Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars

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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

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.

5 from 1 vote

Print Rate

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry bliss bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Resting Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 323kcal

Author: LaKita Anderson

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 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

Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 5.9% | Vitamin C: 0.2% | Calcium: 5.7% | Iron: 3.3%

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @simplylakita on Instagram and hashtag it #simplylakita!

Got any comments, questions, or other ideas for these Homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars? Share them in the comments below!