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A fun copycat Starbucks recipe these Cranberry Bliss Bars are soft, tasty, and full of flavor. Topped with an orange spiked frosting, cranberries, and white chocolate you can’t go wrong.
These Cranberry Bliss Bars have been one of my absolute favorite recipes for the longest time. When they would appear back at Starbucks I would get them every single time.
But that was many years ago and we have been making them at home for quite a while. I love to recreate some of my favorite restaurant or in this case coffee shop recipes.
Not only does it save me a trip, but it also saves me money when I can bake up a whole batch for the price of what it would cost for a bar or two.
And really, I think these are better than the Starbucks version anyway. For me, a homemade version is always best. Especially when it’s such an easy recipe!
Saving money, baking, and enjoying tasty treats—I mean, how much better does it get than that? It really doesn’t; these bars are heaven.
With so many different flavors from the bars—orange, cranberry, cream cheese, and white chocolate—everything pairs nicely together.
You really cannot go wrong with these Cranberry Bliss Bars! If you’ve never tried them, you need to whip them up now! And you then will understand the obsession.
Some of my other favorite bar recipes we have on our site include: Cherry Cheesecake Bars, Cinnamon Roll Blondies and Cookies and Cream Red Velvet Brownies.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With multiple flavors, they all work so well together.
- You can cut these into the iconic triangles or for fewer servings you can cut into squares.
- You can cut this recipe in half to serve less people.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground ginger
- Fine sea salt
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Orange zest
- Vanilla extract
- Dried sweetened cranberries
- White chocolate chips
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- White chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY BLISS BARS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10x15x1 (this will also work with a 9×13 pan, cook times may vary) pan with parchment paper, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined.
- Whisk in the eggs until fully incorporated.
- Add the orange zest and vanilla, whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl.
- Stir it in until there are no dry patches left.
- Add the chopped cranberries and chocolate chips
- Fold them in until evenly combined..
- Spread this mixture into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the bars cool, make the frosting by adding the cream cheese to a medium-sized bowl and mix it with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed in. Add the orange zest and vanilla, mix it in. Then add half of the melted white chocolate and mix it in.
- Once the bars are cool, take them out of the pan and smooth the frosting over the top. Sprinkle the chopped cranberries on top. Drizzle the remaining melted white chocolate on top, in an overlapping zig-zag pattern.
- You can cut and serve the bars immediately or place them in the fridge so the frosting can set slightly if you want a firmer bar.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
CAN I USE FRESH CRANBERRIES?
For this recipe I don’t suggest using fresh cranberries, the baking time would not make them soft enough in the bar themselves.
Dried sweetened cranberries work perfectly in these as they are already cooked and ready for use.
DO I HAVE TO USE ORANGE ZEST?
Yes, the fresh orange zest flavor is essential in this recipe to make it taste like the original.
A little orange zest does wonders. It is easy to zest an orange and trust me you will want that flavor in these bars.
Two of the best flavor combinations are cranberry and orange so in these bars they work perfectly together.
ANY ADDITIONS?
Sure thing! It’s a delicious recipe and adding some things can do wonders.
Let me know how your own cranberry bliss bar recipe turned out in the comments!
- Chopped Nuts: Add chopped walnuts or pecans for extra crunch.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Mix in dark chocolate chips for a richer flavor or use in place of the white chocolate drizzle.
- Coconut Flakes: Sprinkle some coconut flakes on top of your cookie bars for a tropical twist.
- Cinnamon: Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients for a warm spice flavor.
- Almond Extract: Substitute half of the vanilla extract with almond extract for a different taste.
- Candied Ginger: Include chopped candied ginger (or even fresh ginger) in these cranberry bars for a spicy kick.
- Raisins: Mix in some raisins along with the dried cranberries for added texture.
- Orange Juice: Add a tablespoon of fresh orange juice to the frosting for extra citrus flavor. You could also use orange extract.
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
I think these are especially great for the holiday season.
Whatever time of the year you make them, though, feel free to experiment!
- Vegan Cream Cheese: Use vegan cream cheese in these copycat cranberry bliss bars instead of regular cream cheese for a dairy-free option.
- Gluten-Free Flour: Replace all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend for gluten-free bars.
- Coconut Oil: Use melted coconut oil instead of unsalted butter for a dairy-free alternative.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Substitute light brown sugar with dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
- Maple Syrup: Replace granulated sugar in these soft blondies with maple syrup for a natural sweetener.
- White Chocolate Chips: Use chunks of white chocolate instead of chips for a more decadent bar.
HOW TO STORE:
Since these contain cream cheese, they need to be refrigerated.
Thet can be placed in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap in the pan where they will keep for up to 5 days.
These can also be frozen, place in a freezer container or bag and place in the freezer where they will keep for up to 3 months, defrost in refrigerator or countertop.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- These can be cut in half to serve fewer people.
- The orange is a necessary ingredient, please do not skip it!
- Make sure you use dried cranberries that are sweetened, fresh will not work.
- High-quality white chocolate is best as they melt better.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Are you looking for a fun holiday treat that you won’t be able to resist?
You need to make my Cranberry Bliss Bars – a fun Starbucks copycat recipe!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these CRANBERRY BLISS BARS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Starbucks Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup roughly chopped dried sweetened cranberries
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
For the topping:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips melted, divided
- ¼ cup roughly chopped sweetened dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10x15x1 (this will also work with a 9×13 pan, cook times may vary) pan with parchment paper, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt, set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Whisk in the eggs until fully incorporated.2 large eggs
- Add the orange zest and vanilla, whisk to combine.2 teaspoons orange zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl.
- Stir it in until there are no dry patches left.
- Add the chopped cranberries and chocolate chips1 cup roughly chopped dried sweetened cranberries, 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Fold them in until evenly combined..
- Spread this mixture into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the bars cool, make the frosting by adding the cream cheese to a medium-sized bowl and mix it with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed in. Add the orange zest and vanilla, mix it in. Add half of the melted white chocolate and mix it in.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup white chocolate chips
- Once the bars are cool, take them out of the pan and smooth the frosting over the top. Sprinkle the chopped cranberries on top. Drizzle the remaining melted white chocolate on top, in an overlapping zig-zag pattern.¼ cup roughly chopped sweetened dried cranberries
- You can cut and serve the bars immediately or place them in the fridge so the frosting can set slightly if you want a firmer bar.
Notes
- These can be cut in half to serve fewer people.
- The orange is a necessary ingredient, please do not skip it!
- Make sure you use dried cranberries that are sweetened, fresh will not work.
- High-quality white chocolate is best as they melt better.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
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