Cranberry Bliss Bars

These makeover Cranberry Bliss Bars are SO good, with less than half the calories and fat than the ones you buy at Starbucks and so much cheaper to make yourself!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars are blondie cookie bars with chunks of white chocolate chips and dried cranberries, topped with sweet cream cheese icing, tart dried cranberries and white chocolate drizzle – perfect treat for the holidays! My starbucks copycat recipe taste just like the original with a fraction of the calories!

Why This Starbucks Copycat Recipe Works

I got so many requests in my inbox to lighten Starbuck’s Cranberry Bliss Bars – this make-over turned out excellent! I was able to cut the fat and calories by more than HALF, yet they still taste indulgent. The original bar is 340 calories with 19 grams of fat. This lighter version is just 149 calories with 5 grams of fat and it’s so close in taste to the original!

Last year I attempted to make these light but didn’t have much success. I had used whole wheat flour and I believe that was my demise – it gave the bars an unpleasant texture and scent that I really didn’t enjoy.

This time I used Gold Medal all purpose flour and the results were excellent. This is dessert after all, and although I try to use whole grains in all my meals, it doesn’t always work when baking. If you need a dessert for a holiday party, these are great. Leave them refrigerated until ready to serve.

What You’ll Need

Here’s the ingredients you will need to make these cranberry bliss bars. See exact measurements in recipe card below:

• All-purpose flour: The base for the dough, providing structure.
• Baking soda: Helps the dough rise and creates a soft, chewy texture.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors of the other ingredients and balances sweetness.
• Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and a subtle spice to complement the sweet elements.
• White sugar: Sweetens the dough. Monk fruit sweetener also works.
• Brown sugar (unpacked): Adds sweetness, moisture, and a deeper, caramel-like flavor.
• Melted unsalted butter: Provides richness and moisture, creating a tender texture.
• Egg whites: Contributes to the structure and helps bind the dough together.
• Unsweetened applesauce: Adds moisture while reducing fat, and lends natural sweetness.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor with a sweet and aromatic note.
• White chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate: Adds a creamy sweetness and a rich contrast to the tart cranberries.
• Dried cranberries (chopped): Provides a tart, chewy texture that balances the sweetness of the white chocolate.

How To Make Cranberry Bliss Bars

Here’s the step-by-step method to making this Starbucks copycat recipe. See recipe card below for full instructions.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch non-stick baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir to blend.
3. Wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the sugars with the butter, egg whites, applesauce and vanilla until light and fluffy.
4. Combine. Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.
5. Fold in chips. Fold in white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup cranberries. Spread batter onto the prepared pan using the back of a measuring cup to smooth evenly.
6. Bake in the oven. Bake 10 – 14 minutes, until the edges are light brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Don’t over-bake or your bars will be dry. Let it cool completely on wire rack.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese frosting. In a large separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until well-blended. Frost bars and sprinkle with remaining cranberries. Drizzle with the melted white chocolate. (To melt the chocolate, place in a microwave safe cup and heat 15 seconds; stir. Another 15 seconds; stir until the chocolate is melted.)
8. Cut into bars. When the chocolate sets, cut into 15 large squares (5 cuts by 3 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Variations

• Add orange zest to the batter.
• Make it sugar-free by swapping the sugars for monk fruit.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

More Cranberry Recipes To Make

• Cranberry Pecan Oat Bars
• Cranberry Pear Sauce
• Lemon Cranberry Scones
• Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake
• Cranberry Apple Crumble

Cranberry Bliss Bars

4.57 from 87 votes 8 Cals:143 Protein:2 Carbs:23.5 Fat:5.5 These Cranberry Bliss Bars are SO good, with less than half the calories and fat of the ones you buy at Starbucks and so much cheaper to make yourself! Course: Dessert Cuisine: American

Prep: 15 minutes minsCook: 20 minutes minsTotal: 35 minutes mins Print Rate Pin Save Saved! WW Points Yield: 30 servings Serving Size: 1 bar 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour, Gold Medal
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, unpacked
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

For the Frosting:

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 ounces white baking chocolate, melted*
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch non-stick baking pan with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and stir to blend.
• In another bowl, whisk the sugars with the butter, egg whites, applesauce and vanilla until light and fluffy.
• Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.
• Fold in white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup cranberries. Spread batter onto the baking pan using the back of a measuring cup to smooth evenly.
• Bake 10 – 14 minutes, until the edges are light brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Don’t over-bake or your bars will be dry. Let it cool completely on wire rack.
• Meanwhile, prepare the frosting; in a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until well-blended. Frost bars and sprinkle with remaining cranberries. Drizzle with the melted white chocolate.
• *To melt the chocolate, place in a microwave safe cup and heat 15 seconds; stir. Another 15 seconds; stir until the chocolate is melted.
• When the chocolate sets, cut into 15 large squares (5 cuts by 3 cuts with the knife). Then cut each square in half diagonally to create triangles. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Video

Notes

For those on WW, I have seen the points slowly going up on these each year as each plan changed. Sugar is very high on WW, so if you want to make the points lower swap the sugars for Lakanto monk fruit sweetener. They sell white, brown and powdered. The points are 5 points each with those changes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bar, Calories: 143 kcal, Carbohydrates: 23.5 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 5.5 g, Saturated Fat: 3.5 g, Cholesterol: 6.5 mg, Sodium: 73.5 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g, Sugar: 16 g