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A hand holding a cranberry bliss bar on a red background.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Author Christi Johnstone
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Cranberry Bliss Bars inspired by the ones you love from Starbucks! This homemade version is filled with white chocolate, a hint of orange flavor and plenty of dried cranberries.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 24 bars

Ingredients

Cookie Base

  • 1 cup salted butter
  • 1 3/4 cups brown sugar tightly packed
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Topping

  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips left whole
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions

Cookie Base

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” by 13” baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs, vanilla extract, and orange extract.  Mix until combined and set this aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. 
  • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring only as much as necessary to blend. 
  • Gently fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. 
  • Bake for 20 minutes.  Check with a toothpick.  You want there to be just a few crumbs stuck on the toothpick which means it is ready to come out.  If it is still quite wet, give it another 5 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the bars to cool completely. 

Frosting

  • While the bars are cooling, prepare the frosting.Beat the cream cheese until creamy.  Beat in the icing sugar and cornstarch.  Add in the vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt.  Beat this until well blended. 
  • When the bars are cooled, spread the icing all over the top.  Then sprinkle evenly with the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Topping

  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil.  Melt and stir in 15 second intervals – chocolate can burn very quickly.  
  • When this is fully melted, use a fork to beat it smooth, then use the fork to drizzle the melted chocolate over the frosted bars. For best results, place the pan in the fridge and allow the finished bars to cool for an hour before cutting and removing from the pan. 

Notes

Please read complete post for advice, tips, ingredient discussion, substitutions and answers to FAQs. 
Storage – These bars should be kept refrigerated.  Place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg
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