A seasonal Starbucks favorite, these Cranberry Bliss Bars are tasty, easy and you can make them at home! Perfect for the holidays, these are the one bar you have to make this season.

If you’ve ever tried Cranberry Bliss Bars then you know how absolutely irresistible they are! Everytime that I would go to Starbucks during the holidays I would get one.

But then I realized that hey, I’m a baker, I’m going to recreate these at home! And they are just as good as the ones you’d find in the coffee shop, some say even better!

The flavors of the cranberries, white chocolate, frosting and the hint of orange zest. They just work and are such a fun and flavorful combination.

I remember making these bars many years back when we took a road trip down to Florida as our boys Christmas present and I don’t think that they even made it the trip down!

These are super easy to make, they pretty much are cookie bars or blondies with delicious ingredients mixed in. Then topped off with orange zest spiked cream cheese frosting and chocolate drizzle.

So if that sounds amazing to you then you definitely have to make these Cranberry Bliss Bars! They are really the perfect easy holiday desserts.

Some of my favorite bar recipes we have on our site include: Hello Dolly Bars, Brookies and Red Velvet Brownies.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Easy to find ingredients help these come together quickly.
This makes a large batch so perfect or holiday gatherings.
You can serve these in traditionally in triangles or as square bars.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):

All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Ground ginger
Sea salt
Unsalted butter
Brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Orange zest
Vanilla extract
Dried sweetened cranberries
White chocolate chips
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY BLISS BARS, STEP BY STEP:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10x15x1 (this will also work with a 9×13 pan, cook times may vary) pan with parchment paper, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt, set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined.
Whisk in the eggs until fully incorporated.
Add the orange zest and vanilla, whisk to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir it in until there are no dry patches left.
Add the chopped cranberries and chocolate chips, fold them in.
Spread this mixture into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
While the bars cool, make the frosting by adding the cream cheese to a medium-sized bowl and mix it with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed in. Add the orange zest and vanilla, mix it in. Add half of the melted white chocolate and mix it in.
Once the bars are cool, take them out of the pan and smooth the frosting over the top.
Sprinkle the chopped cranberries on top. Drizzle the remaining melted white chocolate on top, in an overlapping zig-zag pattern.
You can cut and serve the bars immediately or place them in the refrigerator so the frosting can set slightly if you want a firmer bar.

CAN I USE FRESH CRANBERRIES?

For this recipe we do not recommend using fresh cranberries. It will change the texture and adding the cranberries to this type of texture of dough might hinder them from baking.

When you bake with fresh cranberries you want to ensure that they will cook and burst, unfortunately in this recipe they will not do that.

But using dried cranberries are the best way to go and they give off a delicious flavor that cannot be ignored!

DO I HAVE TO USE A CREAM CHEESE FROSTING?

If you want the authentic taste like Starbucks then yes you do need a cream cheese frosting. This is what is traditional to these Cranberry Bliss Bars.

You can use canned frosting if you’d like but we add orange zest and melted white chocolate to the frosting for our homemade, which if you use canned you can still do.

Making your own frosting is super simple and takes only minutes to whip together, so I highly recommend using the recipe that we have provided.

HOW TO STORE:

To store leftovers place in an airtight container or ziptop bag and they will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can freeze these bars, I would do so by placing leftovers on a plate or sheet tray directly into the freezer until frozen, 4-6 hours. Then place them in a freezer bag in the freezer where they will keep for up to 3 months, defrost at room temperature.

Or you can freeze just the bars then make the frosting later for a make-ahead recipe.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Do not skip the orange zest, this is a delicious and essential part that shines through with these bars.
You can double this recipe if you like or make in a 9×13″ pan for less but thicker bars.
Do not use fresh cranberries for this recipe.
These can be frozen, see my tips above.
You can cut these into traditional triangles or into squares.
Make sure you use high quality white chocolate so it is easier to melt.

If you want that perfectly tasty, perfectly amazing holiday treat then you absolutely have to make these Cranberry Bliss Bars!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

If you’ve tried these CRANBERRY BLISS BARS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

Cranberry Bliss Bars