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Dotted with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, these copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars are sweet, tart, and chewy. Easy to make at home anytime!
Cranberry bliss bars are a seasonal favorite at Starbucks, usually around the same time as the Starbucks gingerbread loaf, but with this copycat recipe they can be made at home anytime. The chewy bars are dotted with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries then topped with a cream cheese frosting and white chocolate drizzle. They’re a true delight!
Why I Love These Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Better than Starbucks. Though this recipe is technically a Starbucks copycat, I think the end result is even better than Starbucks. The bars are soft and chewy with so much flavor.
- White chocolate & cranberry. The two main flavors in these bars are white chocolate and cranberries. There are white chocolate chips and cranberries in the bars plus sprinkled on top. A bit of orange extract and zest adds a bit of extra flavor too.
- Great for sharing. Cranberry bliss bars are typically cut into triangles. This recipe results in 24 triangles, making this recipe perfect for sharing at holiday parties. Or keep them all for yourself and freeze some for later!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the ingredients needed for each part of this recipe. Don’t be alarmed by the length – many of the ingredients repeat in various parts of the recipe! Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
Shortbread Bars:
- Butter – For these bars, I used salted butter for the added flavor.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar sweetens the bars but also adds moisture and helps create a soft texture.
- Eggs – Room temperature for easier mixing.
- Extracts – Vanilla and orange extracts add flavor to the bars.
- Flour
- Cornstarch – Helps create the perfect texture.
- Baking powder – Helps the bars rise just enough in the oven.
- Salt – Enhances the other flavors.
- Mix-ins – Dried cranberries and white chocolate chips are mixed into the dough.
Frosting:
- Cream cheese – Be sure to use the brick cream cheese. It should be softened so it mixes easily.
- Vanilla extract
- Orange zest – A bit of orange zest adds the orange flavor to the frosting.
- Salt
- Cornstarch – Helps get the perfect spreadable texture.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens and stabilizes the frosting.
Topping:
- Dried cranberries – Chopped cranberries are sprinkled on top of the bliss bars.
- White chocolate chips – Both whole and melted chocolate chips are used in the topping.
- Vegetable oil – Added to the melted chips to make them smooth and pourable.
How to Make Cranberry Bliss Bars
This Starbucks copycat recipe is easy to make. Just be sure to leave time for the bars to cool before icing. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make the batter. Cream the butter and sugar and then mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined. Fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Add the icing. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar and cornstarch, followed by the vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt. Spread the icing over the cooled bars. Sprinkle with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- Add the chocolate. Melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in 15-second intervals until smooth. Use a fork to drizzle over the frosted bars.
- Chill. Place the pan in the fridge for an hour to cool.
- Enjoy. Cut the pan into three rows of four then cut each square diagonally to get the classic triangle shape bar.
Tips for Success
Here are a few quick tips for making the best copycat Starbucks cranberry bliss bars.
- Don’t overmix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Cool before icing. Let the cranberry bars cool completely before making the frosting. If it’s added while they’re still warm, it will just melt.
- Add the toppings immediately. If adding more dried cranberries and white chocolate chips to the top, be sure to do so right after icing so that they stick to the icing. Once the icing hardens, they won’t stick.
- Avoid burning the chocolate. Chocolate chips can burn easily in the microwave so be sure to microwave in 15 second intervals and stir each time.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Store leftover cranberry bliss bars in an airtight container in the fridge. They’re best enjoyed within 3 days.
- Freezer. For longer storage, freeze the bars in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers. Thaw in the fridge.
Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)
Dotted with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, these copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars are sweet, tart, and chewy. Easy to make at home anytime!
Servings: 24 bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup dried cranberries (such as Craisins)
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
Cream Cheese 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 chopped
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips whole
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips melted
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” by 13” baking pan with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and orange extract. Mix until combined and set this aside
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring only as much as necessary to blend.
- Then gently fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick. You want there to be just a few crumbs stuck on the toothpick which means it is ready to come out. If it is still quite wet, give it another 5 minutes.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the bars to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese until creamy. Beat in the icing sugar and cornstarch. Add in the vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt. Beat this until well blended.
- When the bars are cooled, spread the icing all over the top. Then sprinkle evenly with the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil. (Melt and stir in 15-second intervals – chocolate can burn very quickly.) When this is fully 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 from the pan.
- To cut the triangle-shaped bars, cut the pan into 3 rows of 4. (3 long rows cut into 4 squares each) This will give you 12 large squares. Then cut each square diagonally and you will have 24 triangle-shaped bars.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg
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1 thought on “Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)”
I made these before Christmas- wow! Fantastic. I had to put them in the freezer to keep me from eating more than I should! Just finished them. I will definitely make them again.