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–+ servings
Cranberry bliss bars cut into triangles on a cooling rack beside fresh cranberries.
Lexi

Cranberry Bliss Bars

4.75 from 4 votes
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!  
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Course: Baking, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 460

Video

Ingredients Method Nutrition Video Notes

Ingredients
  

Bars:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon 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 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
  • ½ cup melted white chocolate chips

Method
 

  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 rectangle into 4 evenly sized rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half along the diagonal to form triangles. Pro tip: Chill 20–30 minutes before cutting into triangles and wipe the knife between cuts.
Make ahead: Bake and cool the base up to 2 days ahead; frost the day of serving.
Freezing: Unfrosted base freezes up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 460kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 175mgPotassium: 129mgFiber: 1gSugar: 49gVitamin A: 581IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 1mg

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