Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)
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.
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.
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
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