Crowded Kitchen

MENUMENU
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Sign Up
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
×
Home » Recipes » Christmas

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Published: Nov 29, 2024 by Lexi

733 shares
Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

These homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars are even more delicious than the Starbucks version! They have a chewy, thick blondie base studded with white chocolate chips and cranberries, and a tangy cream cheese frosting. The perfect holiday treat – and they're pretty easy to make!

This post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill. All opinions are our own.

Overhead view cranberry bliss bars on christmas tree shaped baking rack.

There’s a *popular* 😉 coffee chain that sells these every December but they’re WAY better homemade! 

Every time December comes around, I majorly crave one of these cranberry bliss bars. They're SO delicious! The white chocolate cranberry blondie is fantastic on its own, but the cream cheese frosting makes it absolutely decadent.

This recipe is a part of our Instagram series 'Better Than Store-Bought', a series where we make copycat recipes of your favorite store-bought foods and snacks! Try our homemade Cheez-It's, Goldfish, or Fig Newtons next.

Jump to:
  • Cranberry Bliss Bars Ingredients
  • How to Make this Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe
  • Storage
  • Tips and FAQ
  • Top tip
  • More holiday dessert recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

Cranberry Bliss Bars Ingredients

Overhead view of ingredients for Cranberry Bliss Bars.

For the bars

  • Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour: This is the flour we use for all of our baking recipes! We absolutely love Bob's Red Mill baking products and have been using them for years. We haven't tried this specific recipe with their gluten free 1:1 flour, but it's always our favorite GF flour to use!
  • Butter: Unsalted is best here. No need to leave it out to soften – you'll be melting it for this recipe.
  • Brown sugar: We use light brown sugar.
  • Eggs
  • Orange zest: Optional, but adds a lot of flavor! You can also add in a dash of orange extract if you have any.
  • Vanilla extract
  • Ground ginger: If you don't have any, it's totally fine to leave it out.
  • Baking powder and salt: We always use kosher salt.
  • White chocolate chips: You can also use a bar of white chocolate chopped into chunks.
  • Dried cranberries: No sugar added dried cranberries or regular dried cranberries work fine here.

For the frosting

  • Cream Cheese: Make sure to let it soften at room temperature for about an hour before making the frosting.
  • Powdered sugar: I personally prefer the frosting with just 1 ½ cups powdered sugar so it's not too sweet, but it won't be quite as thick as the store-bought version. If you want a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar as desired.
  • Dried cranberries: I chop them up a bit smaller for topping the bars.
  • White chocolate for drizzling. Melt in the microwave, then drizzle over the bars before slicing!

How to Make this Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe

PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a 9x13” baking dish with parchment paper. 

STEP 1: Add butter to a small pot and melt over low heat. Whisk together brown sugar and melted butter in a large bowl. 

STEP 2: Add in the eggs, orange zest and vanilla and whisk until smooth. 

STEP 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the ginger, baking powder, salt and flour. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined, then stir in the white chocolate and cranberries. 

Overhead view of dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
Overhead view of cranberry white chocolate blondie batter in bowl.

STEP 4: Spread the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer and bake for 22-24 mins, until light golden brown around the edges. (Don’t over-bake! They should still be fairly pale on top.)

Cranberry bliss bars before baking.
Cranberry bliss bars after baking.

STEP 5: Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar as desired for consistency – I like mine with 1 ½ cups, but it will be a little thinner than the Starbucks version.

STEP 6: Spread the frosting on top of the cooled bars, then top with chopped cranberries and drizzle with white chocolate. Slice into triangles and enjoy! Store in the refrigerator.

Overhead view of cream cheese frosting in mixing bowl.
Overhead view of cranberry bliss bars before slicing.

Storage

Because of the cream cheese, you'll need to keep these cranberry bliss bars stored in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container for about 5 days. If they don't have the cream cheese frosting on top, you can keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Tips and FAQ

Top tip

Don't over-bake! You may be tempted to leave the blondies in the oven for a few extra minutes until they're golden brown, but they really should still be pale on top (and just lightly browned around the edges) when they're done. This will make for a fudgy, moist blondie versus a dry, crumbly one.

More tips

  • Want extra thick frosting? Add more powdered sugar! I like to keep the powdered sugar on the lighter side so it's not too sweet, but that does mean that the frosting isn't quite as thick as the store-bought version. Feel free to add extra powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.
  • Drizzling the white chocolate: For a super authentic look, transfer the melted white chocolate to a small plastic bag, cut off the tip, then drizzle in a random circular pattern all over the bars. Feel free to use as much or as little white chocolate as you'd like.
  • How to slice perfect triangles: Start by slicing the rectangle in half lengthwise. From there, cut each long triangle into 4 evenly sized rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half along the diagonal to form triangles.
Side view of cranberry bliss bars on baking rack.

