Irresistible Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars: Your Ultimate Holiday Baking Guide
Cranberry Bliss Bars are a copycat version of the beloved festive treat found at Starbucks. These delightful bars are the epitome of holiday cheer, blending the sweet tang of dried cranberries with the luxurious richness of white chocolate, all crowned with a decadent cream cheese frosting. They are not just a perfect holiday treat for your own enjoyment, but also make wonderful gifts tucked into festive tins.
Discover the Magic of Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars
If you’re a regular at Starbucks, you’ve undoubtedly encountered their famous Cranberry Bliss Bars. These holiday favorites boast a unique blend of flavors and textures that make them utterly addictive. Good news for your wallet and your taste buds: these delightful treats are surprisingly easy to recreate in your own kitchen!
Our homemade version captures the essence of the Starbucks original, allowing you to enjoy that perfect sweet and tart balance with the added benefit of controlling every ingredient. You’ll find that the rich, chewy bar, bursting with white chocolate and dried cranberries, perfectly complements the creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s a match made in dessert heaven, especially during the festive season.
My love for tart cranberries knows no bounds, especially during the colder months. You might recall my enthusiasm for them when I shared this festive Cranberry Wine Spritzer. It seems cranberries are always on my mind, and my family often pokes fun at my unwavering devotion to these vibrant, ruby-red berries! I believe people are usually divided into two camps: cranberry lovers or cranberry haters. If you’re in the former, you’re in for a real treat with these bars. During the holidays, my kitchen often smells of cranberries as I prepare countless batches of my Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe.
These frosted bars offer a wonderfully chewy texture, making them a festive and thoughtful addition to any holiday gift tin or a stunning centerpiece on your holiday dessert table. The combination of the cream cheese frosting with subtle white chocolate notes creates a truly irresistible topping that perfectly harmonizes with the sweet and tart bar beneath. It’s simply the perfect holiday treat.
Why Bake Your Own Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars?
While grabbing a Cranberry Bliss Bar at your local Starbucks is convenient, making them at home offers numerous advantages:
- Cost-Effective: You can make a large batch for a fraction of the price of buying individual bars.
- Freshness Guaranteed: Enjoy them warm from the oven, with the freshest ingredients and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Ingredient Control: Choose high-quality ingredients, adjust sweetness levels, or swap for organic options to suit your preferences.
- Customization: Easily adapt the recipe with additional spices, nuts, or citrus zest to create your unique spin.
- The Joy of Baking: There’s immense satisfaction in creating delicious treats from scratch, especially during the holidays.
Essential Ingredients for Your Blissful Bars
Crafting the perfect Cranberry Bliss Bar requires a thoughtful selection of ingredients for both the chewy base and the luscious cream cheese frosting. Here’s what you’ll need and why each component is crucial:
- Dry Ingredients: The foundation of our bars. You’ll need all-purpose flour for structure, baking soda for a light and tender crumb, salt to balance the sweetness, and a touch of fragrant cinnamon for that classic holiday spice. Both white sugar and brown sugar are used, with brown sugar adding moisture and a delightful chewiness.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred here, allowing you to control the overall saltiness of the recipe. Melted butter helps create a dense, chewy bar.
- Eggs: Two large eggs act as a binder, adding richness and helping to hold the bar together.
- Vanilla Extract: A crucial flavor enhancer, vanilla brings warmth and depth to both the bars and the frosting.
- White Chocolate Chips: These are a star ingredient, providing pockets of creamy sweetness throughout the bar. For the topping, white baking chocolate is melted and drizzled, adding an elegant finish and another layer of white chocolate flavor. I personally adore white chocolate even more than traditional chocolate, a sentiment some might find “crazy” but one I stand by! If you’re a fellow white chocolate enthusiast, you must also try these White Chocolate Toasted Coconut Cookies or these festive Oatmeal White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.
