❤️😍🙌 These Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars are for anyone who loves the Starbucks version. These can be made year-round at home for pennies on the dollar and taste every bit as fabulous and then some! I like to call them Better-Than-Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars!
Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars are a seasonal favorite that disappear almost as quickly as they arrive. Luckily, they’re easy to recreate at home. Inspired by my white chocolate blondies and coconut white chocolate chip blondies, these copycat bars are essentially start with a chewy blondie base and are loaded with white chocolate and cranberries, then topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting infused with melted white chocolate.
Denser, richer, and packed with more cranberries and white chocolate in every bite, the homemade version is even better than the original. Plus, you can adjust the texture to your liking by adding baking powder for a fluffier base or leaving it out for a denser, fudgier one.
The real star here is the frosting. Cream cheese and white chocolate are whipped together until smooth, then spread on generously (thicker than Starbucks does!) and finished with a sprinkle of cranberries and a drizzle of melted white chocolate. The result is a decadent, bakery-worthy treat that’s dangerously easy to make in just about 30 minutes. These bars have all the nostalgia of the Starbucks classic but with the cozy, homemade taste that mass-produced treats can’t match. If you’re craving a holiday-inspired dessert, these copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars are a must-try!
I made this for the first time last (2022) Christmas…DIVINE!! I will be making this year too and gifting some also. If you like cranberries do not hesitate to make these little jewels! Another winner from Ms. Averie! ❤️
Christa
What’s in Cranberry Bliss Bars?
To make this cranberry bliss bar recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs – Let the egg come to room temperature for easy mixing
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour – To keep these bars gluten-free use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour
- Salt
- White chocolate chips
- Dried cranberries – Use Craisins or whatever brand you like best
- Orange zest
- Cream cheese – You may use whipped or light cream cheese, you know, to save calories, so you can eat more
- Confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Cranberry Bliss Bars
It’s a very simple batter that comes together in less than 5 minutes by hand:
- Combine the bars: Melt butter, and combine it with the wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Then, fold dried cranberries and white chocolate chips into the dough. Pour the blondie batter into a prepared pan, and bake in a preheated oven. The batter bakes up quicker than you may think, about 18 to 20 minutes. They will be a light beige, not golden brown. Even a few extra minutes of baking time will create a much drier bar, ruining the bliss!
- Make the cream cheese frosting: While the bars cool, melt white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring frequently. You can also use a double boiler. Add part of the melted white chocolate to a pile of confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is fluffy. I didn’t bother sifting the confectioners’ sugar used in the frosting because I knew that any tiny lumps would be concealed. Sift if you prefer or are serving these to royalty who may chastise you over a minuscule lump of confectioners’ sugar.
- Top the bars: Spread the frosting in an even layer over the cooled bars. It will look a little like almond bark! Sprinkle dried cranberries on top of the bars, followed by the remaining melted chocolate.
- Rest: Set the bars aside to rest, allowing the chocolate to set. Speed this up by placing the bars in the fridge! If you don’t let the bars set, they’ll crumble, and the layers are likely to separate.
- Slice: Lift the bars out of the pan. (Leave aluminum foil or parchment paper hanging over the edges as you line it to make this easy!) Slice the cooled blondies by making a cross, creating four small squares or quadrants. To each of the four quadrants, slice on the diagonal to create two triangles, for a yield of eight triangular-shaped bars. They’re generously-sized, very similar in size and shape to the Starbucks version, but the beauty here is that this recipe makes just eight bars, since it’s baked in an 8-by-8-inch pan.
Can I Double This Recipe?
I have not tried doubling the recipe, and in theory, doubling and using a 9-by-13-inch baking dish would probably work, but I haven’t tried. Eight of these puppies in one batch was plenty, eating 16 of them before the frosting gets a little too crunchy or dried out would have been overkill for our family of three.
Cranberry Bliss Bars
Equipment
- 1 Medium Microwave-Safe Bowl
- 1 Small Microwave-Safe Bowl
- 1 Stand Mixer Fitted with a Paddle Attachment
Ingredients
For the Bars
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup dried cranberries, loosely packed
- ½ teaspoon orange zest, optional and to taste (edited to add this on 12-9-12)
For the Frosting and Topping
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted and divided
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (whipped or light may be used)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, I used about 2 3/4 cups
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, loosely packed (optionally, roughly dice them if the pieces are larger)
Instructions
For the Bars:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 90 seconds.
- To the melted butter (allow it to cool slightly so you don’t scramble the egg), add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix or the bars will be tough.
- Fold in 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup cranberries, optional orange zest, and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula or offset knife if necessary.
- Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, and center is set and golden or until edges begin to slightly pull away from sides of pan, or a toothpick comes out clean; do not overbake.
- Allow bars to cool before frosting them. While they cool, make the frosting.
For the Frosting and Topping:
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate on high power, about 1 minute, reheating in 10-second intervals, or until it can be stirred smooth. White chocolate is notorious for scorching so melt it very carefully, and slowly, heating in quick bursts, and keep a watchful eye; use a double boiler if that’s easier.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, about three-quarters of the melted white chocolate (about 3/4 cup, just eyeball it), 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (I don’t sift it because any tiny lumps will be covered up by sprinkled cranberries and white chocolate drizzle), vanilla, and beat until smooth and fluffy.
- Start by mixing on low speed so sugar doesn’t spray, and then beat on medium-high for about 3 minutes. Mixture will seem stiff at first but will loosen and fluff up after 2 to 3 minutes of beating on medium-high; stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add additional confectioners’ sugar (I used about 2 3/4 cups, I like it on the thicker side) based on taste preference and desired frosting consistency.
- Frost the bars; if you have excess, it will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 1 month.
- Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup cranberries over the top of the frosted bars. Evenly drizzle bars with remaining melted white chocolate, reheating for a few seconds in the microwave if it has set up.
- Allow bars to set up for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cranberry Dessert Recipes:
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Bliss Cake — This fast, easy, no-mixer cake is light, soft, fluffy, and moist. It’s springy and bouncy, with just enough density to give it some heft and dimension.
Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies – Cranberry Bliss Bar flavors, in cookie form. Tender, soft, pillowy centers!
Cranberry Bliss Seven Layer Bars — A buttery graham cracker crust, topped with white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, walnuts, dried cranberries, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk!
Crustless Cranberry Pie —A FAST, super EASY, no-mixer dessert that’s perfect for holiday entertaining!! Somewhere in between pie, cake, and blondies is what you get with this FESTIVE recipe! Take advantage of those fresh cranberries!!
Cranberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars — The bars are soft, slightly chewy, and the hearty oats with big crumbles are a perfect contrast to the juicy cranberry filling.
Cranberry Orange Bread— The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Blondies — The soft, buttery, caramely, brown sugary, blondie base is the perfect complement to the chewy, tart cranberries.
I’ve seen those at Starbucks, but have never tried one. Yours look better :-)
I just wanted to THANK YOU for the easy-to-follow instructions. I am fairly new in the kitchen and the little pointers on melting the white chocolate and what to look for when the bars are cooked were HUGE helps. Thank you again for a great recipe – my house smells awesome right now, I can’t wait to try them!!
Well thank you for making them and for telling me the tips and pointers were helpful. I take nothing for granted anymore in terms of what people’s skill levels are; and to me melting white chocolate is something I’ve done thousands of times but for someone else, it may be her very first time. And rather than have that person waste $3.99 worth of chocolate and scorch it, I try to point things out that I know may be potential pitfalls to newer cooks in my recipes and in this case, having you tell me this helped you validates that it’s good I keep doing this (sometimes I wonder if anyone even cares or reads the stuff or just looks at the pics – ha!) So thank you for this feedback, Maureen! Enjoy the bars!
Im wondering if the subtle difference you spoke of might be the orange zest? I think (but am not positive). I might taste orange zest in the original bars…just a thought but am definitely making these because I love them sooooo much and look forward to them with a steamy hot gingerbread latte every year :)))
You know the orange could be it. I have seen variations using orange in them for cranberry bars but was worried to use it b/c I don’t ‘love’ orange extract or orange zest in things as it tends to overpower so quickly and really wanted to keep the focus on the white choc and cranberries, but…to each her own and if you try orange zest, LMK how it goes and how prominent (or not) it becomes and how it works with the other flavors!
I taste orange in the Starbuck’s bars too. I found at least one copycat recipe last year that called for orange zest, a teaspoon I think. I really love orange and cranberry together so if I make Averie’s, I’ll probably add a little zest.
And feel free to toss it in! I bet it would be great I just didn’t want to start adding all kinds of things and then wonder, hmmm, should that have gone in – or not, and clutter it up. Whereas now I have a great base recipe and can always tweak. I also find that citrus, i.e. lemon or orange, really can take over, very quickly. And I wanted these to be all about the cranberries + white chocolate, so omitted any citrus on purpose but if you try it, LMK how it goes!
Oh. My. Gosh. I am dying looking at these photos right now! Averie, you have surpassed even yourself with this bar, I believe! I have never actually had one of those bars from Starbucks, but I can see now what I have been missing! Your recipe looks fantastic and you are so right: homemade frosting always reigns supreme. I am going to make this for Thanksgiving. My boys love cranberry and white chocolate and I was drooling over that pic in the middle – the little, buttery bite – OMG!! Gorgeous! :-)
Make a batch sooner than TG. Like, today. Michele, knowing you, what I know you love, this is your PERFECT dessert. Run, don’t walk, into your kitchen. You know I don’t normally say this, but yeah, you will LOVE these. They’re on par with the cake bars you love. They’re thinner, not quite as decadent, but same overall uber-satisfying nature to them!
I love the cranberry bars at Starbucks too! A friend of mine brought them to a cookie exchange we did last year. They were my favorite cookie of the swap. Can’t wait to work these for high altitude! Have a great weekend!!
These look awesome Avery!
:)
Oh Averie, I love those bars and am in desperate need of one now! I miss all home cooked meals, both savory and sweet (surprised I wrote that) :) I have to do a lot of catching up here, hopefully next week I’ll be back to “full time” blogging… :) I missed you!
have been thinking about you and hoping life is settling in and calming down for you – thanks for saying hi!!
I’ve never had one of these from Starbucks (I’ll admit I don’t go there very often) but I love yours! I love the vibrant color and they sound simply wonderful.
Jen I bet you’d love them! They are rich and decadent and soft and gooey. They are the bar equivalent of a Crack Pie so to speak!
I LOVE Cranberry Bliss Bars, but I rarely indulge. However, I am thinking this homemade version might be the perfect breakfast on Christmas morning!
These bars look like pure bliss to me!! Better than Sbux :) Beautiful work!
I’m not a white chocolate fan but for some reason I love Starbucks cranberry bliss bars. These look dangerously close to the real thing! I think I’d eat half the pan!! :D
And thanks for the Pin my friend!
Homemade definitely is better than the mass produced store ones. I love that you added extra white chocolate and cranberries AND under baked them…exactly how I would do it too:-) They are absolutely incredible looking (but then what picture of yours isn’t:-)
More is better when it comes to white chocolate, that’s for sure :)
These look amazing, and I know when a blogger who makes so many amazing-looking things says these are her favourite thing in awhile it is time to get into the kitchen!! These are now on my list to make next week, I love the dense gooey blondie base you chose.
What a fabulous flavor combo, these look perfect for Thanksgiving and beautiful colors!