Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe
If you love that famous coffee shop treat but want a cozy homemade version, this Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe gives you soft blondie-style cookie bars packed with white chocolate, tart cranberries, and a lush cream cheese frosting that feels like Christmas on a plate.
What Makes This Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe So Special?
This Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe is my warm, from-scratch nod to the Starbucks cranberry bliss bars that show up every holiday season. You know the ones—the festive Christmas dessert bars with the pretty drizzle, the creamy frosting, and those little cranberry jewels on top.
Instead of buying a tiny square with your latte, you can make a whole pan of this copycat Starbucks recipe right at home. These white chocolate cranberry bars are dense and chewy like blondie cookie bars, loaded with flavor, and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting that’s not too sweet.
I started making a homemade cranberry bliss recipe back when my kids were in middle school. Every December, I’d bring a tray of these to the school office, and I swear the staff started recognizing me more for these bars than for my actual kids. These days, I bake them for cookie exchanges, neighbor gifts, and honestly, for quiet evenings with a cup of coffee and a Hallmark movie.
They’re not exactly “health food,” but they are made with real butter, real vanilla, and a nice dose of dried cranberries, which add fiber and natural sweetness. And when you bake at home, you know exactly what’s going in—no mystery ingredients. That counts for something, especially during the holiday dessert bar overload.
Let me walk you through why these cranberry white chocolate dessert bars deserve a spot in your holiday baking rotation.
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe
- Better than store‑bought: All the cozy flavor of Starbucks cranberry bliss bars, but fresher, thicker, and more generous portions.
- Perfect make‑ahead dessert: These cream cheese frosting bars taste even better the next day after the flavors settle and meld.
- Freezer‑friendly: Bake once, freeze in squares, and you’ve got a festive Christmas dessert waiting whenever guests drop by.
- Simple pantry ingredients: Butter, sugar, flour, white chocolate, dried cranberries—nothing fancy or hard to find.
- Great for parties and gifts: Cut into small triangles or squares to fill cookie trays, gift boxes, or office dessert tables.
- Crowd‑pleasing flavor combo: Vanilla blondie base + tart cranberries + rich white chocolate + tangy cream cheese frosting—everyone finds something to love.
- Flexible recipe: Easy to make gluten‑free or nut‑free, and you can adjust the sweetness or toppings to your taste.
- Reliable texture: Chewy, soft centers with gently crisp edges that hold up well when sliced and packed.
Ingredients for the Bars and Frosting
You don’t need anything fancy to make these holiday dessert bars. Most of this is probably sitting in your pantry right now.
For the Blondie Cookie Bar Base
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Use real butter here; it gives the white chocolate cranberry bars their rich flavor and chewy texture. - 1 1/4 cups (250 g) packed light brown sugar
Gives moisture and that caramel note that feels like a hug. - 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
Helps balance sweetness and structure. - 2 large eggs, room temperature
Room temperature eggs mix better and help the batter bake evenly. - 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Use good vanilla; it’s a star flavor in blondies. - 1/2 tsp orange zest (optional but highly recommended)
A little citrus makes the cranberry flavor pop—just a whisper, not a shout. - 2 cups (250 g) all‑purpose flour
(You can use a 1:1 gluten‑free baking blend if needed.) - 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt)
- 3/4 cup (135 g) white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
Chopped bars melt a little creamier; chips hold their shape more. - 3/4 cup (100 g) dried cranberries, roughly chopped
Chopping them helps spread the cranberry in every bite.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Full‑fat cream cheese gives the best texture for these cream cheese frosting bars. - 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2–2 1/2 cups (240–300 g) powdered sugar, sifted
Start with 2 cups and add more if you like a thicker, sweeter frosting. - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1–2 tsp orange juice or milk, as needed
Just a splash to get a smooth, spreadable consistency. - Pinch of salt
Helps keep the frosting from tasting flat and too sweet.
For Topping
- 1/3 cup (40 g) dried cranberries, chopped
- 1/3 cup (60 g) white chocolate, melted, for drizzling
Use a good‑quality bar if you can; it melts more smoothly than some chips.
Step‑by‑Step Directions
1. Prep the pan and oven
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a 9×13‑inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides so you can lift the bars out later.
- Lightly spray the parchment with nonstick spray.
Tip: Don’t skip the parchment. These blondie cookie bars are rich and sticky; parchment saves you from prying them out with a spatula and muttering under your breath.
2. Make the blondie batter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted, cooled butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy—about 1 minute by hand.
- Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the vanilla and orange zest, and whisk again.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until there are no visible streaks of flour.
Here’s the thing: Over‑mixing makes bars tough. Stop stirring as soon as it’s all combined.
3. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate
- Fold in the white chocolate chips and chopped dried cranberries until they’re evenly spread through the batter.
If the batter looks very thick—almost like cookie dough—that’s exactly right. These are blondies, not cake.
