This recipe for cranberry bliss bars is just like those delicious treats you’re able to snag from Starbucks during the holiday season. These are loaded with tart cranberries, hints of lemon, a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting a drizzle of creamy white chocolate. Now you don’t have to wait for a certain season to indulge on these amazing treats.
I have a confession-
I’m probably about to say something truly un-American, but the words I’m about to say are the truth. So…I’ve warned you and now please don’t disown me.
I’ve never been one to hit up Starbucks regularly. From time to time I’ll pop in and order a white chocolate mocha or javachip frap. Occasionally during the holiday season I’ll snag one of their pumpkin spice concoctions along with a cranberry bliss bar.
Oh, how I LOVE those cranberry bliss bars. Soft, chewy, brown sugar bars studded with bits of white chocolate chips, tart cranberries, and pieces of crystalized ginger. Oh, and they are topped with that deliciously tangy cream cheese frosting, more cranberries and a drizzle of white chocolate.
Since the coffee mogul only serves these seasonally, there are only a few precious weeks a year that they are available. NO need to panic! I’ve come across a copycat recipe that is a dead ringer for the original! Now you can get your bliss bar fix whenever you are in the mood!
Cue the streamers, confetti and music!
These bars come together in minute, only require about 10 minutes of baking time. After that, you’re about halfway there.
The hardest part is waiting on them to cool so they can be frosted. Then a little more waiting to allow the frosting to set so there isn’t a gooey mess when being cut.
You’re patience will certainly be worth it! BUT, if you’re keeping them home and you truly can’t wait any longer, go ahead, make a mess and dive in.
This year’s food blogger cookie swap was the perfect opportunity for me to whip up a batch of these bars.
Anywho…so when the time came around to figure out what I wanted to make for this year’s Food Blogger Cookie Swap there were no questions, I was making these bars.
I thought fellow foodies and cookie lovers would understand my excitement and celebrate along with me. There is definitely a reason to celebrate knowing we could all still enjoy these bars in the comfort of our own homes. So I went in the kitchen, made a batch and packaged them in festive Christmas tins and shipped them on to 3 fellow food bloggers!
I had a few extra bars leftover after packaging which meant one thing. I had to eat them. And trust me, my feelings weren’t hurt in the least. I woke up every morning for the next few days, made a cup of coffee and savored the goodness that is cranberry bliss bars.
These bars are truly a perfect gift this time (or any time) of year. The deep red cranberries pop off the white cream cheese frosting almost resembling Christmas lights or holly berries sitting in the snow. Wrap up a few of these or place some in a Christmas cookie tin and you will bring a smile to anyone who received them!
Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars
These cranberry bliss bars are just like the ones Starbucks serves during the holiday season. Chewy, brown sugar bars loaded with tangy cranberries, creamy white chocolate and bits of candied ginger, topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- For the bars-
- 1 1/2 Sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 Tsp salt
- 1 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups flour
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 Tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger or 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 Tsp vanilla
- 3/4- 1 1/2 Cups dried cranberries
- 4 Oz. white chocolate chips
- For the frosting-
- 4 Oz cream cheese
- 1 Tsp vanilla
- 3 Cups powdered sugar
- 4 Tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 Tsp lemon zest
- For garnish-
- 1/2 Cup dried cranberries
- 2 Oz white chocolate chips
- Additional lemon zest, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line a 12x12x6 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place butter, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time mixing after each is added.
- Add the ginger, flour and baking powder and mix until incorporated.
- Add the cranberries and white chocolate and gently fold into batter.
- Pour the batter on the prepared baking sheet, using wet hands or a wet spatula spread the batter evenly in the pan.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes (I had to cook mine about 15 minutes) until the middle is baked through. Be sure not to overbake or the bars will become very dry.
- Remove the bars from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the Frosting-
- Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat on high until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and mix until combine. Once all ingredients are incorporated, increase mixing speed to medium-high and beat until creamy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled bars.
For the topping-
- Sprinkle the cranberries over the fresly frosted bars.
- Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe dish and heat in 20 second intervals until melted, being sure to stir after each heating time.
- Place in a piping bag* and drizzle over bars.
- Sprinkle additional lemon zest, if desired, over the melted white chocolate.
- Allow to set for about 2-3 hours, until chocolate has set.
- To cut the bars, trim the edges, cut into squares, then cut each square in 2 triangles.
Store in an airtight container.
Notes
*Orange juice and zest may be used in place of lemon zest.
*If you don't have any piping bags, place white chocolate in a plastic bag, cut a small hole in the tip of the bag and drizzle.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 186Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 81mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 1gSugar: 29gProtein: 2g
Nutrition is gathered and calculated based on the ingredients used by Nutritionix. Nutrition can vary for a recipe based on numerous factors such as precision of the measurements, brands of products, freshness of ingredients or the source of the nutritional data.
This year there were over 475 participants in Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. All participants along with our amazing brand partners; OXO, Land O’ Lakes, and Dixie Crystals raised over $7,000.00 for Cookies for Kids’s Cancer! How amazing is that?!?!
If you missed out on this year’s swap and would like more info and notifications about next year’s swap be sure to sign up here for all the latest news and next year’s swap. And a big thanks to our hostesses for another amazing year; Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen. Y’all are awesome!