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Cranberry Bliss Bars are cranberry cream cheese bars! With white chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting, they’re a Starbucks copycat recipe but BETTER! You can make them at home and have them all year.

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Two cranberry bliss bars stacked on top of eachother


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Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe

I love recreating favorite treats from coffee shops and restaurants, and these cranberry bliss bars are one of my favorites. Sweet cranberry bars studded with white chocolate chips and topped with a creamy and tangy cream cheese frosting are perfect for the holiday season or any time of year.

I love Starbucks as much as the next person, but all those lattes start to add up! Add a treat from their bakery case, and an afternoon snack ends up costing as much as a meal. Plus if you’ve ever wondered when do cranberry bliss bars come out you don’t have to worry about it when you have a DIY recipe!

Why you’ll LOVE this copycat recipe:

  • They’re EASY and you control the ingredients
  • Cheaper than Starbucks
  • Make them all year long!
  • Add extra cranberries or more white chocolate, if you want!

Cranberry Bars Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour, Baking soda, Salt: typical cookie bar ingredients
  • Ground cinnamon: adds so much flavor
  • Granulated sugar and brown sugar: for sweetness, I love the softness the brown sugar adds
  • Unsalted butter: I start with it melted
  • Large eggs and Vanilla extract
  • White chocolate chips and Dried cranberries: for that traditional bliss bar flavor combo
Six photo collage showing the process of making cranberry bliss bars

How to Make the Bars

  1. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, cream both sugars with the butter. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until the dough forms.
  3. Stir in the white chocolate chips and cranberries.
  4. Spread the batter in a prepared 9×13” or 9×9″ baking pan. Use a spatula to press the batter into an even layer. Bake the bars for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the bars in the pan before you frost them.
  5. Gather your cream cheese frosting ingredients: cream cheese and sugar, white chocolate and cranberries.
  6. Frost the bars then sprinkle with cranberries and drizzle with white chocolate.

What pan do I use to make your Bliss Bar Recipe?

You can use a 9×13-inch pan for thinner bars or a 9×9-inch pan for thicker ones. This recipe was made in a 9×9-inch but they’re thicker than the original recipe.

Overhead view of cranberry bliss bars on a metal cooling rack cut into squares

How to Make Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Mix: While the bars cool, make the frosting by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Top: Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled bars.

Toppings for Cranberry Bliss Bars

The decoration is easy for these bliss bars – I like to melt white chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle it over the frosting. Sprinkle some dried cranberries over the top and then slice and serve!

Can you freeze Cranberry Bliss Bars?

Yes, simply store in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper and freeze for up to 3 months.

Overhead view of cranberry bliss bars on a metal cooling rack cut into squares

Recipe Tips for making Cranberry Bars

  • Tips for melting white chocolate: I do this in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each. White chocolate melts faster than regular chocolate, so be careful not to overcook it.
  • Recipe variation: Sometimes, I add some orange zest to the batter and/or the frosting. It adds a pop of bright citrus flavor that pairs perfectly with the cranberry.
  • Size: Make these in a 9×9 pan for thicker bars or a 9×13 pan for thinner ones.
  • How to cut Cranberry Bliss Bars: I like mine in simple squares. To cut triangles cut each square diagonally.

Cranberry bliss bars taste just like they sound – totally blissful! The combination of white chocolate and cranberries is a match made in heaven. Make yourself a little white chocolate bliss, and you’ll skip the coffee shop ones – they taste so much better homemade.

Two cranberry bliss bars stacked on eachother

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe FAQ

Can you use fresh or frozen cranberries? 

I use dried cranberries for this recipe because that’s what’s used for the Starbucks bliss bars. Fresh or frozen cranberries have more moisture that will change the texture of the bars. I haven’t tested it and can’t say for sure how they will turn out.

How long do cranberry bliss bars last?

 They will last for four days in the refrigerator – just keep them in an airtight container.

Can you freeze cranberry bliss bars?

Yes, they freeze great. Make them as instructed and then store them in a freezer-safe container. They will keep for up to three months. Thaw them in the refrigerator before serving.

Can you make them gluten-free?

 Yep! Just swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour mix.

Are cranberry bliss bars seasonal?

At Starbucks, yes but when you make them at home you can cut them all year.

How do you cut bars into triangles?

Simply cut your bars into squares like normal, then cut each diagonally to make a triangle.

Other Starbucks Copycat Recipes

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Two cranberry bliss bars stacked on eachother

Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe

5 from 12 votes
Cranberry Bliss Bars are white chocolate chip cranberry dessert bars topped with cranberry cream cheese frosting. They’re an easy dessert recipe inspired by the ones you can get at Starbucks but better! 

Recipe Video

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Yield 9 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
 

For the Bars:

  • 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup (134g) packed brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup (38g) unsalted butter melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries

For the Frosting:

  • 1 8-ounce block cream cheese , softened
  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries chopped into smaller pieces
  • 1 ounce white baking chocolate melted
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 13×9 -inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Use a 9×9-inch baking dish for thicker bars.
  • In a medium-size bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  • In another bowl cream the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until dough forms.
  • Stir the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the dough. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and press down with the back of a spatula to even out the batter.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese frosting; in a large bowl beat with a hand mixer the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until well blended. Frost the cooled bars with the cream cheese frosting and sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries on top. Drizzle with the melted white chocolate.
  • When the white chocolate cools down and sets, cut into 9 large squares, then cut easy square diagonally to create triangles. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• To melt the white chocolate, place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 10 seconds and stir, then for another 10 second and stir until the chocolate is nice and melted. Be very careful as white chocolate burns and melts way faster than milk or dark chocolate.
• Don’t over bake the batter. Even a few more minutes of baking time will result in a crumbly, dried out bar.
• Add some orange zest to the cream cheese frosting and/or to the batter. It’s totally optional but it will elevate your frosting and the subtle hints of citrus work wonders in this recipe. Not only that but orange and cranberries are a match made in heaven.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 263IU | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Cranberry bliss bars stacked on eachother with recipe title on bottom of image

Cranberry Bliss Bars are a Starbucks copycat recipe! This easy cookie bar recipe is full of white chocolate and cranberries and is the perfect holiday dessert for anyone who loves the Starbucks bars!



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 12 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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4 Comments

  1. Haven’t had a chance to bake anything yet , but been so busy with holidays , but for Christmas I will start real soon , everything looks so good thank you for sharing .

    Reply

  3. Everything looks so good and I can’t wait to pick out a few for Christmas. The only thing are the pop up’s. There are so many it is hard to view the descriptions and recipe.

    Reply