Cranberry Bliss Bars (Chewy Blondie, Cream Cheese Frosting)

A chewy brown sugar blondie, warm with a hint of ginger and orange, packed with dried cranberries and pockets of white chocolate. On top, a thick layer of tangy cream cheese frosting, a scattering of chopped cranberries and a thin zigzag of melted white chocolate. Cut into triangles, these cranberry bliss bars look like the festive bars sold in coffee shops through the holiday season, and they taste even better made at home.

The base comes together in one bowl with melted butter, so there is no creaming and no waiting for butter to soften. The only real patience required is at the end: the bars need to cool completely before frosting and then chill for an hour, which is what gives you clean, sharp slices instead of smeared frosting. That also makes them an easy dessert to prepare a day ahead for a party or a cookie exchange.

Ingredients

For the blondie base

• 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes – melted butter gives a chewy, dense bar rather than a cakey one.
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) packed light brown sugar – the source of the caramel flavor and the soft texture.
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp finely grated orange zest – orange brightens the cranberries.
• 2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.
• 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1/2 tsp salt – the ginger is subtle but gives the bars their cozy, spiced note.
• 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips, or a chopped white chocolate bar.
• 3/4 cup (120 g) dried cranberries – dried, not fresh; fresh cranberries release water and make the base soggy.

For the cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz (226 g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened – tub-style spread is too soft to set.
• 2 1/2 cups (290 g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp orange zest.

For the topping

• 1/2 cup (80 g) dried cranberries, roughly chopped.
• 3 oz (85 g) white chocolate, melted, for drizzling.

How to Make It

1. Prepare the pan – 350°F (175°C)

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center. Line a 9×13-inch metal pan with parchment paper, leaving the paper hanging over the two long sides. Those overhanging edges are the handles you will use to lift the whole slab out later.

2. Mix the base – 10 minutes

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth and glossy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and orange zest. In a second bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt, then fold it into the wet mixture with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. The batter will be thick, like soft cookie dough.

3. Bake – 350°F (175°C), 18 to 22 minutes

Spread the batter evenly into the pan, pressing it into the corners with the spatula. Bake until the edges are golden and the center looks set, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Start checking at 18 minutes; overbaked blondies turn dry and crumbly once they cool.

4. Cool completely

Let the base cool in the pan on a wire rack until it is completely cool to the touch, top and bottom. Do not rush this step. Frosting spread on a warm base melts, slides and never sets properly.

5. Make the frosting – 5 minutes

Beat the softened cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and orange zest and beat on low, then medium, until thick and creamy. Stop as soon as it is smooth; overbeating thins cream cheese frosting.

6. Frost and decorate – 10 minutes

Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled base. Sprinkle the chopped cranberries on top, then drizzle the melted white chocolate across the bars with a spoon or a small zip-top bag with one corner snipped off.

7. Chill and cut – 1 hour

Refrigerate the pan for 1 hour, until the frosting is firm. Lift the slab out using the parchment, cut it into 12 squares, then cut each square in half diagonally to make 24 triangles. Wipe the knife clean with a warm, damp cloth between cuts for the neatest edges.

Tips for Clean, Even Bars

• Use a metal pan. Glass and ceramic heat more slowly, so the edges can overbake before the center sets. If glass is all you have, watch the edges closely and expect the center to need a little longer.
• Measure the flour with care. Packing flour into the cup can add more than you think and makes the base dry. Spoon it in and level it, or weigh it.
• Let the butter cool slightly. Very hot butter can scramble the eggs and make the bars greasy.
• Chop the topping cranberries. Whole dried cranberries roll off the frosting and are hard to cut through; chopped ones stay put.
• Want more holiday spice? Add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. For more white chocolate flavor, beat 2 ounces of melted, cooled white chocolate into the frosting.

If you enjoy layered bars, the Twix cheesecake bars use the same chill-then-slice approach, and the frosted coffee brownies are another rich, frosted option for a dessert tray.

Make Ahead, Storing and Freezing

Because of the cream cheese frosting, these bars belong in the refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container, in a single layer or with parchment between layers, for 3 to 4 days. They are easiest to cut cold but taste best after 15 minutes at room temperature. To get ahead, bake the base up to 1 day in advance, let it cool, cover the pan tightly and leave it at room temperature, then frost and decorate the day you serve them. Have a can of cranberry sauce left over from the holidays? It is the base of our slow cooker cranberry BBQ chicken.

To freeze, chill the cut bars until the frosting is firm, then wrap them individually or layer them with parchment in a freezer container. The University of Illinois Extension freezer guide suggests about 1 month for frosted baked goods for the best quality. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.

Cranberry bliss bars fit right in on a holiday dessert table next to a classic pumpkin pie and a French apple cake. Find more sweet ideas among our dessert recipes.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

A chewy brown sugar blondie with dried cranberries and white chocolate, topped with cream cheese frosting, chopped cranberries and a white chocolate drizzle, then cut into triangles.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Chilling Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 24 bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 330

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the blondie base

• 1 cup unsalted butter 226 g, melted and cooled 5 minutes
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 300 g, packed
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange zest finely grated
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 281 g, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips 170 g
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries 120 g

For the cream cheese frosting

• 8 oz full-fat block cream cheese 226 g, softened
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 290 g
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp orange zest

For the topping

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries 80 g, roughly chopped
• 3 oz white chocolate 85 g, melted

Method

 

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13-inch metal pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides.
2. Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and orange zest.
3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, ginger and salt, then fold into the wet mixture just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are golden, the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
5. Cool the base completely in the pan on a wire rack.
6. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar, vanilla and orange zest until thick and creamy. Spread over the cooled base.
7. Sprinkle with the chopped cranberries and drizzle with the melted white chocolate.
8. Refrigerate for 1 hour, until the frosting is firm. Lift out with the parchment, cut into 12 squares, then cut each square diagonally into 2 triangles.

Notes

Storage: keep the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Freeze them, wrapped individually or layered with parchment, for about 1 month for best quality; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Make ahead: bake the base up to 1 day ahead, cover the cooled pan tightly and keep it at room temperature; frost and decorate on the day you serve.

Substitutions: use a chopped white chocolate bar instead of chips; replace the ginger with 1/4 tsp cinnamon; leave out the orange zest if you prefer a plain vanilla flavor.

Pan: a metal pan bakes most evenly. In a glass dish, watch the edges and expect the center to need a little longer.

Nutrition: calories are an estimate per bar (1/24 of the recipe), calculated from standard ingredient values, not a laboratory analysis.