- Dried Cranberries: These jewel-toned berries infuse the bars with a delightful tartness and chewy texture, perfectly cutting through the sweetness of the white chocolate and frosting. They are incorporated into both the bar batter and sprinkled on top of the frosting for visual appeal and an extra burst of flavor. If you’re a fan of dried cranberries, don’t miss these wholesome Almond Energy Bites or this crunchy Coconut Cranberry Chia Seed Granola.
- Cream Cheese: The heart of the famous frosting! Softened cream cheese provides that signature tangy and rich base that makes these bars so irresistible. It’s the perfect counterpoint to the sweet bar.
- Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this finely milled sugar gives the cream cheese frosting its smooth, light, and spreadable consistency without any grainy texture.
Baking Bliss: Step-by-Step Guide to Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
Get ready to fill your kitchen with the enticing aroma of these festive bars! Follow these simple steps to create your own batch of Starbucks-worthy Cranberry Bliss Bars.
1. Prepare Your Pan & Dry Ingredients: Begin by preheating your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray to ensure easy removal. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until they are thoroughly combined. This ensures even distribution of the leavening and spices.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate, larger bowl, cream together the granulated white sugar, brown sugar, melted unsalted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is light in color and fluffy, ensuring all ingredients are well incorporated and the sugars are dissolving.
3. Integrate Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, doing so in two batches. Mix until the batter is just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough bars.
4. Fold in the Goodies: Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the batter. Mix just enough to evenly distribute them throughout the dough.
5. Spread the Batter Evenly: Transfer the batter to your prepared baking pan. Using the back of a spatula, gently spread the batter into an even layer, pressing down lightly to ensure it fills the pan from edge to edge. This creates a uniform base for your bars.
6. Bake to Golden Perfection: Bake the bars for 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye on them; the edges should be lightly golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Overbaking can lead to dry, crumbly bars, so err on the side of caution. Once baked, remove from the oven and let them cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.
7. Whip Up the Cream Cheese Frosting: While the bars are cooling, prepare the glorious cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is incredibly smooth, creamy, and well-blended. Ensure there are no lumps for a perfect frosting texture.
8. Frost and Adorn: Once the bars are completely cooled (this is crucial, otherwise your frosting will melt!), generously spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the surface. Then, sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries over the frosting. For that iconic Starbucks look and an extra touch of white chocolate flavor, drizzle the melted white baking chocolate artfully over the cranberries.
9. Chill and Cut: Allow the white chocolate drizzle to set and cool completely, which will firm up the frosting. This usually takes about 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Once set, cut the bars into 9 large squares. For an authentic Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar presentation, cut each square diagonally to create two perfect triangles. Store any leftover bars in the refrigerator.
Tips for Achieving Cranberry Bliss Bar Perfection
To ensure your homemade bars are truly blissful, keep these helpful tips in mind:
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For the best results, especially with the cream cheese frosting, ensure your cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature. This allows for smoother mixing and a lump-free frosting.
- Do Not Overbake: This is critical! Even a few extra minutes in the oven can transform your chewy bars into dry, crumbly ones. Keep an eye on the edges for a slight golden hue and rely on the toothpick test.
- Cool Completely Before Frosting: Patience is key! If you try to frost warm bars, the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide right off. Allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature, and ideally, chill them briefly in the fridge before frosting.
- Melt White Chocolate Carefully: White chocolate is more delicate than milk or dark chocolate and can seize or burn easily. Microwave in short bursts (10-15 seconds) and stir well between each interval until smooth.
- Sharp Knife for Cutting: For clean, professional-looking slices (especially when cutting into triangles), use a sharp knife. Wiping the knife clean between cuts can also help.
- Consider Orange Zest: As suggested in the notes below, adding some orange zest to both the bar batter and/or the cream cheese frosting is a game-changer. The bright, subtle citrus notes perfectly complement the cranberries and white chocolate, making this classic combination even more divine.
Creative Variations & Serving Suggestions
While the classic Cranberry Bliss Bar is perfect as is, feel free to get creative with these delicious variations:
- Add Nuts: Toasted pecans or walnuts would add a wonderful crunch and nutty flavor to the bars. Fold them in with the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
- Extra Spice: A pinch of nutmeg or a dash of ginger alongside the cinnamon can enhance the holiday flavors.
