Cranberry Bliss Bars (Printable)

Buttery bars with cranberries, zesty orange cream cheese frosting, and a white chocolate drizzle. A delightful sweet treat.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Bar Base

01 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 1 cup packed brown sugar
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
04 - 3 large eggs
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
10 - 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
11 - 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

→ Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

12 - 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
13 - 1 cup powdered sugar
14 - 1 tablespoon orange zest
15 - 2 tablespoons orange juice

→ Topping

16 - 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
17 - 1/3 cup white chocolate, melted

# How-To:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3–5 minutes.
03 - Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined.
06 - Fold in chopped dried cranberries and white chocolate chips with a spatula.
07 - Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
08 - Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are golden brown.
09 - Allow bars to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out using the parchment and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 - In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in orange zest and orange juice until creamy and spreadable.
11 - Once completely cool, spread the frosting evenly over the bars.
12 - Sprinkle with additional chopped dried cranberries and drizzle melted white chocolate over the top using a spoon or piping bag. Cut into squares or rectangles and serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These bars taste like a Starbucks bakery case classic but with way more love in every bite
  • The cream cheese frosting on its own is worth keeping in your back pocket for everything
02 -
  • These bars need to be completely cool before frosting or the cream cheese will melt into a weird sticky mess
  • Melting white chocolate is surprisingly finicky—use 15 second bursts in the microwave and stir religiously
03 -
  • Chop your cranberries while they are still slightly dry and they will not stick to your knife as badly
  • Room temperature ingredients are the difference between bars that taste like they came from a bakery and bars that taste like you tried too hard
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