Cranberry Gooey Butter Bars

With their sweet-and-tart flavor and ooey-and-gooey texture, these bars are easy to love and easy to make. To pull together a pan, you’ll only need 15 minutes of hands-on time, which makes them perfect for any holiday get-together.

Prep: 15 min | Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients

Cake Base

• 1 (15.25 ounce) box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Yellow Cake Mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled slightly
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons orange zest

Filling

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted, cooled slightly
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries

Topping

• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• Sweetened whipped cream, if desired

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray bottom only of a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, stir Cake Base ingredients until well blended. Press evenly in pan.
3. In another large bowl, beat cream cheese and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in 1/2 cup melted butter and the eggs, one at a time, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in cranberries. Pour and evenly spread batter into pan over cake base.
4. Bake for 38 to 43 minutes or until golden brown and center is set. Cool completely, about 2 hours.
5. When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon powdered sugar over top. Using sharp knife, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows, cleaning knife blade after each cut. Serve with whipped cream. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Notes

To make 2 cups whipped cream, place a medium deep bowl and beaters in freezer or refrigerator to chill. Place 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in the bowl, and beat on low speed until mixture begins to thicken. Then, add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and beat on high speed until whipped cream forms soft peaks.

To quickly soften cream cheese, remove from wrapper, and place on microwavable plate; microwave uncovered on HIGH for about 15 seconds or just until softened.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 bar): Calories 260 Calories from Fat 110 Total Fat 12g 19% Saturated Fat 7g 37% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 60mg 20% Sodium 230mg 10% Potassium 45mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 34g 11% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 26g Protein 2g

% Daily Value*: Vitamin A 8% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 6% Iron 2%

Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 1/2 Fat

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Betty Crocker Kitchens