Make Starbuck’s Cranberry Bliss Bars right at home for a fraction of the cost with this kitchen-tested copycat recipe! Everyone you serve them to will rave about how good they are with their dense cranberry white chocolate cookie base and cream cheese frosting!
Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe
Tired of waiting in the endlessly long line at Starbucks and overpaying for your favorite holiday treat? Yeah, me too, that’s why I developed my own homemade recipe for Cranberry Bliss Bars that’s EVEN BETTER than you’d find at the coffee shop!
When I worked at Starbucks in college, I used to get so excited for these bars to arrive! I loved that dense cookie blondie loaded with white chocolate and cranberries! And that cream cheese topping is just divine!
I wasn’t much of a baker back then and prices were much lower, but did you know that the current price for a Cranberry Bliss Bar Try, which only includes 6 bars, is $18.95? Crazy, right? But with this homemade recipe you can make 24 for less than that!
Trust me, you’ll be glad you made them at home and I promise every bite of these bars tastes better than that ones that have been mass produced and are filled with preservatives! And a big batch means you can share them too!
Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe Ingredients
Prep this Cranberry Bliss Bar recipe in just 20 minutes! And if that minimal hands-on time doesn’t hook you, then the fact that these are made with mostly pantry staple ingredients will!
This delicious recipe starts by being broken down into three different parts. The bars themselves, the sweet cream cheese frosting, and the toppings!
Bliss Bar Ingredients:
- salted butter
- light brown sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- orange extract
- all-purpose flour
- cornstarch
- baking powder
- fried cranberries (highly recommend Ocean Spray Craisins)
- white chocolate chips
Once the bars have cooled from baking, they’ll get coated with the cream cheese frosting.
Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting:
- cream cheese
- vanilla extract
- orange zest
- salt
- cornstarch
- powdered sugar
After the Cranberry Bars have been frosted, they’ll get topped.
Cranberry Bliss Bar Toppings:
- white chocolate chips
- chopped dried cranberries
- white chocolate drizzle that consists of white chocolate chips and vegetable oil
Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe Variations
Can I Use Baking Chocolate Instead Of Chocolate Chips For Cranberry Bliss Bars?
You sure can! To replace the chocolate chips, just chop up 5 squares of white baking chocolate. Then melt 2 squares for the drizzle on top.
What Can I Use Instead Of Orange Extract For Cranberry Bliss bars?
If you don’t happen to have any orange extract, you can substitute orange zest. To make that swap, you would add 1 teaspoon of orange zest.
What Can I Substitute For Cranberries In This Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe?
Yes! I find that dried cherries are also delicious in this recipe as well!
How Much Salt Should I Add If I Use Unsalted Butter?
You would need to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt for each 1/2 cup of butter. So, for this specific recipe, you’d need to add a 1/2 teaspoon more salt than what’s called for already.
How To Make Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Add the butter and light brown sugar to a large bowl. Cream the two together until light and fluffy.
2. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange extract. Then, set the bowl aside.
3. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
Want even more flavor? Add 2 tablespoons of powdered milk or malted milk powder! This is an ingredient I like to add to a lot of my baked goods for added flavor, but it isn’t necessary.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually. Stir just enough to blend them together.
5. Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
6. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Then, bake the bars until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs stuck on it.
7. Cool the pan of Cranberry Bars on a wire rack.
8. Prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese until it is creamy. Then, add in the powdered sugar, cornstarch, extracts, orange zest, and salt.
9. Spread icing all over the top of the cooled bars. Afterward, sprinkle dried cranberries and white chocolate chips on the top.
10. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave, then beat until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the frosted bars.
11. Cool the bars in the refrigerator before cutting and removing them from the pan to serve.
Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar Storage
To store, place the bars in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator. Enjoy the bars for up to 5 days!
Can You Freeze Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars?
