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Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars - A sweet blondie crust topped with a cream cheese frosting. A copycat favorite you can make at home yourself in minutes.
I am a huge fan of Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars. Seriously, I cannot wait for this time of the year when they become available and I make sure to enjoy as many of them as I can.
However, this year was the first year that I decided to try making my own version at home and I am happy to share that recipe with you today.
But wait a minute…
I did take a bit of a break and now I am trying to pop in with a recipe as if I have not been gone anywhere and with no explanation. How rude right? Well if you can remember the last time I did do a blog post I shared with you that my dad was in the hospital. If you missed it, then I will link it HERE.
Just to give you an idea of what happened.
- Friday Night Football Game, he complained about shortness of breath
- Saturday Night took to the emergency room
- Sunday Morning admitted to the hospital
- Wednesday a procedure revealed his heart had 3 blockages of 95% that would require open heart surgery
From that point, it was just many days spent in the hospital that I live about 45 minutes away from.
My days consisted of early morning wake-ups, drives to the hospital, spending the day at the hospital, driving back home, and then sleep. It was a lot to take in and honestly, I did not have the energy to create any recipes to share with you on this space. I do apologize for that, but it is also a reminder that life happens and some things we just cannot control. At this moment all that matters is that my dad is home recovering and I am glad about that.
Now I will try to get back to a normal schedule and share some delicious recipes with you…starting with these Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars.
Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, and salt and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, melted butter, and egg until combined.
- Add the brown sugar mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined, careful not to over mix. Stir in the vanilla and orange zest. Lastly fold in ½-cup white chocolate chips and ¼ cup dried cranberries until evenly distributed.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan until smooth and even. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges have lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once finished baking remove from the oven and allow cooling completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, in a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Frost the cooled bars and sprinkle with ¼ cup dried cranberries.
- Melt 1 cup of white chocolate chips in a microwave safe container, stopping frequently to stir, and be careful not to burn. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the bars.
- Allow the bars to set for 15-20 minutes before cutting to serve and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Got any comments, questions, or other ideas for these Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars? Share them in the comments below!
Tamara
These are a dream! I love them this time of year. There's nothing like that tart taste mixed with sweet. And that gorgeous color. Your photos are out of this world!
LaKita
Thank you so much! I cannot get enough of these this time of the year and I love the combination of white chocolate and tart cranberry...so good!
Sonya
I'm happy to hear that your dad is back at home. These bars look delicious, I'm about to pin this recipe. ☺
LaKita
Thank you so much Sonya 🙂