Cranberry Gooey Butter Bars

Cranberry Gooey Butter Bars

Source: Betty Crocker

Our Rating: 5/5

These Cranberry Gooey Butter Bars are a little bit of a cross between a cake and a cookie, but whatever you want to call them, they are DELICIOUS! I just love cranberries for fall treats but they can definitely be a little tart.  The cake mix and cream cheese in this recipe balances out the tart berries so nicely.  Since you start with cake mix, this is also a super easy recipe to whip up.  However, you'd never know you started with a mix and this is both beautiful and elegant, the perfect addition to a holiday table this year. 

The fresh orange zest in the cake mix base brings a great freshness to it.  Make sure you follow the recipe instructions, not the box instructions!  You are left with a very thick consistency to push into the bottom of your baking dish for the bottom layer. 
 

Next up we whip up the cream cheese layer and this is where we mix in those seasonal fresh cranberries too, my favorite part!  

It took a little longer for me to bake than suggested this time, but eventually it lost its liquid-like consistency and got a beautiful golden brown color so I was able to pull it out to cool.

You can dust it with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream but I've found it doesn't even need it.  I serve them as is and they get rave reviews!  They are a great addition to a Friendsgiving dessert table or a great alternative to pie on Thanksgiving.