Description

These homemade Cranberry Bliss Bars feature a soft, chewy blondie base studded with white chocolate and tart cranberries, spiced with ginger and cinnamon, topped with orange-scented cream cheese frosting and finished with an elegant white chocolate drizzle. They’re the ultimate make-ahead holiday dessert!

Ingredients

For the Bars:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract (or 1–2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup white chocolate chips (or chopped white chocolate)
3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

For the Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract (or 1 teaspoon orange zest)
Pinch of salt

For the White Chocolate Drizzle and Topping:

4 ounces white chocolate, melted (for drizzle)
1/3 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped (for sprinkling)

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Instructions

Step 1: Prep Your Pan and Oven

Oven to 350°F. Parchment in the pan, leave overhang on two sides. Rub some butter on it.

Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugars

Beat butter and sugars 3-4 minutes till pale and fluffy. Tried rushing this, bars came out like bricks. You’re beating air in which makes them not-bricks.

Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients

Eggs in one at a time, beat after each. Vanilla and orange in. Mix smooth.

Step 4: Mix the Dry Ingredients

Other bowl, flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon. Whisk it.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry

Dry into wet. Mix low till flour’s gone. My cousin kept mixing and hers were terrible and dense.

Step 6: Fold in the Good Stuff

Spatula, fold in chocolate and cranberries. Really thick batter, that’s right.

Step 7: Spread and Smooth

Into the pan. Spread it around, get the corners, smooth the top. Thick so it takes work.

Step 8: Bake to Perfection

18-22 minutes. Toothpick comes out with wet crumbs. Edges look done, middle looks wet. Take them out. Baked them all the way once, dry garbage.

Step 9: Cool Completely

Leave alone for an hour till room temp. Frosted them warm once, frosting melted everywhere, learned that lesson.

Step 10: Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat cream cheese smooth first. Then powdered sugar, vanilla, orange, salt. Beat couple minutes.

Step 11: Frost the Bars

Spread frosting on. Offset spatula helps but whatever works. Doesn’t need to be neat.

Step 12: Add the Cranberry Topping

Sprinkle cranberries on frosting. Press down a bit.

Step 13: Drizzle the White Chocolate

Melt chocolate, microwave 30 seconds at a time, stir after each. Plastic bag, cut corner, drizzle. Zigzags or whatever.

Step 14: Chill and Slice

Fridge 30 minutes minimum, hour’s better. Parchment handles, lift it out. Wipe knife between cuts. Trim edges first then cut.

Notes

Sift your powdered sugar for the frosting – it takes 30 seconds and eliminates any lumps that would ruin your smooth frosting.
Use parchment paper with overhang. Seriously, this makes removing and slicing a breeze!
Warm your knife under hot water, dry it, then cut. Repeat between each cut for bakery-perfect slices.
Trim the edges before cutting into serving pieces – this gives you perfectly finished edges and, bonus, baker’s snack!
Common mistake to avoid: Overmixing the batter after adding flour. Mix just until combined or you’ll develop too much gluten and end up with tough, cakey bars instead of soft, chewy ones.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes + Chill Time: 1 hour
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American