White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookie Bars

These cookie bars are like Christmas in bar form with white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and roasted pistachios. Slightly underbaked for chewy perfection.

Yesterday I was putting the final touches on my Halloween decor only to look outside and see trick-or-treaters on the loose. But Halloween is on Saturday? I don’t understand!? Growing up we were overjoyed when Halloween fell on a Friday or Saturday because that meant we could stay up sugar-high and not worry about getting up for school in the morning. Or had sleepovers after and bargained away some of your less desirable candy for better pieces in your friend’s bag. Why on earth would we change it to a Thursday? All of this ran through my head and I immediately grabbed a bag of candy and threw it in a bowl. Normally I am all about the kids coming to the door so I can admire their costumes and wish I could fit into them, but my boyfriend came as a package deal with a dog that barks like a madman at every knock/doorbell and also happens to hate children more than anything. I decided to avoid that whole situation and instead placed the candy bowl on a table on the front porch beside the jack-o-lanterns.

Other than the masquerade wedding I am attending on Saturday (mask and all), I guess Halloween is over? How deflated I feel as I still had one or two Halloween recipes I wanted to share with you, but the show must go on! It’s time to prepare for the festivities that sprinkle the remainder of the year. When it comes to recipe planning for the holidays, I start with desserts. They are the best part of the day are they not? And to be honest it’s a rare day that I go without having at least 1 cookie because a day without dessert is a struggle. But I digress. To kick off the holiday baking season I made cookie bars (or blondies, I’m not entirely sure if there is a difference) that incorporate ingredients that look oh so festive: white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and roasted pistachios. It basically looks like Christmas in bar form, especially with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top.

These bars also serve another purpose. I teamed up with OXO again this year for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and they sent me a Brownie Set including a Non-Stick Pro 9×13 Cake Pan, Brownie Spatula, and Baker’s Dusting Wand. For every blog post dedicated to this campaign, OXO will be donating $100 along with product proceeds, make sale matches, and other fundraising events (up to their $100,000 commitment). You can help spread the word and contribute to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer by looking for this sticker, found on select OXO baking items in store:

– Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501c(3) public charity duly incorporated under the laws of the state of New Jersey. Your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. 100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.

One year ago: Chocolate Candy Corn & Creme Cookies

Two years ago: Halloween 7-Layer Bars

Three years ago: Pumpkin Oreo Truffles

WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY PISTACHIO COOKIE BARS

Makes 24 bars

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 heaping cup white chocolate chips

1 heaping cup dried cranberries

1 heaping cup shelled roasted pistachios, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan and grease the sides.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat melted butter and sugars together until creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and pistachios. Dough will be thick and sticky.
4. Spread dough out evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is slightly golden.
5. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from my Funfetti Stuffed Chocolate M&M Cookie Cake.

Disclosure: OXO provided me with a Brownie Set to use in the making of this recipe. I was not otherwise compensated. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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