These Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars taste just like the seasonal favorite-chewy blondie base, creamy orange-kissed frosting, and a decadent white chocolate drizzle. They're rich, festive, ridiculously easy, and honestly? The homemade version hits harder than the coffee shop's. Perfect for holiday trays, gifting, or eating over the sink at midnight. Look, sometimes holiday baking should feel a little unhinged - these bars understand the assignment.
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🗝️ Why this copycat cranberry bliss bar recipe works
These bars hit that Starbucks flavor so square-on it oughta be illegal. The blondie base stays chewy instead of turning into some sad, cakey disappointment - thank the brown sugar and melted butter for that little miracle. The orange zest wakes up the cream cheese frosting like it just smelled fresh coffee, keeping everything bright without tipping into sugar-coma territory.
And that combo of dried cranberries and candied ginger? That's the tangy-spicy sparkle that makes folks close their eyes and hum. Homemade means you get to use real white chocolate - none of that candy-melt foolishness - so the drizzle sets silky, glossy, and smugly perfect.
🧾 Ingredients you'll need for cranberry white chocolate blondies
Just simple pantry staples and a few holiday extras coming together to make pure magic. Nothing fussy, nothing fancy - just the good stuff that turns into chewy, cranberry-studded bliss once it hits the oven.
- Flour - the quiet workhorse holding this whole operation together
- Brown sugar - because blondies without brown sugar are just beige sadness
- Vanilla - the little black dress of baking; if you skimp, I'll know
- Dried cranberries - tart little jewels that pretend they're healthy
- White chocolate - the diva that melts beautifully if you treat her right
- Sugar - for when brown sugar needs a backup singer
- Eggs - the glue keeping everything from turning into chaos, kinda like you at the family reunion
- Orange - we're here for the zest, not the drama
- Butter - melted like your resolve when someone says "just one more bite"
- Cream cheese - the frosting queen who makes everything taste like a holiday miracle
- Powdered sugar - the only snow Texas can count on
- Candied ginger - the spicy little surprise that starts rumors
- Crisco - don't ask questions, just trust the process
- Baking powder - gives the blondies a little lift
- Ginger - the cozy warmth that whispers "these are definitely better than Starbucks."
Grab the Cranberry Bliss Bar Kitchen Cheat Sheet
Tuck this little PDF into your apron like it's contraband and watch your confidence skyrocket. It's packed with extra tips, quick fixes, "why is my chocolate acting feral?" advice, and all the freezer, storage, and make-ahead magic you need to keep these bars behaving.
📖 Recipe
Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
Blondie Bar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup dried cranberries , or Craisins
- ¼ cup candied ginger, chopped
- 1 tablespoon orange rind, grated
- 1 cup white chocolate, coarsely chopped
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
- 3 cups Confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Drizzle
- 10 ounces white chocolate chips, about 4 ½ cups
- 1 tablespoon Crisco, plain/unflavored
Topping
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup white chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons orange zest, grated
Instructions
Blondie Bars
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 10x15 pan by lining it with aluminum foil with 2 inches extending over each end.
- Spray with non-stick spray.
- Beat together the butter and sugars until light - this will take about 3 minutes.
- Blend in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and ginger and mix well.
- Fold in the cranberries, candied ginger, orange peel, and chopped white chocolate.
- Do not over mix.
- Spread thick batter in prepared 10x15 pan.
- Bake 350 for 20-24 minutes until light brown at edges and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Let cool.
Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until frosting is a good consistency for spreading on the bars. You can add a teaspoon or so of milk if it is too thick.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled bars.
Topping
- Use a zester to grate the rind of an orange and sprinkle zest over the frosting on the bars.
- Chop ½ cup cup of Craisins coarsely.
- Sprinkle over frosted bars.
Drizzle
- Pour white chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water.
- Once the chocolate has completely melted add the Crisco and stir until completely combined.
- If chocolate isn't thin enough add more Crisco, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency.
