Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars

Overhead shot of cranberry bliss bars on white plate.

These homemade Starbucks-style Cranberry Bliss Bars are chewy, bright, and decadent — a brown-sugar blondie base loaded with cranberries, orange zest, and white chocolate, topped with silky cream cheese frosting and a glossy drizzle. Easy, festive, and dangerously addictive.

Course Bar cookies

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 390kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

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

Storage:

You can store these bars for a day or so at room temperature. For longer than that be sure to refrigerate. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips:

Be sure that you don't overbake these or they will be dry as sawdust.

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.

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