Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Blondies

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Deliciously festive and easy Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Blondies for your Christmas week baking needs! These luscious bars are not only incredibly simple to make, but taste SO. DARN. GOOD. Made simply with flour, baking powder, brown sugar, eggs, orange zest, a splash of vanilla, and (of course!) lots of white chocolate. Though, these delicious blondies wouldn’t be complete without the fresh in-season cranberries throughout! Every bite is sweet, soft, and full of the best Christmas flavors. Trust me, you will NEED to bake these blondies for Christmas dessert, to give as a gift, or just to include in your holiday cookie box!

About The Recipe

Happy Christmas week, everyone! Can you believe that we are five days away from Christmas? Time is seriously flying and we have been working up some serious baking magic in the kitchen. Take these blondies for example! Not only are they EXTRA festive and use fresh cranberries, but they are also the very first blondie we ever made!

Yep. You read that right. This was our first ever batch of blondies we ever attempted to make! We’ve always made brownies because our whole house is full of chocolate lovers, but blondies have been something on our to-do list since we started this blog.

This recipe was actually something we intended to publish LAST Christmas, but we got way too busy. During the Fall, we made Pumpkin Spice Blondies, but these extra festive blondies were our first ever blondie that we ever made.

So, now that it’s Christmas time again, it seemed like the perfect time to make these sweet treats.

Surprisingly, the development and testing of this recipe was a breeze!

We used our basic blondie recipe that we developed, then we tossed in a LOT of white chocolate chips, fresh cranberries, and a dash of orange zest! Because, I mean, it’s the holiday’s. Who doesn’t want to be indulgent?

It was so hard letting these blondies cool before cutting into them. They smelled SO. GOOD. But, we prevailed. We waited before trying our test bake and it was just as good as it smelled!

Every bite of these blondies is sweet, full of tart (but also sweet!) cranberry flavor, and a hint of orange running throughout every bite. It’s really such a simple recipe, but it TASTES amazing and it’s so festive. Definitely a new holiday staple for us and we hope for you, too!

What are Blondies?

Blondies are a form of cookie bar, similar to a brownie. Traditionally made without flavorings and with the addition of nuts or white chocolate chips. This version is made with white chocolate, fresh cranberries, and some orange zest to give it a festive twist!

What’s The Difference Between a Blondie and Brownie?

Blondies are often referred to as “blonde brownies”, as they look very similar, and have similar ingredients, but in our testing, we found that brownies and blondies really not that similar. In actuality, it’s almost more like a chocolate chip cookie!

Blondies are made with flour, eggs, melted butter, and lots of brown sugar! Our version does have the addition of white chocolate, cranberries, and orange zest rather than focusing on a strong vanilla flavor, like a traditional blondie.

Brownies are made with cocoa powder (and sometimes melted chocolate!), melted butter, eggs, and granulated sugar. Though, to achieve the gorgeous crinkle-top crust for brownies, you need to beat the eggs and sugar.

With blondies, you shouldn’t beat any of the ingredients, as in our testing, we found that beating the blondies caused them to be greasy and not bake properly.

Why You Will Love These Cranberry White Chocolate Blondies

• Actually SUPER simple to make!
• Does not require any specialty equipment or mixers.
• Made in only two bowls!!!
• Every bite is the perfect combination of flavors and perfect textures.
• These blondies make for a great addition to your holiday cookie box.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• 8 Inch Square Pan
• Cake Tester

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

• Unsalted Butter – We personally like to use unsalted butter in this recipe, as it allows us to control the amount of salt. Though, if all you have is salted butter, that’s fine, too! Just omit the salt in the recipe.
• Brown Sugar – The secret to perfectly soft, chewy, gooey, and delicious blondies.
• Large Eggs – Make sure to use room temperature large eggs, as they will incorporate easily into the blondie batter.
• Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract is a MUST in a blondie!
• All-Purpose Flour – All you need is just regular unbleached all-purpose flour to create the most tender crumb.
• Baking Powder – Just a dash to give these blondies some rise!
• Salt – To help bring our flavor and cut back on the sugar just a tad.
• Orange Zest – A dash of orange zest adds a wonderful festive flavor to these blondies.
• Fresh Cranberries – Make sure you use small, dark red cranberries for the best flavor!
• White Chocolate Chips – A high quality white chocolate makes allllll the difference in this recipe.

How To Make Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Blondies

Step 1: Make the batter

In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and orange zest in a large bowl. Set aside

In a large bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix butter and sugar.

Mix in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour mixture. Mix until blended.

Fold in white chocolate chips and cranberries.

Step 2: Bake

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until done.

How To Tell When A Blondie Is Perfectly Baked

Thankfully, a blondie is much easier to tell when it’d done versus a brownie! A blondie is lighter in color so, as it browns, you can actually see it. But, there are definitely some tricks to get that perfectly baked blondie.

It all comes down to bake time. Always bake in the allotted time stated in the recipe card below. Any more may cause an over-baked blondie, any less may be under-baked. Another way to tell is when the crust is just starting to pull away the pan. At that moment, it should be perfectly baked! If you aren’t too sure, you can always use a cake tester or a tooth pick to determine if it’s done.

What Type of White Chocolate To Use

Believe it or not, the type of white chocolate you use matters a LOT. As always, you should use a high quality white chocolate for this recipe. Do not use candy melts! High quality baking chips or a white chocolate baking bar (chopped) will work beautifully for this recipe.

How To Store

Once these blondies have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container or zip top bag at room temperature for about 1 day (they are very moist!). You can refrigerate them for about 3-5 days. Though, in our opinion, the best way to store these blondies is in the freezer! Place the blondies in a freezer safe zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Looking for more recipes like this? Here are a few you may like: No Fail Lemon Bars, Cranberry Pistachio Cookies, Homemade Fig Newtons, Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls

Expert Tips

• When buying cranberries, make sure they’re red/deep red in color and not shriveled or brown.
• Make sure you try and find the smallest cranberries you can. If you buy larger ones, they may not cook all the way through and may make your muffins bitter in taste.
• Make sure to use a high quality white chocolate in this recipe.
• Do not beat the batter!
• Bake times may vary depending on your oven. Use a cake tester to see when these blondies are baked!

When you make these Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Blondies, leave a comment down below and/or give this recipe a rating! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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