Gluten-Free Holiday Bliss Cookie Bars

Using a basic cookie recipe, I revised it to be gluten-free and instead of the soft cake-like texture that Starbucks® Cranberry Bliss Bars have, these have a chewy, cookie-like texture. Also, I reduced the sugar so they're not quite so sweet.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 0.75 cup brown sugar
• 0.5 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend (such as Namaste Perfect Flour Blend™)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 (8 ounce) package white chocolate chips
• 0.75 cup shredded coconut
• 1 (16 ounce) container cream cheese frosting
• 0.5 cup chopped dried cranberries, or to taste

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13-inch pan.
2. Beat butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until smooth.
3. Stir flour, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum together in a separate bowl. Stir 1/2 of the flour mixture into the egg mixture; mix well. Stir in remaining flour mixture, along with white chocolate chips and coconut. Mix well. Press into the prepared pan.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges start to brown, about 23 minutes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
5. Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with cranberry bits. Cut into 48 triangles.