I'm flipflopping again! I'm hosting a party tonight so I'll get some photos of guests sipping on a new cocktail I had originally planned today for Friday Cocktails and I'll publish it this weekend. In the meantime you can enjoy these beauties; it's all I can do to keep my hands off of them and save them for guests!
I'll be perfectly honest. I'm not sure I've ever had a Cranberry Bliss Bar at Starbucks. I know...crazy right? It's not that I'm not tempted by the description and their combining of cranberries with a white chocolate bar that's topped with a white chocolate glaze and cranberries; no, it sounds divine. But I have a problem. I simply cannot pay Starbucks $3-4 for a small treat when I've always got something at home to satisfy my sweet tooth. Color me cheap if you must; I prefer saying I'm frugal!
But that doesn't mean they didn't come to mind when I had one of my famous (or maybe infamous) pantry inspirations. I had used dried cranberries in a salad the other day; I popped them down on the counter with other things that I had picked up at the market that needed to be stored in the pantry and voila...it happened. It was as if it was destiny when the cranberries ended up next to a bag of white chocolate chips and marshmallows, don't you think?
As a rule I love making pretty desserts; for me it's fun to spend half a day making a beautiful creation to wow friends and family. But I have this thing for Rice Krispie Treats. I just love them. So I fiddle with them a lot. I've recreated a fantastic dessert from my hometown that's actually sold on a stick there, I've gone the S'Mores route and I make a peanut butter and chocolate version that makes a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup seem mundane (I'll list them all below before the recipe). So this would surprise no one who knows me that I've done it again and I must say, I've done good!
These are amazing. The requisite chewy, crispy elements we expect combined with the sweet smoothness of white chocolate and the tart sweetness of cranberries (say that three times, fast). I typically trim off the outer edges so that photos are of bars with equally sharp edges. Yesterday I'm certain I trimmed the edges...and then trimmed them again so I could have some more. I'm saving these for a party I'm having Friday night so of course I can't eat a whole bar; I need them for guests. BUT...I can trim a lot. 🙂
I'm betting once you try these your Starbucks habit will disappear and you'll be making them at home too. I won't tell your family if the edges get trimmed a lot...just enjoy!
As promised; here's a bunch more of my Rice Krispie Treat creations...I love them ALL!
Cranberry Bliss Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
For the Rice Krispie Treats
For the Topping
Instructions
To Make the Rice Krispie Treats:
- Butter the inside of a 9X13" pan. Combine the cereal, dried cranberries and white chocolate chips in a large bowl and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to cook, stirring often, until they are melted and combined with the butter. Turn off the heat.
- Add the cereal mixture and stir until everything is combined; pour into the buttered pan and pat evenly.
To Make the Topping:
- Combine the white chocolate chips and milk in a measuring cup and heat in microwave on low heat for 30 second increments; stirring after each time period. Continue to do this until all of the white chocolate is melted and the mixture is pourable.
- Pour over the Rice Krispie Treats and spread with a spatula; sprinkle the dried cranberries over the top. Allow to cool completely and then cut into squares.
