These White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies are my gluten-free spin on the famous Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars. Soft, chewy, and filled with white chocolate and tart dried cranberries, they're festive enough for the holidays but easy enough for an everyday treat. One bite and you'll see why this bakery favorite deserves a spot in your own kitchen.
They taste like cranberry white chocolate cookie bars but are topped with a refreshing orange-flavored cream cheese frosting. Drizzle them with a bit of extra white chocolate and you'll have everyone coming back for more.
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I've always loved the flavor combination of cranberries and white chocolate. It's sweet, tangy, and just feels like winter.
These blondies capture that same cozy balance but skip the frosting and the fuss. They're simple to make, naturally gluten-free, and stay chewy for days, making them perfect for cookie trays, gifting, or a little afternoon indulgence.
If you are looking for other holiday treats, try Chocolate Peppermint Bark, Chocolate Clusters, Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats, or my Peanut Butter Balls. Also, the Neiman Marcus Bars can be made gluten-free and are an easy one-bowl treat!
Ingredients
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Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten-free All-purpose Flour - Use a 1:1 blend to make these bars gluten-free without sacrificing texture. I tested a few brands and prefer Cup4Cup.
- White Chocolate Chips - For creamy sweetness in every bite. You should try and use a high-quality brand like Vahlrona for the best taste and flavor. I tested this recipe with Ghirardelli white chocolate chips which are the easiest to find.
- Orange zest - Orange zest brightens everything up and gives that signature cranberry-orange holiday flavor.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies: Step-By-Step
How To Make the Blondie Bar Base:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream together melted butter and brown sugar until it's fluffy using either a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer. Add in the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla, beating until smooth.
Step 2: Add in the following dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt, and continue to beat on low until just blended.
Step 3: Fold in the chopped, dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Place the batter into a prepared pan.
Step 4: Bake for 18-20 minutes until soft, golden brown, but not overdone. Use a toothpick in the middle of the pan, which should come out clean. Let it cool in the pan for one hour before moving the bars to a cooling rack.
The Frosting:
Step 5: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on high using an electric hand mixer until light, fluffy, and clump-free.
Melt the white chocolate chips in intervals in the microwave and add them to the cream cheese along with the orange zest and vanilla extract.
Step 6: When it's all well combined, add in the powdered sugar slowly. Place the bars on a wire rack to frost.
The Drizzle:
Step 7: Spread the frosting onto the cranberry bars evenly and then sprinkle extra chopped cranberries over the frosting and lightly press them down.
Step 8: Melt ⅓ cup of white chocolate chips in intervals in the microwave. Pour it into a plastic baggie, snip off the end, and drizzle the melted chocolate over the gluten-free bars in a zig-zag pattern.
Place the bars into the fridge for 1 hour to set.
Pro Tips
Prepare your 9 x 13 baking pan by cutting a layer of parchment paper and applying it to the bottom of the pan going both vertically and horizontally. This will help to release the bars more easily.
Make sure not to overbake the bliss bars in the oven. Check them at 18 minutes to see if a toothpick comes out clean. If you overbake them, they'll be hard.
Variations:
You can easily switch up the flavor combination of the gluten-free cranberry bars to make them unique each time you serve them.
- Dried fruit - though they're called cranberry bars; they also taste delicious with dried cherries or dried blueberries instead.
- Lemon - if you love a burst of fresh flavor, substitute the orange juice and zest for lemon. This is wonderful in the summer months especially paired with fresh blueberries.
- Chocolate - white chocolate gives a lovely, rich, and indulgent taste. However, dark chocolate and cranberries are a popular combination as well.
- Vegan cranberry bliss bars - in addition to the above dairy-free substitutions, you could try a flax or chia egg as an egg replacer (for 2 eggs, it would be 2 tablespoons of ground flax meal or chia and 6 tablespoons of warm water).
- Non-Gluten-free - you can substitute regular all-purpose wheat flour for the gluten-free flour in this recipe.
- Dairy-free- substitute the butter in the bars with dairy-free butter or solid vegetable shortening. Substitute the cream cheese with a dairy-free alternative, such as Kite Hill Almond Milk Cream Cheese, and substitute the white chocolate chips with a dairy-free alternative, such as Enjoy Life Foods Mini White Baking Chips.
If you love cranberries, you will also love this Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce or this Orange Glazed Cranberry Bread!
How To Cut These Bars
You want to cut the bars into triangles to serve them as they're most presentable this way.
- Start by cutting down the middle of the bar vertically, to create two equal sides.
- Then vertically cut each side in half, creating 4 long pieces.
- Each piece can be horizontally cut into thirds and then cut diagonally to create triangles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Essentially, Starbucks Bliss bars are a cranberry and white chocolate blondie topped with cream cheese frosting and then drizzled with more white chocolate.
You can freeze cranberry bliss bars for up to three months even with the frosting on. Make sure to separate your layers between sheets of parchment paper though so that they don't stick together and break.
Yes, you can substitute the butter and cream cheese with dairy-free alternatives and the white chocolate chips with allergen-free white chocolate chips.
Other Delicious Desserts
Let me know your thoughts on White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies by leaving a star rating below or by sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, or Pinterest!
Thank you!
Gwen
White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies (GF)
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Equipment
Ingredients
White Chocolate Cranberry Blondie Bar
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup dried cranberries chopped
White Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup white chocolate melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tsps orange zest
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Topping
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup white chocolate melted for drizzle
Instructions
White Chocolate Cranberry Blondie Bar
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Cut an even layer of parchment paper and apply it to the bottom of the pan going both vertically and horizontally. This will help release the bars easily.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together the melted butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until smooth.
- Add in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat on low for about 30 seconds until just combined. Do not over blend.
- Chop the dried cranberries into fine pieces, then fold the cranberries and white chocolate chips into the blondie batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake or the bars will be hard.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the pan for an hour.
- Transfer to a cooling rack before frosting.
White Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium-sized bowl, and using an electric hand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat on high for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Place the white chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl, and melt the chocolate for 30-second intervals, stirring in-between.
- Add the white chocolate to the cream cheese, along with the orange zest and vanilla extract.
- Mix until combined.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar. Continue mixing until combined.
- Once the bars have completely cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the bars.
Topping
- Sprinkle the roughly chopped cranberries over the frosting.
- Gently push the cranberries down to secure them.
- In a small separate bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave using 30-second intervals and stirring in between.
- Pour the chocolate into a zip lock bag or pastry bag, snipping off the end.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate on the top of the cranberry bars in a zig-zag pattern.
- Place the bars into the refrigerator for an hour.
- Remove the bars from the refrigerator and cut them into triangles. Start by cutting down the middle of the pan horizontally to create two equal sides. Turn your pan and cut each side into half vertically creating 4 long pieces. Each piece can then be cut horizontally into thirds and then cut diagonally to create triangles. This will give you 24 bars.
- Place the bars in the refrigerator overnight and serve them the next day. Bars can be store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Anonymous says
I can’t wait to make it!