Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)

Published: Dec 3, 2016 · Modified: Dec 22, 2025 by Kelly · This post may contain affiliate links · 72 Comments

Starbucks Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars are a favorite holiday dessert! A moist, chewy blondie packed with tart, dried cranberries, festive orange, and chunks of white chocolate topped with a white chocolate, cream cheese frosting.

cranberry bliss bars on a white background with a cup of white chocolate chunks and a cup of dried cranberries

These were amazing! Tasted even better than Starbucks. The base is chewy and delicious and the frosting makes them even better!
~ Liz

While Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bars are a seasonal treat showing up only during the holiday season, this homemade version of the popular Starbucks treat is quick and easy to make at home. Perfect for parties and gift giving!

For even more holiday baking recipes, check out some of our favorites like peanut butter fudge or these Buckeyes (chocolate dipped peanut butter balls). Or try some of our favorite holiday cookies like these Italian pignoli cookies, peanut butter blossoms, brown butter toffee cookies, or these butter pecan cookies.

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📝 Ingredients

🧑🏻‍🍳 How to make Cranberry Bliss Bars

(Full instructions and measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

PREPARE THE BAKING PAN

Spray a 9 by 11- inch baking pan with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again.

BROWN THE BUTTER

cook the butter until the milk solids turn golden brown, then immediately pour into a dish to cool

MIX THE BLONDIE DOUGH

Whisk together the browned butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest

mixing the wet ingredients for the blondie base

ADD THE DRY INGREDIENTS

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt then stir into the wet ingredients.

STIR IN THE CHOCOLATE AND CRANBERRIES

stirring in the white chocolate and cranberries to the dough

BAKE

Spread in the prepared pan and bake until golden.

MAKE THE FROSTING

Melt the white chocolate and cool. Add the rest of the frosting ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.

FROST THE BARS

Spread the frosting on the cooled bars then sprinkle on the cranberries and drizzle with white chocolate.

frosting the cranberry bliss bars and topping with cranberries and a white chocolate drizzle

CUT INTO TRIANGLES

Cut the bars into 12 squares, then cut each square in half diagonally.

cutting the bars into squares then triangles

🤫 My secrets to the BEST Cranberry Bliss Bars

Don't overbake

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. They will seem a bit under-done inside, but when they cool, they will firm up and be dense and chewy.

Brown the butter

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

Use a good quality white chocolate

Check the label when buying white chocolate. According to the FDA, white chocolate must contain at least 20% cocoa butter, at least 14% milk solids, at least 3.5% milkfat, and a maximum of 55% in sweeteners.

While you might not notice a big difference between low quality baking chips and real white chocolate in the blondie base, a high-quality white chocolate is essential for smooth melting for the frosting and the drizzle on top.

The amount of cocoa butter is key. Many products that look like white chocolate, contain very little, if any, cocoa butter. They usually contain mostly milk, oil, and sugar.

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 14 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, roughly chopped 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.
Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray, line with parchment paper that has been trimmed to fit the length of the pan with a few inches of overhang on both sides so you can pull the blondie out of the pan. Spray again.
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 immediately transfer the browned 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 the edges are golden brown, and the top is set, 18 to 22 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on wire rack to room temperature.

For the frosting:

Combine the frosting ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with an electric mixer or whisk until well mixed and fluffy.
Spread frosting on the cooled bars.

For the topping:

Sprinkle dried cranberries over the frosting.
Drizzle melted white chocolate over the frosting and dried cranberries *see note
Refrigerate until the frosting is firm for neat slicing.
Holding the edges of the parchment paper, lift out of the pan and cut into triangles.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

*Use a good quality white chocolate that contains at least 20% cocoa butter.

*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.

*How to freeze: Place the bars in the freezer until firm, then cover tightly in a with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Return to the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the bars overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

They can be frozen before or after cutting into triangles, however cutting them after they thaw will ensure the edges don’t dry out.

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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