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Cranberry Bliss Bars are a blondie filled with ginger and dried cranberries topped with a orange flavored cream cheese frosting, more cranberries and a white chocolate drizzle. They are better than the seasonal Starbucks treat.Â
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Starbucks Copycat Recipe: If you are a fan of the Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars you are going to love this recipe. It has been taste tested by fellow fans and found to be “better than the real thing.” The cake on this homemade version is lighter and not as dense as the real thing which everyone preferred.
Great Flavor: These copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss bars are the perfect combination of cranberry, ginger, white chocolate and a touch of orange zest.
Pretty and Festive: Thanks the red and white colors, these bars are perfect for the holiday cookie plate!
Ingredients
- Flour. I use unbleached all purpose flour
- Brown Sugar
- Butter. I use salted butter
- Eggs
- Ground Ginger
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Dried Cranberries
- White Chocolate or white chocolate chips. Chop white chocolate into small chunks.
- Candied Ginger. This can be hard to find and you can leave it out. It is usually found in the bulk section of the grocery store.
- Cream Cheese
- Powdered Sugar
- Orange Zest
How to make Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick spray.
- Beat together butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or use a hand electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Stir in eggs and vanilla extract, beating until light and fluffy.
- Pour in flour, powdered ginger and salt. Mix well
- Fold in the cranberries, chocolate chunks or chocolate chips and minced candied ginger
- Spread mixture in prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown or toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- After cake cools, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread over top of cake
- Sprinkle with minced cranberries.
- Drizzle with white chocolate.
Tips
- Use a cake decorating bag with a small round decorating tip or a zippered freezer bag that you have snipped one of the corners off to drizzle melted chocolate.
- Allow Cranberry Bliss Bars to cool completely before cutting. Cut them into rectangular shaped pieces and then cut each rectangle in half diagonally. I also like to cut the edges off of all four sides to give it a nice clean finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store Cranberry Bliss bars?
Because of the cream cheese in the frosting they should be kept stored in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container. They will keep for 2-3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
What is the best way to serve them?
They can be served chilled or room temperature. I prefer them at room temp.
The Cranberry Bliss Bar would make a great addition to a holiday cookie plate too since they are pretty and delicious. So if you are looking for some Bliss in your life – give these a try.
Check out more delicious treats:
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Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Base:
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup minced dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup quality white chocolate bar coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup minced candied ginger
Frosting:
- 4 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp grated orange rind
Drizzle:
- 2 Tbsp minced dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup white chocolate melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 pan
- Beat together butter and sugar and then add eggs and vanilla beating until light and fluffy
- Add flour, powdered ginger and salt. Mix well
- Fold in the cranberries, chocolate chunks and minced candied ginger
- Spread batter in pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown
- After cake cools, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread over top of cake
- Sprinkle with minced cranberries
- Use a cake decorating bag of melted chocolate with a small round decorating tip to drizzle the chocolate over the cake
- Cut into bars
Tips & Notes:
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Nutrition Facts:
Sara Vongthongthip says
Can you freeze these for two weeks? Will they still be good to eat?
Leigh Anne says
I have never frozen them but I think they would freeze well.
Annie says
The cake is in the oven as we speak and it smells fabulous!!!! The frosting is delishes and quick secret – I added extra cranberries 😉 thanks for the amazing recipe!!!
Leigh Anne says
Thanks for the tip on the cranberries – will add more next time!
Erin says
I made these last weekend and they were TO DIE FOR! I couldn’t find candied ginger and I accidentally added about twice as much white chocolate than the recipe called for but it still turned out fab. Thanks for the recipe! I’m sure this will become a Christmas tradition. 🙂
Leigh Anne says
So glad you liked them – the more white chocolate the better!!
Catherine B says
OMg, YAY! Now I just have to switch out for gluten free flour and Im set! 😉
Susan Lind says
Hi Leigh Anne!
I’m going to try this recipe this weekend, but have a couple of questions if you don’t mind…how many portions do you get from a 9 x 13 pan, how thick are those pieces, and if you wanted to use a 15 x 17 cookie sheet, would you double the recipe, or press the crust out thinner?
Thank you!
Susan
Leigh Anne says
Portions is really up to you and how big or small you want to cut the pieces – I usually get anywhere from 12 -24 piece from a 9×13 just depending on how big or small I cut them. The pieces are about 3/4 of an inch I think. If you use a bigger pan I would probably double recipe – afraid it might be too thin otherwise Or maybe 1 1/2 half the recipe.