Cranberry bliss bars are blondies topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with dried cranberries and drizzled with white chocolate. The bar is like a blondie and that has white chocolate chips and dried cranberries in it. They are so delicious and I look forward to when Starbucks has them out again for the Holidays along with their Holiday drinks.
This recipe for cranberry bliss bars was posted back in 2011 and I wasn’t even a Star Bucks fan back then. I had noticed this recipe was trending on Pinterest when they first came out with these bars and other bloggers were making them. They looked so good I had to try them without even trying the original Star Bucks Cranberry Bliss bars.
Making cranberry bliss bars at home will save you money and you can even play around with the recipe a bit to make these bars fewer calories if you like doing that. Maybe one day I will attempt to lighten these bars up but as for now I just like to enjoy one every now and then when you can get them at Starbucks.
If you’re wondering what I get to drink at Starbucks I usually go for a tea or a latte. Lately, I’ve been really loving their Guava White Tea.
If you like other bar recipes please try Salted Caramel Butter Bars , Grandma’s Pumpkin Bars , Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Bars
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What do I need to make Cranberry Bliss Bars?
Making these cranberry bliss bars is a sinch to make and requires three different steps. First,you make the bar layer,frost them with cream cheese frosting,and top with more cranberries and melted white chocolate.
- Butter,softened –is a type of wheat flour that is commonly used in cooking and baking. It is versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes,including bread,cakes,cookies,and pastries.
- Brown sugar–Is made by combining granulated white sugar with molasses,which gives it a brown color and a slightly different taste than regular white sugar.
- Eggs – The best type of eggs you can buy at the store are organic or free-range eggs,while others may prefer eggs from specific breeds of chickens
- Vanilla –It is made by macerating and soaking vanilla beans in a mixture of water and Vodka. Use a good pure vanilla instead of the imitation vanilla extract.
- Powdered sugar –Is also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar,it is a finely ground sugar that is commonly used in baking and dessert making.
- Salt –
- All-purpose flour–is a type of wheat flour that is commonly used in cooking and baking. It is versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes,including bread,cakes,cookies,and pastries.
- White chocolate chips(or chopped white chocolate)
- Cream cheese,softened
- Lemon juice – Is a citrus juice made from squeezing fresh lemons. It is commonly used as a flavoring agent in cooking,baking,and beverages. Bottled lemon juice is also ok to use.
- Vanilla–It is made by macerating and soaking vanilla beans in a mixture of water and Vodka. Use a good pure vanilla instead of the imitation vanilla extract.
- Dried cranberries,chopped–can sub raisins,dried blueberries or whatever dried fruit you prefer.
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Cranberry Bliss Bars
Bars:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside. In a medium bowl,cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs,vanilla,ginger,and salt and mix well. Gradually add flour and mix until smooth. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate. Pour the batter into the greased pan,using a spatula to evenly spread the batter in the pan. Bake 30-40 minutes,until edges are light brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:Beat the cream cheese,powdered sugar,vanilla,and lemon juice until completely smooth. Spread on the completely cool cake. Sprinkle the top with cranberries.
Drizzling Icing:In a small bowl,whisk together 1 tablespoon of milk,powdered sugar,and vegetable shortening. Gradually add more milk until the icing has a thick but drizzly consistency. I used closer to 2 tablespoons. Put the icing into a ziploc bag and snip off a tiny bit of the corner. Drizzle the icing on top in zig-zags.
Tips for Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Cut the bars into triangles after they have cooled so they look exactly like Starbucks!
- Line your baking dish with some aluminum foil or parchment paper before baking the bars. Easy cleanup.
- If you don’t want to make these the other option is to always go to Starbucks and grab a bar yourself. Then you won’t be tempted to eat the whole pan in one sitting! 🙂 They are a must-try.
If you tried thisCranberry Bliss Bars any other recipe on my website,please please leave a 🌟 star ratingand let me know how you go in the 📝 commentsbelow. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Cranberry Bliss Bars
Prep Time:15 min
Cook Time:20 min
Total Time:35 min
Yield:24 1x
Category:Medium
Method:Oven
Cuisine:American
Description
Cranberry bliss bars are blondies topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with dried cranberries and drizzled with white chocolate.
- 1 cup(2 sticks) butter,softened
- 1 ¼ cupsbrown sugar
- 3eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoonsvanilla
- 1 teaspoonpowdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoonsalt
- 1 ½ cupsall-purpose flour
- ¾ cupdried cranberries,chopped
- 6 ounces(about ¾ cup) white chocolate chips (or chopped white chocolate)
- 4 ouncescream cheese,softened
- 3 cupspowdered sugar
- 4 teaspoonslemon juice
- ½ teaspoonvanilla
- ⅓ cupdried cranberries,chopped
- ½ cuppowdered sugar
- 2 tablespoonsvegetable shortening
- 1–2tablespoons milk
Instructions
Bars:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside. In a medium bowl,cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs,vanilla,ginger,and salt and mix well. Gradually add flour and mix until smooth. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate. Pour the batter into the greased pan,using a spatula to evenly spread the batter in the pan. Bake 30-40 minutes,until edges are light brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Frosting:
Beat the cream cheese,powdered sugar,vanilla and lemon juice until completely smooth. Spread on the completely cool cake. Sprinkle the top with cranberries.
Drizzling Icing:
In a small bowl,whisk together 1 tablespoon of milk,powdered sugar,and vegetable shortening. Gradually add more milk until the icing has a thick but drizzly consistency. I used closer to 2 tablespoons. Put the icing into a ziploc bag and snip off a tiny bit of the corner. Drizzle the icing on top in zig-zags.