4. Bake the bars
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer with a spatula. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it will level a bit as it bakes.
- Bake for 22–28 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
You want the bars slightly underbaked in the center so they stay soft and chewy. If the edges are deep golden brown, you’ve gone a bit too far—but they’ll still taste wonderful.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let the bars cool completely in the pan. This can take about 1–1 1/2 hours.
Resist cutting early. If you frost warm bars, the cream cheese frosting will slide right off like it’s escaping.
5. Make the cream cheese frosting
- Once the bars are cool, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until smooth and creamy—about 2 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of orange juice or milk. Beat on low at first so you don’t send powdered sugar across the kitchen, then increase to medium until smooth and fluffy.
- Check the consistency. If you want it thicker, beat in the remaining powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. If it’s too thick, add another small splash of orange juice or milk.
You’re looking for spreadable but not runny—think soft frosting that holds gentle swirls.
6. Frost, top, and drizzle
- Lift the cooled blondie slab out of the pan using the parchment overhang and place it on a cutting board.
- Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the entire surface, going right to the edges.
- Sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries evenly over the frosting. Gently press them down so they stick.
- Melt the white chocolate for drizzling: place chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips in a microwave‑safe bowl and heat in 15–20 second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
- Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top in zig‑zag lines with a spoon or by piping from a small bag with the corner snipped.
Let the topping set for about 15–20 minutes at room temperature, or pop the whole slab in the fridge for 10 minutes to help the drizzle firm up.
7. Slice into bars or triangles
- For the classic Starbucks cranberry bliss look, cut the slab into rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally into triangles.
- Wipe your knife with a warm, damp cloth between cuts for cleaner slices.
You can cut them big for family dessert plates or small for cookie trays. I usually do smaller pieces—people feel “less guilty” and then come back for seconds anyway.
Servings & Timing
- Yield: About 24 small triangles or 16 larger squares
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 22–28 minutes
- Cool Time: 60–90 minutes
- Decorating Time: 15–20 minutes
- Total Time: About 2 hours, mostly hands‑off
If you’re planning these holiday dessert bars for a party, you can easily bake the blondie base in the morning, let it cool while you tackle the house or the laundry, and then frost and slice in the afternoon.
Easy Variations on This Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe
You know what? Once you have this basic blondie and frosting formula down, you can play a little.
- Gluten‑Free Cranberry Bliss Bars: Use a 1:1 gluten‑free baking flour blend in place of all‑purpose flour; keep everything else the same.
- Nutty Holiday Dessert Bars: Stir 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans or walnuts into the batter for extra texture and flavor.
- Orange‑Forward Version: Add an extra teaspoon of orange zest to the batter and 1 teaspoon more orange juice to the frosting for a brighter citrus note.
- Lighter Frosting: Use reduced‑fat cream cheese and reduce the butter in the frosting to 2 tablespoons; the texture will be slightly softer but still delicious.
- Extra‑Cranberry Bars: Add an additional 1/4 cup dried cranberries to the batter if you want every single bite packed with tart pops.
- White Chocolate Swap: Try half white chocolate and half chopped dark or semi‑sweet chocolate for a more complex flavor that balances the sweetness.
How to Store, Freeze, and (Gently) Serve Later
These cranberry white chocolate dessert bars store very well, which is a blessing when your December calendar is full.
Room Temperature
- If your kitchen is cool (under about 70°F) and you’re serving within 4–6 hours, you can keep the bars loosely covered at room temperature.
- For anything longer, treat them like the cream cheese dessert bars they are and use the fridge.
Refrigerator
- Place the cut bars in a single layer in an airtight container, or stack with parchment or wax paper between layers so they don’t stick.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- For best flavor and texture, let them sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before serving. The blondie base softens and the cream cheese frosting relaxes a bit.
Freezer
- Arrange the bars on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 1–2 hours.
- Transfer the frozen bars to a freezer‑safe container or zip‑top bag, with parchment between layers.
- Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature for 20–30 minutes before serving.
No reheating is needed—these aren’t the kind of bars you warm up, like brownies. They’re meant to be cool, creamy, and chewy.
Notes from My Kitchen to Yours
- Don’t overbake: This is the single biggest thing. A slightly underbaked center gives that luscious blondie texture. They’ll continue to cook a bit as they cool.
- Chop the cranberries: Whole dried cranberries can clump and sink. A quick rough chop helps them spread through the batter and makes slicing neater.
- Use cooled butter: If the butter is hot when you add the eggs, you’ll risk scrambled egg bits. Let it cool until it’s warm but not hot to the touch.
- Sift the powdered sugar: I know, it’s an extra step, and yes, I sometimes skip it too. But when I do sift, the cream cheese frosting is smoother and spreads like a dream.
- Let the bars cool completely: I’ve rushed this step before and the frosting got a little melty and sad. Cool bars mean confident frosting.
