Have you ever had Starbucks white chocolate cranberry bliss bars? I used to work for Starbucks back in the day, and I always looked forward to Christmas time when they would bring out their best-selling dessert. I used to see customers come in and buy up all the bars we had left so they could take them to their coworkers or friends. People even asked us to pre-order extras for their office parties! Folks, they are sinfully delicious. If you haven’t tried one, don’t. You’ll be dreaming of them until next Christmas. But with this copycat recipe, you can have them all year long!
How to Make Copycat Starbucks White Chocolate Cranberry Bliss Bars
Making copycat Starbucks white chocolate cranberry bliss bars at home is surprisingly simple and oh-so-rewarding. Follow these easy steps to recreate this indulgent treat in your own kitchen.
Step 1: Make and Bake the Dough
The first step to these copycat Starbucks white chocolate cranberry bliss bars is to make and bake the dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using your hand mixer, in a large bowl cream 3/4 cup of softened butter and 1 cup of sugar. Gradually beat in 2 eggs and 3/4 cup of sour cream. Then add 1/2 teaspoon each of vanilla and almond extract.
In a separate bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they are smooth. Fold in a cup of white chocolate chips and a cup of dried cranberries.
Spread the white chocolate cranberry bar mixture into a greased 9×13 glass pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out smooth. Let it cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting.
Step 2: Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Next, for the copycat Starbucks white chocolate cranberry bliss bars, you need to make that iconic cream cheese frosting. You’ll need to use your hand mixer again to cream together 2 packages of cream cheese (8 oz. each), 1/4 cup of softened butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. When it is smooth, slowly add in 2 cups of powdered sugar little by little. Beat the mixture until it is smooth before adding more powdered sugar.
When the cream cheese frosting is free of chunks, spread it evenly over the white chocolate cranberry bliss bars.
Step 3: Add the Toppings
Sprinkle another 1/2 cup of dried cranberries evenly across the top of the cream cheese frosting, making sure every bite will have a pop of tart cranberry flavor. Gently press them into the frosting to ensure they stay in place.
You can serve the copycat Starbucks white chocolate cranberry bliss bars immediately or place them in the refrigerator to chill until you’re ready to serve. Chilling them enhances the flavors and makes cutting them into clean pieces even easier.
Tips for Serving and Storing
I like to cut these copycat Starbucks white chocolate cranberry bliss bars in triangle shapes after they have been refrigerated for a few hours. The dough cuts more smoothly with fewer crumbles.
These things are to die for. They are definitely the kind of dessert that you want to give away to friends because they are so decadent and addicting.
I kept two small slivers of these copycat Starbucks white chocolate cranberry bliss bars to myself and shipped the rest off to my friends at our homeschool co-op. I gave another pan to my husband’s coworkers, and he said they would be gone by 9 am. I guess white chocolate cranberry bliss bars are great for breakfast, too, lol!
For more copycat Starbucks recipes, check out their infamous Vanilla Iced Coffee or their Iced Black Tea Lemonade. Happy cooking, y’all!
