Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)

A triangular cranberry bliss bar topped with dried cranberries and cream cheese frosting.

Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)

This copycat recipe for Starbucks' Cranberry Bliss Bars is surprisingly easy to make – and tastes even better than the original!

Course Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine American

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 25

Cooling and Chilling Time 3

Total Time 4

Servings bars

Calories 428

Author Dorothy Bigelow

Ingredients

1 cup butter melted (2 sticks, salted)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2 cups all purpose flour or gluten-free flour
¾ cup white chocolate chips
¾ cup dried cranberries

Cream cheese frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese brick-style (1 package), softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon orange extract

Topping:

½ cup dried cranberries chopped
¼ cup white chocolate chips for melting
½ teaspoon coconut oil or shortening

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line a 9X13” (23x33cm) baking pan with parchment paper.
Pour the melted butter into a large bowl, along with the brown sugar and white sugar. Whisk well to combine.
Add the eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon orange extract; whisk until completely incorporated.
In a separate bowl, add in the baking powder, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon (if using), and flour. Whisk to combine.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold them in with a silicone spatula, just until combined and lump-free (be careful to not overmix the batter).
Add ¾ cup of white chocolate chips and ¾ cup of dried cranberries into the batter and fold them in until evenly distributed.
Spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan, smoothing it into an even layer.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 22-26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour, then transfer to the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours (or the in freezer for 20-40 minutes). See notes* for tips.

The Frosting:

Beat the cream cheese, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon orange extract with a handheld electric mixer (or stand mixer) on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time, mixing on low speed until it’s incorporated into the cream cheese. Continue to add the powdered sugar in several additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Gently spread the cream cheese frosting on top of the cooled cranberry and white chocolate bars, smoothing it out evenly.

Topping:

Chop the cranberries coarsely, and sprinkle them over the surface of the cream cheese frosting.
White chocolate drizzle. Add the white chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl, along with the coconut oil (or shortening).
Heat in the microwave for 15 seconds, then swirl the bowl or stir it gently with a spoon. Heat in 10 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate begins to melt. Stir until the chocolate melts completely and easily drips from a spoon.
Use a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate on top of the cranberry bliss bars, working in a zig-zag pattern.
If you have difficulty getting the chocolate to drizzle, heat it for another 5 seconds and stir well, then try again. Be very careful not to overheat the chocolate, as white chocolate can and will clump together if it is overheated.
Place the bars in the fridge to chill for at least 1-2 hours (or in the freezer for 20-40 minutes), or overnight if possible.

Slicing:

Carefully remove the bars from the pan using the sides of the parchment liner.
Make a cut lengthwise, cutting the bars in half. Then slice it in half widthwise, and each of those halves in half again (you should have 8 square bars).
Slice each bar in half diagonally, leaving you with a total of 16 bars (well…triangles).
Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Storage: Keep bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator; do not store at room temperature for more than 1-2 hours. They should keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, and they freeze great!

Freezing: Place the bars on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the bars are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container and use parchment paper to separate the layers (or wrap the bars individually and place them in a freezer bag; unwrap before thawing).

Gluten-free: I've tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking mix in place of the flour and it works perfectly! Like with most gluten-free baking, you may need to add an extra few minutes to the baking time; the best way to know if they are done is to use the toothpick test.

*Cooling tips: I like to slide the bars carefully out of the baking pan by lifting the parchment paper. The bars can crack easily doing it this way, so you have to be really gentle. If they crack you can firmly press them together; once chilled the crack should be mostly healed. Once the bars are ready to chill in the fridge (or freezer), I recommend placing them back in the cooled pan first - this helps to hold their shape. If you have the time, I highly recommend making the bars the day before so the topping has plenty of time to chill.

Nutrition