Orange creamsicle bars are a taste of pure nostalgia! The easy dessert bars have orange zest, a chewy texture and the best white chocolate orange glaze. No mixer is needed and they bake in an 8x8 pan. Then a simple ganache ties together this citrusy orange and creamy vanilla dream bar. They will make your inner child smile!
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As a busy mama and self taught baker, I find dessert bars super simple to make when you don’t have a lot of time.
Much like my lemon blondies, you will love the soft and fudgy texture and the fact that the blondies mix up in one bowl without a mixer. The white chocolate ganache brings the creamy vanilla flavor and it does require another bowl. The flavor is just like the creamsicle flavor in my orange creamsicle cookies.
When little e taste tested a bar, her eyes rolled back and she said, “how do you make this taste just like an orange creamsicle popsicle?” I consider that a win!
You can watch me create the EASY design on the creamy ganache topping in the video.
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🍊 ingredients notes
- Oranges ~ for the best flavor, use fresh (washed and dried) oranges for the zest and orange juice. Orange zest provides a ton of flavor without adding extra liquid to the dessert bars recipe. Once the oranges are zested, squeeze them for the fresh juice. I used both navel oranges and honey bell oranges to test this recipe.
- Sugar ~ granulated or white sugar is needed to help the blondie bars shine with orange flavor, while confectioners’ sugar adds to the soft texture.
- White chocolate ~ the white chocolate brings a big part of the creamy vanilla flavor. I tested using Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and a chopped block of Callebaut white chocolate. White chocolate chips are not created equal, so I cannot guarantee that any other brand of chips will work in this recipe.
🥣 how to make orange cream bars from scratch
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, confectioners' sugar and kosher salt until well combined. The mixture will get thick and it should take about 1 minute.
Then add the eggs and vanilla. Scrape up and down the bowl as needed and whisk until combined, about 1 minute.
Now add the orange juice and orange zest and whisk until well combined.
Next add the all-purpose flour and mix until the batter fully comes together.
Drop the batter (it’s thick) into the prepared baking pan and smooth to an even layer.
Bake until the edges have barely browned and a tester in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. It will be very light in color. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
Once the orange creamsicle bars are cool, make the white chocolate ganache icing.
Then smooth the icing over the cooled blondies and allow to set.
👩🏻🍳 tips for the best dessert bars
I know I am a broken record, but measure your ingredients correctly. I recommend the spoon and level method for measuring flour. Fluff the flour in its container, then spoon into a measuring cup and level it off with the flat side of a knife. For less dishes to wash, use a food scale this is the scale that I use and love.
This recipe for orange cream bars makes chewy and fudgy dessert bars. To create this texture, be sure to not over mix the batter and don’t over bake! It's better to err on the side of less done than over done. The bars will firm up and continue to cook as they cool. If you like a more soft, gooey center, bake for a minute or two less.
For the best creamsicle bars, I recommend baking in a light colored 8x8 baking pan. Dark pans absorb more heat and can cause the edges to burn while the middle is undercooked. Glass pans also distribute the heat differently and can have similar results to dark colored baking pans. If baking in glass, it’s recommended to lower the temperature by 25°F and bake for a few minutes longer.
Remember your oven is different from mine and the baking time may be slightly different. I use this oven thermometer to ensure my oven is at the temperature I think it is.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these Dreamy Orange Creamsicle Bars. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Dreamy Orange Creamsicle Bars
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams in parenthesis DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
orange blondies
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted (113g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar (60g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange juice (15mL)
- 2 tablespoons orange zest from 2 large oranges
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (157g)
- white chocolate orange ganache
- 4 ounces white chocolate* chopped small (114g)
- 2 ounces whipping cream** (60g)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest from one large orange
Instructions
orange blondies
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the melted butter (½ cup/113g), granulated sugar (½ cup/100g), confectioners' sugar (½ cup/60g) and kosher salt (¼ teaspoon) until well combined. The mixture will get thick and it should take about 1 minute.
- Then add the eggs (2 large) and vanilla (1 teaspoon). Scrape up and down the bowl as needed and whisk until combined, about 1 minute.
- Now add the orange juice (1 tablespoon/15mL) and orange zest (2 tablespoons/from 2 large oranges) and whisk until well combined.
- Next add the all-purpose flour (1 ¼ cup/157g) and mix until the batter fully comes together.
- Drop the batter (it’s thick) into the prepared baking pan and smooth to an even layer.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the edges have barely browned and a tester in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. It will be very light in color. For a gooey texture, bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
white chocolate orange ganache
- Add the white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (4 ounces/114g) to a glass or metal bowl and set aside. I've only tested this recipe with Ghirardelli white chocolate chips or a quality white chocolate baking bar.
- Heat the heavy cream (2 ounces/60g) in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s bubbling at the edges and is hot, but do not bring it to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let it sit about two minutes before stirring it into a smooth ganache.*** Once most of the chocolate has melted into the ganache, add the orange zest (1 tablespoon) and continue stirring until smooth.
- Smooth the icing over the cooled blondies and allow to set.
- Then use the parchment to pull the bars out of the pan and cut into desired sizes.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
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