Starbucks-Inspired Cranberry Bliss Cheesecake Bars Recipe

It's about the right time of year for Starbucks to release its annual holiday menu, and fan-favorite Cranberry Bliss Bars are expected to be featured once again. If you're a fan of these Starbucks seasonal treats, you're going to love this recipe, which allows you to make them in the comfort of your own home. These cranberry bliss cheesecake bars from recipe developer Jessica Morone bring together all the flavors that you crave in the famous Cranberry Bliss Bar. With their chewy blondie base layer, tangy cheesecake frosting, tart cranberries, and warm spices, these are the perfect treats for the holiday season. And the best part is you can make these at home in no time without having to run to the coffee shop to buy them.

If you haven't tried these before, Morone tells us, "Each bite is a delightful mix of creamy and tangy, with the festive flavors of cranberries, white chocolate, and a touch of ginger that will totally get you into the holiday spirit." If you've been looking for a way to make a seasonal favorite with a little extra flair, these cheesecake bars are just the thing to bring a taste of holiday cheer to any day of the week.

For this recipe, you will be making a blondie layer and a cheesecake frosting layer. For the blondies, you will need to grab some butter, brown sugar, eggs, orange zest (the zest from 1 large orange should be enough), vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, white chocolate chips, and dried cranberries. For the frosting layer, you will need to get cream cheese, powdered sugar, more orange zest, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat together the melted butter and brown sugar until combined.

Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest and beat until well-mixed.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and ginger to the bowl and beat until fully incorporated.

Mix in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Let cool completely.

In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange zest until smooth and fluffy.

Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled blondies.

Sprinkle the chopped dried cranberries over the frosting.

Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top of the bars.

Cut the blondies into 12 equal squares, then cut each square diagonally to make triangles.

Serve right away, or chill until ready to eat.

The best thing about this recipe is that it is very close to the original. So if you love these bars and it isn't the holiday season, if your Starbucks is sold out of them, or if you just want the fun of recreating them with this easy copycat version in your own kitchen, this recipe will yield bars as good as the original. In fact, because the Starbucks version is pre-packaged, these will be even fresher and tastier. 

In terms of the blondie base, the Starbucks version is nice and chewy, and this version actually has an even chewier base. It is equally buttery and subtly spiced with a bit of ground ginger and bright orange zest. By using a 9x13-inch baking pan these should be about as thick as the original, but if you want thinner bars you can use a larger pan, such as a 15x9-inch baking pan, and if you want them to be thicker you could try a 9x9-inch square pan. The frosting flavor is a perfect match to the original but will be even creamier and fluffier because there aren't any stabilizers in this version as there might be if you buy them at Starbucks. Overall, in just about half an hour you should get the exact same flavors and textures in this version, and your kitchen will smell delicious. 

If you are looking for a close copycat version of the Starbucks bars then you won't want to make any modifications to the ingredients. But if you feel like playing around a little with the recipe, there are plenty of changes you could make to take these in a different direction. If you're out of oranges, the zest can be swapped out for lemon zest, which will yield a brighter version. If you aren't a fan of cranberries, you could use a different fruit in these, such as chopped-up dried apricots, blueberries, or cherries. For more of a crunch, consider adding some toasted nuts to these as well, such as pecans or almonds. 

You can also switch up the spices in these bars. This recipe only includes ginger as its main warming spice, but there are other autumnal options to level up the spices. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to give these bars a cinnamon bun-toastiness that will enhance the richness of the blondie base. A pinch of nutmeg or cardamom would also add more warmth and aromatic complexity.