Cranberry Gooey Butter Bars

Prep 15 min
Total 3 hr 0 min
Servings 24

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 (especially the ones that sneak up on you). And since they’re baked in a sturdy 13x9 pan, they’re easy to tote along. Keep a box of Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix—the secret shortcut ingredient in this recipe—on hand and you’ll be able to pull off these cranberry-studded and powdered sugar-sprinkled bars whenever you need an easy and crowd-pleasing dessert. MORE+ LESS-

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated September 17, 2019

Ingredients

Cake Base

box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix

1/2

cup butter, melted, cooled slightly

egg

teaspoons orange zest

Filling

package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

3 1/2

cups powdered sugar

1/2

cup butter, melted, cooled slightly

eggs

cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries

Topping

tablespoon powdered sugar

Sweetened whipped cream, if desired

Steps

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1

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-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 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.

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Expert Tips

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, 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 about 15 seconds or just until softened.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Bar

Calories: 260
Calories from Fat: 110

% Daily Value

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%; 8%
Vitamin C: 0%; 0%
Calcium: 6%; 6%
Iron: 2%; 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;