These Cranberry Bliss Bars are blissful, indeed! A moist, chewy blondie packed with tart, dried cranberries and chunks of white chocolate topped with a sweet, cream cheese and white chocolate frosting with a hint of zesty orange, then topped with more tart dried cranberries and a drizzle of white chocolate.

While Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bars are a seasonal treat showing up only during the holiday season, you can indulge in them year-round with this quick and easy, homemade recipe.

The key to moist, chewy Cranberry Bliss Bars is not over-baking them. They should be golden brown around the edges, and the tops should be just set, shiny, and beginning to show small cracks. They will seem a bit under-done inside, but when they cool they will firm up and be dense and chewy.

Browning the butter gives a richer, nuttier flavor to the blondie base. Once the butter begins to bubble, don't take your eyes off of it. It will go from a rich, nutty golden brown to a bitter, burned black in a matter of seconds. Using a light colored pan to brown the butter in allows you to see the color of the milk solids as they change color. The butter will foam as it bubbles; as you stir move the foam out of the way so you can see the milk solids changing color.

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Recipe

Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)

Kelly

A moist, chewy blondie packed with tart, dried cranberries and chunks of white chocolate topped with a sweet, cream cheese and white chocolate frosting with a hint of zesty orange, then topped with more tart dried cranberries and a drizzle of white chocolate.

5 from 11 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

Blondie base:

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7.5oz, 213g)
1 teaspoon baking powder (3g)
½ teaspoon table salt (3g)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (6oz, 170g)
1½ cups packed light brown sugar (10.5 oz, 298g)
2 large eggs lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (3g)
¾ cup dried cranberries loosely packed (3.5oz, 100g)
1⅓ cups white chocolate chopped or white chocolate chips (8oz, 227g)

For the frosting:

1⅔ cups white chocolate melted (10oz, 283g)
8 oz cream cheese softened (227g)
1½ cups confectioners' sugar sifted (6oz, 170g)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (3g)

For topping:

½ cup dried cranberries loosely packed (2.3oz, 65g)
⅔ cup white chocolate melted (4oz,113g)

Instructions

For the Blondie:

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
Brown the butter
In a light colored saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. As you continue heating the butter, it will begin to bubble and foam. Stir continuously, pushing the foam out of the way so that you can see the milk solids as they change color. When they turn a golden brown, turn off the heat and transfer the butter to a bowl so that it stops cooking. Let cool.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.
Combine the cooled, melted butter (including the browned solids) and brown sugar together in medium bowl until combined. Add eggs, vanilla, and orange zest and mix well.
Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate and dried cranberries and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.
Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan.

For the frosting:

Combine the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well mixed and fluffy.
Spread frosting on the cooled bars.

For the topping:

Sprinkle dried cranberries over the frosting. You can roughly chop the cranberries if they are too big.
Drizzle melted white chocolate over the frosting and dried cranberries *see note
Cut into triangles.

Notes

To drizzle the melted chocolate over the frosting there are several options: Use a piping bag with a plain, round, small tip. Put the melted chocolate into a ziplock bag and cut a very small hole into the corner and use like a piping bag. Dip a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle it on.
Plain melted butter can be used instead of browned butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 125mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 333IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 1mg

Keyword blondies, cranberry bliss bars, starbucks copycat

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Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)

Recipe

Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)

Ingredients

Blondie base:

For the frosting:

For topping:

Instructions

For the Blondie:

For the frosting:

For the topping:

Notes

Nutrition

More Dessert

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Recipe

Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Blondie base:

For the frosting:

For topping:

Instructions

For the Blondie:

For the frosting:

For the topping:

Notes

Nutrition

More Dessert

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Ingredients