Name: Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat Recipe!)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup unsalted butter (melted); 1¾ cups brown sugar (firmly packed); 3 large eggs (room temperature); 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract; 1¾ cups all purpose flour*; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ⅓ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; 1¼ cup dried cranberries; ¾ cup white chocolate chips; 1 cup heavy cream (cold); 8 ounces cream cheese (cut into 1-inch cubes); 2 cups powdered sugar (sifted); ¼ teaspoon orange zest; ⅛ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Dried cranberries (to top)

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The best-ever Cranberry Bliss Bars…the viral Starbucks treat can now be made at home! A soft and chewy blondie, studded throughout with sweet white chocolate chips and tart cranberries. Then, after baking, each bar is generously frosted with an orange-hinted cream cheese frosting. There’s really nothing not to love about these cranberry bliss bars. Every bite sweet, tender, chewy, with a hint of ginger and orange, and just the right amount of tanginess coming from the frosting. It’s truly the perfect treat to make to celebrate the holiday season!

close up of three cranberry bliss bars piled on parchment paper.

Starbucks lovers, rejoice! There’s no need to worry about whether your local shop has sold out of their classic Cranberry Bliss Bars. You can now make them in your very own kitchen and they’re ready to eat in about 40 minutes!

So, whether you’ve got a craving or are in a crunch for time, these bars are the perfect treat to share with friends and family!

What Are Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars?

So, what exactly ARE cranberry bliss bars? Well, imagine an extra chewy and incredibly dense blondie, filled with sweet white chocolate chips and cranberries, and just a hint of orange zest and ginger. After baking, they are generously frosted with the most incredible cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled with more cranberries and a drizzle of white chocolate.

If you love our holiday favorite bakes like our Cranberry Orange Sweet Rolls, Orange Cranberry Scones, or even our thick and chewy Cranberry Blondies, you will fall in LOVE with these cranberry bliss bars.

angled image of cranberry white chocolate blondies on parchment paper with fresh cranberries around.

Why You’ll Love Our Cranberry Bliss Bars More Than Starbucks

You know exactly what’s in it. Like most store-bought products, the Starbucks cranberry bliss bars are loaded with excessive ingredients that you wouldn’t find in your homemade bakes – soy lecithin, palm oils, maltitol, maltitol syrup, etc (This information can all be found on the Starbucks Website). When you use high quality ingredients and our easy-to-follow recipe, you never have to worry about additives in your dessert!
Texture. It’s tender, dense, oh-so chewy…almost like a brownie! These bars are like the perfect combination between a blondie and a cake, creating a texture that’ll leave you craving more.
Flavor. If a dessert could taste like Christmas, it would be these bars! It’s the perfect blend of sweet white chocolate, tart cranberries, zesty orange, warming ginger, and tangy cream cheese.
Thoroughly taste tested. We had a couple of our taste tasters blind taste test between our cranberry bliss bars and Starbucks. Ours won out every time! Everyone agreed that you could tell ours was fresh baked. They were moist, more flavorful, and chewier than their bought counterpart.
Ease. If you’ve ever made a batch of brownies or even a chewy chocolate chip cookie, you can make these oh-so simple cranberry bliss bars.

two cranberry bliss bars leaning against each other on parchment paper with more bars around, bowl of cranberries, and pine greenery around.

Grab These Simple Ingredients

For The Bars:

Unsalted Butter – With a bright, fresh flavor that adds not only richness, unsalted butter also adds moisture and flavor and allows us to control the level of salt.
Brown Sugar – Creating moist, chewy bars, brown sugar both sweetens and adds depth.
Eggs – Acting as the binder that holds the dough together, eggs also contribute to the tenderness.
Vanilla Extract – While adding a subtle undertone, vanilla enhances the flavor.
All Purpose Flour – Using plain all purpose flour is the way to go here. The protein content gives the dough the structure it needs.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda – The leavenings used in this dough, baking powder and baking soda each make their own contributions. Baking powder helps make these bars soft and chewy, while baking soda contributes to their rise and structure as well as their browning.
Salt – Just a bit of salt enhances the flavor while balancing the sweetness.
Ground Ginger – Just a hint of ground ginger adds an extra layer of flavor.
Dried Cranberries – Chewy, sweet, and tart, dried cranberries are the star of these bars.
White Chocolate Chips– The perfect partner for dried cranberries, white chocolate brings a smooth creaminess as well as flavor.

dried cranberries, brown sugar, flour, white chocolate chips, melted butter, eggs, leavening, ground ginger, vanilla, and salt on marble surface.

For The Frosting:

Heavy Cream – The higher fat content of heavy cream enables it to hold peaks which makes the frosting fluffier and more stable.
Cream Cheese – Giving this frosting just the right amount of tang, cream cheese adds richness.
Powdered Sugar – Because it melts easily, powdered sugar ensures a smooth frosting. It sweetens as well.
Orange Zest – Just a hint of orange flavor from the zest is all that’s needed to enhance the flavor.
Salt – Just a bit of salt helps tone down the sweetness and enhance the flavor.
Vanilla Extract – Adding a subtle undertone, vanilla extract is the perfect choice to enhance the flavor.
Dried Cranberries – Add a little extra burst of flavor, topping these bars with dried cranberries helps it all come together.

cream cheese, powdered sugar, dried cranberries, vanilla, heavy cream, salt, and orange zest on marble surface.

Let’s Make These Cranberry Bliss Bars!

Step 1: Prepare batter

In a large bowl, whisk butter and sugar together.

brown sugar and melted butter in glass bowl.

Whisk in eggs and vanilla.

eggs and vanilla added to brown sugar mixture.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger. Mix until blended.

flour, leavening, spice, and salt added to brown sugar mixture.

Fold in cranberries and chocolate.

dried cranberries and white chocolate chips added to blondie batter.

white chocolate cranberry blondie batter in glass bowl.

Step 2: Bake

Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until done.

Allow to cool in pan before turning out.

Quick Tip: Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it much easier to remove the blondies.

Step 3: Make the frosting

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment, whisk cream to medium stiff peaks.

Beat in cream cheese, one cube at a time.

cream cheese and whipped cream in stand mixer.

whipped cream cheese mixture in stand mixer.

Mix in powdered sugar.

powdered sugar added to cream cheese mixture.

Add orange zest, salt, and vanilla.

Step 4: Frost and cut blondies

Spread over cooled cookie bar.

cream cheese frosting dolloped on top of blondies.

cream cheese frosting spread on blondie.

Cut into 3 vertical strips. Cutting one strip at a time, cut into triangles.

blondie cut into three strips on marble surface.

bar of blondie cut into triangles on marble surface.

Celebrate The Holiday’s With Us ♡

Need more cranberry goodness in your life? Here are a few recipes you may like:

– Still Hungry? –

Here are a few recipes may like!

Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat Recipe!)

What Are Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars?

Why You’ll Love Our Cranberry Bliss Bars More Than Starbucks