Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

One of my favorite recipes to bring to parties around Christmastime are these Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars!

At Starbucks these are a seasonal item at over $3 each!  (Or a box of 6 for $12). Rather than waiting until Christmastime and paying so much, now I can make them any time of year!

One thing to note about these is they are definitely best served within a day or two of making them. After a couple days they start to get sort of hard and stale tasting. For this reason I only make them when I know I’ll be able to serve most of them right away!

Starbucks Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Jess McGurn *BrightGreenDoor*

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

BARS

• 1 cup butter ( 2 sticks, very soft)
• 1 cup brown sugar ( some cooks reduce this to 2/3 cup)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons orange extract or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

FROSTING

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract (or vanilla)
• 2 T. milk

TOPPING

• 1/3 cup craisins, chopped
• 1 –2 tablespoon grated orange rind
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon canola oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 for a glass or dark pan). Prepare a 10×15 by lining it with parchment paper or use a non-stick spray.
2. BARS: With an electric mixer, beat together softened butter and sugars 3-5 minutes until light; gently blend in eggs and orange extract (don’t overbeat eggs). Add the flour, baking powder, and ginger and beat briefly. Add the cranberries and chips, stirring just until incorporated.
3. Spread thick batter in prepared 10×15 pan. Bake 350 for 20-24 minutes until light brown AT EDGES and a skewer tests clean. Don’t overbake or your bars will be dry. Let it cool completely. NOTE: If you use a 9×13 pan, the bars will be thicker and will take 26-28 minutes
4. FROSTING: Blend cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add orange extract, milk and confectioners sugar and beat until frosting is fluffy and spreadable (adding 1 t. milk if needed). Spread evenly over COOLED bars
5. GARNISH: Chop 1/3 cup Craisins coarsely; sprinkle over frosted bars.
6. DRIZZLE: Mix white chocolate and oil in a glass measuring cup. Microwave 1 minute; stirring every 15 seconds until melted. Use a fork or whisk to drizzle the white chocolate diagonally across the bars.
7. Allow one hour for the white chocolate to set before cutting. **To make signature Starbuck triangles, cut into 20 large squares (5 cuts by 4 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles.

Thanks a ton for stopping by today and checking out this delicious recipe. If you’re looking for other great recipes make sure you check out my recipe gallery!