More holiday dessert recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

  • Candied Oranges
  • Overhead of the finished vegan spritz cookies on a baking rack.
    Vegan Spritz Cookies
  • Chocolate Peppermint Cake (Vegan)
  • close up view of vegan pecan snowball cookie with bite taken out.
    Pecan Snowball Cookies

Tried this recipe?

Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

Print

📖 Recipe

clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Overhead view cranberry bliss bars on christmas tree shaped baking rack.

Cranberry Bliss Bars


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 42 minutes
  • Yield: 16 bars
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

These homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars are even more delicious than the Starbucks version! They have a chewy, thick blondie base studded with white chocolate chips and cranberries, and a tangy cream cheese frosting. The perfect holiday treat – and they're pretty easy to make!  


Ingredients

Bars:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter 
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar 
  • 2 eggs 
  • 2 tsp orange zest 
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger 
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 cups + 2 tablespoon Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled) 
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup dried cranberries 

Frosting: 

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 ½-2 cups powdered sugar 
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract 
  • ½ cup dried cranberries (chopped) 
  • ½ cup melted white chocolate chips


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line a 9x13” baking dish with parchment paper. 
  2. Add butter to a small pot and melt over low heat. Whisk together brown sugar and melted butter in a large bowl. 
  3. Add in the eggs, orange zest and vanilla and whisk until smooth. 
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ginger, baking powder, salt and flour. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined, then stir in the white chocolate and cranberries. 
  5. Spread the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer and bake for 22-24 mins, until light golden brown around the edges. (Don’t over-bake! They should still be fairly pale on top.)
  6. Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar as desired for consistency – I like mine with 1 ½ cups, but it will be a little thinner than the Starbucks version.
  7. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled bars, then top with chopped cranberries and drizzle with white chocolate. Slice into triangles and enjoy! Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 5 days. If they don't have the cream cheese frosting on top, you can keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Want extra thick frosting? Add more powdered sugar! I like to keep the powdered sugar on the lighter side so it's not too sweet, but that does mean that the frosting isn't quite as thick as the store-bought version. Feel free to add extra powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.

How to slice perfect triangles: Start by slicing the rectangle in half lengthwise. From there, cut each long triangle into 4 evenly sized rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half along the diagonal to form triangles.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 22 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 445
  • Sugar: 46.8 g
  • Sodium: 112.7 mg
  • Fat: 21.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 61 g
  • Fiber: 1.2 g
  • Protein: 4.2 g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

More Christmas Recipes

  • side view of garlic herb butter fan rolls.
    Garlic Herb Fan Rolls
  • Close up overhead view of croque monsieur bites on a platter.
    Croque Monsieur Bites
  • Overhead view of cannoli made with a florentine cookie, garnished with mini chocolate chips and pistachios.
    Florentine Cannoli
  • Sugared cranberries and rosemary on a plate.
    Sugared Cranberries

Comments

    Let us know what you think! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Eileen deCamp says

    December 04, 2024 at 1:18 pm

    Hello,
    These Cranberry Bliss Bars were amazing! I made them for a cookie exchange. I know they will be a hit! I will definitely make these again!
    Thank you,
    Eileen

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      December 04, 2024 at 2:03 pm

      Thanks so much, Eileen! So glad you enjoyed.

      Reply
Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

More about us →

Seasonal

  • close up overhead view of vegan bean soup in a bowl on white linen surface.
    Three-Bean Vegetable Soup
  • Front view of strawberry pop tart.
    Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
  • Overhead view of slice and bake cookies on a pink plate.
    Slice and Bake Heart Cookies
  • close up view of a passion fruit martini in a glass with dark backdrop.
    Passion Fruit Martini

Popular

  • Overhead view of fruit and nut crackers on a plate.
    Gourmet Fruit and Nut Crackers
  • overhead view of vegan mac and cheese in pot
    The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
  • Overhead view of hot honey chicken plate.
    Hot Honey Chicken Plate (Sweetgreen Dupe)
  • Overhead view of potato leek soup.
    Super Green Sheet Pan Soup

See more-->

Footer

Back to top ↑

About

  • Learn About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • See our Portfolio

Newsletter

  • Sign up for weekly emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Work With Us
  • As Seen In

Copyright © 2025 Crowded Kitchen