- Citrus Burst: A tablespoon of fresh orange juice in the frosting, along with the zest, can intensify that bright cranberry-orange flavor profile.
- Different Dried Fruits: While cranberries are traditional, try swapping a portion of them for dried cherries, blueberries, or even chopped dried apricots for a different twist.
- Serving: These bars are best served chilled. They are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, as a dessert for holiday parties, or individually wrapped as thoughtful homemade gifts.
Can You Make This Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe Gluten-Free?
Absolutely! Adapting this Cranberry Bliss Bar recipe to be gluten-free is quite simple. The main swap you’ll need to make is replacing the all-purpose flour with a high-quality gluten-free baking flour mix. I highly recommend using a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. These blends are formulated to perform much like regular wheat flour, often containing xanthan gum to help with structure, ensuring your bars maintain their delicious chewy texture.
Storing Your Delicious Bliss Bars
To keep your Cranberry Bliss Bars fresh and delightful, proper storage is key due to the cream cheese frosting. Once the bars have been frosted and sliced, transfer them to an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for optimal freshness, where they will remain delicious for up to 5 days. Bringing them to room temperature for a few minutes before serving can enhance their flavors and soften the frosting slightly.
Can You Freeze Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze Cranberry Bliss Bars, making them an excellent make-ahead option for busy holiday seasons! To freeze them, prepare and slice the bars as directed, then place them in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours to allow the frosting to fully set and firm up. Once firm, you can arrange them in an airtight freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. For extra protection against freezer burn, you can also wrap individual bars tightly in plastic wrap before placing them in the container. They will freeze well for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw the bars overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More Delicious Cranberry Recipes to Explore
If you’ve fallen in love with the tart and sweet allure of cranberries, you’ll be delighted to know there are many more ways to enjoy them. Here are some other fantastic cranberry recipes that you might like to try:
WARM BRIE CRANBERRY NAAN
HAM CHEESE AND CRANBERRY ROLLUPS
OVERNIGHT EGGNOG FRENCH TOAST BAKE WITH CRANBERRY MAPLE SYRUP
CRANBERRY COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIE BARS
CRANBERRY APEROL SPRITZ
EASY CRANBERRY BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS
HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Conclusion: Your New Favorite Holiday Treat
These Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars are more than just a recipe; they are an invitation to bring a touch of holiday magic into your home. With their chewy texture, vibrant cranberries, rich white chocolate, and signature tangy cream cheese frosting, they are guaranteed to become a cherished part of your festive traditions. Whether you’re baking for family, friends, or simply treating yourself, these bars offer a delicious and satisfying experience that rivals the coffee shop original. So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and get ready to create some pure cranberry bliss!
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Cranberry Bliss Bars
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips, or chopped white chocolate
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1/3 cup white baking chocolate, melted
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
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In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
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In another bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
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Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones in 2 batches, mixing until the batter is just well combined. Do not overmix.
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Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and the dried cranberries until evenly distributed.
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Spread the batter onto the prepared baking pan in an even layer and press down gently with the back of a spatula.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
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Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese frosting; in a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until smooth and well blended.
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Once the bars are completely cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over them. Sprinkle with the chopped dried cranberries and drizzle with the melted white chocolate.
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Allow the white chocolate to cool and set (you can place the pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to speed this up). Once set, cut into 9 large squares, then cut each square diagonally to create triangles.
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Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy your homemade bliss!
Notes
- To melt the white chocolate, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 10 seconds and stir, then for another 10 seconds and stir until the chocolate is nice and melted. Be very careful as white chocolate burns and melts faster than milk or dark chocolate.
- Don’t overbake the batter. Even a few more minutes of baking time will result in a crumbly, dried out bar.
- Add some orange zest to the cream cheese frosting and/or to the batter. It’s totally optional but it will elevate your frosting and the subtle hints of citrus work wonders in this recipe. Not only that but orange and cranberries are a match made in heaven.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.