- Adjust sweetness to your taste: If you don’t like very sweet desserts, you can reduce the white chocolate chips in the batter to 1/2 cup and use slightly less powdered sugar in the frosting.
- Holiday serving trick: Arrange these festive Christmas dessert bars with other cookies—think ginger molasses cookies, shortbread, and chocolate peppermint bark—for a tray that looks like you spent all week baking (even if you didn’t).
Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe FAQs
1. Can I make this Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe ahead of time?
Yes. You can make the full bars (frosted and drizzled) up to 2 days ahead and store them covered in the fridge; slice them closer to serving for the cleanest cuts.
2. Are fresh cranberries okay instead of dried?
No, fresh cranberries release too much moisture and will throw off the texture; dried cranberries are key for these blondie‑style cookie bars.
3. My bars turned out cakey—what happened?
They were likely overbaked or the flour was over‑measured or over‑mixed; next time, measure flour by spooning into the cup and leveling, and pull the pan as soon as a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs.
4. Can I use white chocolate baking chips instead of chopped bars?
Yes, white chocolate chips work fine for both the batter and drizzle; just melt them low and slow because they can seize if overheated.
5. How do I make these less sweet?
Use 1/2 cup white chocolate in the batter instead of 3/4 cup and keep the powdered sugar at the lower end (about 2 cups) in the frosting; you can also sprinkle a tiny extra pinch of salt into the frosting to balance sweetness.
6. Can I bake this Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe in a smaller pan?
You can use a 9×9‑inch pan for thicker bars, but increase the bake time by about 5–10 minutes and watch closely so the edges don’t overbake.
7. What if I don’t have orange zest?
You can skip it, but I recommend at least a teaspoon of orange juice in the frosting; it adds a subtle brightness that makes these taste like the Starbucks cranberry bliss version.
8. Do I have to use cream cheese frosting?
The cream cheese frosting is classic for this style of bar, but if someone in your house really dislikes cream cheese, you can use a simple vanilla buttercream instead—just know the flavor will be a bit different.
Wrapping Up & Serving with Love
These Cranberry Bliss Bars bring together everything I adore about holiday baking: simple ingredients, cozy flavors, and that little spark of “wow” when you set the plate on the table. They’re the kind of festive Christmas dessert that looks fancy but feels familiar—and tastes even better than the coffee shop version.
Give this Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe a try, and let me know how it goes—was your family team “triangle bars” or “big squares”? Leave a comment with your tweaks, or share a photo of your pan. And if you’re planning a whole holiday dessert bar lineup, you might also enjoy pairing these with soft sugar cookies, gingerbread men, or a pan of fudgy brownies for good measure.
Cranberry Bliss Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (2 sticks / 226 g)
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar packed (250 g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest optional but recommended
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g; or 1:1 gluten-free baking blend)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or 3/4 teaspoon table salt
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate (135 g)
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries roughly chopped (100 g)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature (226 g)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened (56 g)
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted (240–300 g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for frosting
- 1 to 2 teaspoons orange juice or milk as needed for consistency
- salt pinch, for frosting
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries chopped, for topping (40 g)
- 1/3 cup white chocolate melted, for drizzling (60 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides for easy removal. Lightly spray the parchment with nonstick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted, slightly cooled butter, packed light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute by hand.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and orange zest (if using) and whisk again until combined.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until no visible streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Fold in the white chocolate chips (or chopped white chocolate) and chopped dried cranberries until evenly distributed. The batter will be thick, more like cookie dough than cake batter.3/4 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate, 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 22–28 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the bars cool completely in the pan, 60–90 minutes.
- Once the bars are completely cool, beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter together in a medium bowl with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.8 oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- Add 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of orange juice or milk. Beat on low at first, then increase to medium until smooth and fluffy. If you prefer thicker frosting, add additional powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time. If too thick, add another small splash of orange juice or milk. Aim for a soft, spreadable consistency that is not runny.2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 to 2 teaspoons orange juice or milk, salt
- Lift the cooled blondie slab out of the pan using the parchment overhang and place it on a cutting board. Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the surface, right to the edges.
- Sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries evenly over the frosting and gently press so they adhere. Melt the white chocolate for drizzling in a microwave-safe bowl in 15–20 second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth. Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top in zig-zag lines with a spoon or by piping from a small bag with the corner snipped. Let the topping set for 15–20 minutes at room temperature or chill for about 10 minutes to firm the drizzle.1/3 cup dried cranberries, 1/3 cup white chocolate
- For a classic coffee shop look, cut the slab into rectangles and then cut each rectangle diagonally into triangles. Wipe the knife with a warm, damp cloth between cuts for clean slices. Serve slightly cool or at room temperature.
- Store frosted bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, with parchment or wax paper between layers if stacking. For best texture, let them sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving. To freeze, freeze individual bars on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment between layers. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
