Cranberry Bliss Bars are an easy Starbucks copycat recipe! White chocolate & cranberry blondie bars with a yummy cream cheese frosting. Enjoy this favorite seasonal treat anytime.
Now that the pumpkin craze (pumpkin bread, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin pasta) is slowly subsiding, it’s time for us to get into the holiday spirit with Christmas recipes. And, these white chocolate cranberry bars are perfect for the occasion!
Have you tried starbuck’s cranberry bliss bars?
Table of Contents
What are cranberry bliss bars?
With a delicious blondie cake base, sweet cream cheese frosting, tart cranberries, and a white chocolate drizzle, they’re my favorite treat this time of the year and are always a huge hit at holiday parties. They make a great gift too! They’re so pretty and festive for the holiday season.
I’ve seen quite a few recipes for homemade cranberry bliss bars that add in orange zest or orange juice, but I actually prefer the recipe without it. I find that they’re perfectly tangy from the cranberries and don’t need any additional flavoring.
However, if you love that orange flavor, you can add in some orange juice (about a tablespoon), orange extract, or a touch of orange zest.
Ingredients needed
- Dried Cranberries
- White Chocolate Chips
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
How to make them
- Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract, and stir until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt & cinnamon until just combined then fold in the cranberries & white chocolate.
- Spread the blondie batter into your prepared pan and bake at 350-degrees for about 20 minutes.
- To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla using an electric mixer. Add melted white chocolate and combine.
- Frost the bars and sprinkle with cranberries.
- Drizzle white chocolate over the top of the bars.
As with my recipe for these Blondies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, I like to take them out when they’re just barely cooked in the middle, so that they’re perfectly chewy blondies. Be sure not to overcook them if you like them this way. They’ll set up a bit more while they cool.
When melting the white chocolate chips, I prefer to use a double boiler method.
Alternatively, you could melt them in the microwave, using 30-second intervals and stirring well after each interval until just melted. Half of the melted chocolate will be added to the frosting and the other half will be drizzled on top of the bars along with a sprinkle of those pretty dried cranberries.
How long are cranberry bliss bars good for?
These are best stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container with parchment paper or plastic wrap between each layer. They will keep for about 5 days. You can store them tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
I promise that you’ll love these Cranberry Bliss Bars. They’ll be the hit of the show at any holiday gathering so be prepared to come with this recipe in hand for all those requests you’ll get!
FAQs
Yes. Cranberry bliss bars are only available at Starbucks during the holiday season. But with this recipes, you can enjoy them year round!
There are no nuts in the original bars that you can purchase at Starbucks. However, you can definitely add nuts to this recipe.
They will keep for about 5 days stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Or, you can freeze for up to two months.
More sweet Christmas recipes
More copycat recipes
- Bistro Boxes (Starbucks Copycat)
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copycat)
Did you try these copycat cranberry bliss bars?
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Full Recipe
Cranberry Bliss Bars
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter (8 Tablespoons)
- 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (coarsely chopped)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (coarsely chopped)
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (melted)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (coarsely chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13″ pan with cooking spray.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar. Add to a large mixing bowl and stir in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt & cinnamon until just combined then fold in the cranberries and white chocolate.
- Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bars cool completely.
Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add half of the melted chocolate and mix until combined.
- Frost the bars and sprinkle with cranberries. Drizzle the remaining white chocolate over the top. Store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2018. It was updated in 2021 to add new information. The original cranberry bliss bars recipe remains unchanged. Enjoy!
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