatula would work fine too.

Then bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Full disclosure: This toothpick step did NOT happen in my household. I put these blondies into the oven and then headed upstairs to read our daughters a bedtime story, say prayers, and tuck them into bed. I asked my husband to please remove the blondies from the oven when the timer went off....if they looked "done". Which he did perfectly. Because after all, don't these look "done"? Sort of? Maybe? Well, they weren't.

 They were still pretty gooey on the inside, but by the time I made it back to the kitchen to check, they were well into the cooling stage. These wouldn't win a baking contest, but honestly....gooey blondies are a-okay with me. They just don't cut into super-pretty squares for your holiday dessert trays, that's all.

You can see that these puffed up nicely all around the edges, though. Given about 5 more minutes, I'd say the whole pan would have been just about right.

A testimonial: 90 minutes after we had safely arrived at my parent's house on this Thanksgiving eve, my whole test plate of blondies was GONE. No one really cared that they were too gooey in places or unevenly sliced....because they are THAT good!

Here's the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens November 2007:

Cranberry Blondies
Makes: 12 bars
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Cool: 1 hour

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 cup fresh cranberries
1 recipe Cinnamon Whipped Cream (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 11x7x1-1/2-inch or a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; coat foil with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl beat butter with wire whisk or electric mixer until softened. Whisk or beat in sugars, baking powder, soda, and salt. Whisk or beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. With whisk, or with electric mixer on low speed, beat in flour. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate. Spread butter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with fresh cranberries; press in lightly with a spatula. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

3. Cool on wire rack 1 hour. Lift with foil to remove from pan. Cut into bars. Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream. Makes 12 bars.

4. Cinnamon Whipped Cream: In a chilled medium mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup whipping cream and 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12 barsCalories246, Total Fat (g)11, Saturated Fat (g)7, Monounsaturated Fat (g)3, Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1, Cholesterol (mg)57, Sodium (mg)175, Carbohydrate (g)35, Total Sugar (g)25, Fiber (g)1, Protein (g)2, Vitamin C (DV%)2, Calcium (DV%)5, Iron (DV%)5, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet