Adventures in Gluten Free Cooking: Cranberry White Chocolate Bars

I have been trying some new gluten free recipes, but I have not been pleased with the outcome of them.

Not enough to share them with you.

The other day I attempted GF bagels...

They turned out more like GF bricks...

So I will keep trying!

Here is a recipe that I LOVE and the red cranberries are perfect for Valentine's Day!

For the Bars you will need: 
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 cups light brown sugar
3 eggs

1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups GF flour mix (I used 1/2 c. white rice flour, 1/2 c. brown rice flour, 1/4 c. tapioca starch, 1/4 c. corn starch, plus 1/2 tsp xanthan gum)

3/4 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate (cut into chunks) OR 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

For the frosting you will need:
4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Directions: 
Step 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2) Make bars by beating the butter and brown sugar together with a mixer until smooth. Add the eggs,
vanilla, salt, ginger, lemon zest. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the gluten free flours together (if you are not using a mix). Gradually mix in the GF flour until smooth. Mix 3/4 cup dried cranberries and the white chocolate into the batter by hand. 

** To make the bars easier to remove and cut, I lined my baking pan with parchment paper (totally optional!)

Step 3) Spread the batter into a well greased 9×12″ baking pan.

Step 4) Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the bars are lightly brown on the edges.

Allow the bars to cool completely.

To make the frosting:
Step 1) Combine the softened cream, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and mix until smooth.

That's it! 

Once the cake has completely cooled, use a spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cake.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake. You could even shave some white chocolate on top of the frosting as well, if you have any left over.