Yes, you can! Once the bars have finished cooling in the refrigerator, you can slice them up. Then, place the slices on a baking sheet to allow them to freeze in a single layer. Afterward, place the frozen bars in a Ziploc bag and squeeze out the excess air.
You could also wrap each slice in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Or you could also place them in an airtight container in the freezer. Either way, enjoy the bars within 3 months!
How To Cut Cranberry Bliss Bars?
For large squares, cut the pan into 3 long rows with 4 squares in each row. This will give you 12 bars. For a smaller serving, you could cut each square diagonally. This would give you two dozen triangular-shaped bars.
Popular Starbucks Copycat Recipes:
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Banana Bread
- Pink Drink
- Starbucks Banana Bread
- Starbucks Copycat Medicine Ball Tea
More Cranberry Recipes
Can it even be the holidays without a tasty cranberry recipe being passed around and enjoyed? Grab another popular cranberry recipe that you’ll love passing around to share as much as these Cranberry Bliss Bars!
- Cranberry Cheesecake Bars – Made with four layers: shortbread, cheesecake, cranberry topping, and an oatmeal crumble!
- White Chocolate Cranberry Bread Pudding – A great Christmas morning breakfast that’s loaded with fresh cranberries and white chocolate chips and finished off with a vanilla glaze!
- Easy Cranberry Pie – Shortbread crust is filled with a sweet cranberry filling and then topped with Whipped Cream and Sugared Cranberries!
- Cranberry Cake – Baked right in a skillet and preps in just 10 minutes!
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies – Chewy cookies filled with tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate are ready in only 25 minutes!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!
Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Hand mixer or standing mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dried cranberries craisins
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Topping:
- ½ cup dried cranberries craisins, chopped
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips whole
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips melted
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange extract and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
- Gently fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. You want there to be just a few crumbs stuck on the toothpick which means it is ready to come out.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the bars to cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese until creamy in a large bowl or stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar, cornstarch, extracts, zest, and salt until smooth and creamy.
- Once the bars have cooled, spread the icing over the top of them. Then sprinkle evenly with the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and the vegetable oil at 15-second intervals, stirring between each one. Once melted, use a fork to beat it smooth, then use the fork to drizzle the melted chocolate over the frosted bars.
- For best results, place the pan in the fridge and allow the finished bars to cool for an hour before cutting and removing them from the pan.
- To cut the bars, cut the pan into 3 rows of 4, this will give you 12 large squares. Then cut each square diagonally and you will have 24 triangular-shaped bars.
Notes
- How To Store: To store, place the bars in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator. Eat the bars for up to 5 days!
- Can I Freeze These Bars? Yes, you can! Once the bars have finished cooling in the refrigerator you can slice them up. Then place the slices on a baking sheet to allow them to freeze in a single layer. Afterward, place the frozen bars in a Ziploc bag and squeeze out the excess air. You could also wrap each slice in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Or you could also just place them in an airtight container in the freezer. Either way, enjoy the bars within 3 months!
- Can I Use Baking Chocolate Instead Of Chocolate Chips In The Recipe? You sure can! To replace the chocolate chips just chop up 5 squares of white baking chocolate. Then melt 2 squares for the drizzle on top.
- What Can I Use Instead Of Orange Extract? If you don’t happen to have any orange extract you can substitute in orange juice and orange zest. To make that swap you would add in 1 teaspoon of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest.
- Is There Something I Could Use Instead Of Dried Cranberries? Yes! I find that dried cherries are also delicious in this recipe as well!
- If I Use Unsalted Butter In This Recipe How Much Salt Should I Add? You would need to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt for each 1/2 cup of butter. So for this specific recipe, you’d need to add a 1/2 teaspoon more salt than what’s called for already.
- What’s The Best Way To Cut These Bars? For large squares cut the pan into 3 long rows with 4 squares in each row. This will give you 12 bars. For a smaller serving, you could cut each square diagonally. This would give you two dozen triangular-shaped bars.
Nutrition
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