- Use a fork or whisk to drizzle the white chocolate diagonally across the bars.
- Let the chocolate set for at least an hour.
- Cut into triangles.
Notes
- Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, don't overmix.
- The batter is kind of thick, but that's okay! Just work it into the pan as best as you can.
- Cut a small hole out of the corner of a plastic bag to create a make-shift piping bag for the white chocolate drizzle.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
if you're feeling like breakfast should be a whole vibe, my cranberry orange scones are bright, buttery, and bakery-level delicious without any of the fuss. Perfect with a hot cup of coffee, a quiet morning, or whatever chaos the holidays toss your way.
🔪 How to make white chocolate cranberry bars
These bars come together quick, easy, and dangerously delicious - the kind of recipe that makes people think you fussed when you absolutely did not. Follow the steps below and you'll have chewy, cranberry-studded holiday blondies cooling on your counter before you can say "Starbucks who?"
- Whip that butter and sugar like you're trying to erase the memory of every dry blondie you've ever tasted. Keep going until it's light, fluffy, and acting smug about it.
- Stir in the eggs and vanilla like you're making small talk at church, then dump in the dry ingredients and mix just until everyone's getting along. No overmixing - we're making blondies, not apologies.
- Gently fold in the white chocolate and cranberries like you're tucking secrets into a holiday letter. It should look festive, not chaotic.
- Spread that thick, luxurious batter into your pan and send it into the oven to become the chewy, golden holiday magic it was destined to be.
- Whip that cream cheese and butter like you're smoothing over family drama before Christmas dinner - silky, sweet, and absolutely ignoring the nonsense.
- Pour in the vanilla, drown it in powdered sugar, and beat it all together until it's fluffier than Aunt Linda's stories about "back when she was thin."
- Slather that frosting across the bars like you're icing over your last nerve. Thick, creamy, and unapologetically extra.
- Scatter the cranberries and zest like festive confetti, then drizzle the white chocolate over the top with all the dramatic flair of someone who absolutely knows these bars are about to outshine Starbucks.
I like them microwaved for a few seconds to warm. Don't forget to serve with your favorite latte.!
👩🍳 All the "wait, did I mess this up?" FAQs in one place
Still got questions rattling around like dried cranberries in the bottom of your baking drawer? I've answered the big ones below, but if you want the full scoop - the troubleshooting, the "why is my frosting misbehaving," the "Help, my white chocolate is staging a rebellion" - grab the Kitchen Cheat Sheet PDF. It'll save your sanity, your bars, and your reputation at the cookie exchange.
Because white chocolate is a high-maintenance little princess, that's why. One stray drop of water, a bowl that wasn't bone-dry, or melting it too hot and too fast will send it into a full-on texture meltdown. Keep the heat low, melt slow, and make sure every bowl and spoon is dry enough to squeak. If it does seize, whisk in a teaspoon of neutral oil (or a whisper of Crisco) and coax it back to its silky, drizzly self.
It really does taste like the true Starbucks version. The best part is that you can make a whole batch for almost the cost of one in-store!
Yes! A jelly roll pan is similar to a baking sheet, and you can definitely use one for this recipe. The cranberry bliss bars puff a little, but they won't overflow the sides of the pan.
📚 More holiday goodies to tuck onto your cookie tray
If you're already on a roll with the cranberries, don't stop now because you've got options. My oatmeal cranberry cookies are chewy, cozy little beauties that taste like the holidays wrapped themselves in a cardigan and showed up with good manners. They're hearty, homey, and loaded with enough texture to make you feel like you put in effort… even if you absolutely did not.
Then there are the cranberry pecan cookies, which are basically the extroverts of the cookie tray. A little crunchy, a little sweet, a little tart - like the friend who says they're only staying for "one drink" and then leaves with half the party recipes. And, this cute Christmas brownies recipe is perfect for cookie trays or movie night!
Vanilla Scones are another Starbucks copycat recipe you'll love as much as this homemade version of the popular Starbucks treat!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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