These skinny cranberry bliss bars are the perfect low fat, low calorie holiday treat! They take just 30 minutes to make and you will never know that they are under 125 calories each! If Starbuck’s cranberry bliss bars are your thing, you need to try these!
The holiday season is just around the corner and all the shops have their festive food on sale! If you’re like me and addicted to Starbucks’ cranberry bliss bars, but no so much loving their calories, you need to give my skinny version a try!
Table of Contents
How to Make Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars
FOR THE BARS:
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Preheat oven to 350Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray.
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In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Set aside.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter with both types of sugar. Add in the egg whites, applesauce, and vanilla. Whisk until fluffy.
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Add in the dry ingredients previously mixed and beat until fully incorporated.
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Fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
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Place the batter into the baking dish and press down to make sure it’s smooth.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I like these slightly under baked.
FOR THE FROSTING:
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In an electric stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add in half the melted white chocolate and beat until smooth. Fold in the cranberries, leaving some out to sprinkle.
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Once the bars are cool, frost liberally with the frosting and sprinkle with more cranberries. Drizzle with the remaining melted white chocolate.
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Store in the fridge to allow the drizzled chocolate to set.
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Once set, cut into 20 bars and then cut diagonally to make triangles (like at Starbucks!). Serve cold.
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Enjoy!
For these Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Unbleached White All Purpose Organic Flour. This product is a STAPLE in our kitchen and the only flour I use if we are using all-purpose flour. Bob’s is also my go-to if we want to use Wheat Flour of Gluten Free Flour.
Their products are SECOND TO NONE and I trust them completely. If you haven’t seen their line of foods you need to immediately. There’s just no one on the market that’s quite like the quality of Bob’s Red Mill.
What is a cranberry bliss bar?
If you haven’t had a cranberry bliss bar before, you need to make this stat! They are basically white chocolate and cranberry blondies that are covered in a cream cheese frosting. They are the perfect treat to indulge in other the holidays and they are so easy to make at home.
A skinnier version of a Starbuck’s classic treat
Oh I do love a Starbuck’s treat with my coffee, but did you know in one of their cranberry bliss bars, there’s 340 calories with 19g of fat? I wanted to still enjoy this tasty treat, so decided to make my own version which was kinder on the waist!
My version comes in at 114 calories a serving and has just 3g of fat in it!
How long do these skinny cranberry bliss bars keep?
You can keep these tasty bars in an airtight container in the fridge and they will be good for 3 to 4 days.
Top Tips to Make This Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe
- Bake the bars in a pre-heated oven for the best results.
- Let the bars cool completely before frosting them.
- Don’t cut the bars until they have set in the fridge.
- Serve the bars cold.
For more holiday sweet treats, be sure to check out these recipes!
- Christmas Butter Cookies Recipe with Powdered Sugar Icing
- Pecan Pie Bars (Easy Pecan Bars Recipe)
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookie Bars
- Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE BARS
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour 272 grams
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- ¼ cup salted butter 57 grams, melted (½ stick)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar 133 grams
- ⅔ cup brown sugar 133 grams
- 2 large egg whites 70 grams
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce 63 grams
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries 57 grams, roughly chopped
- 1 cup white chocolate chips 170 grams, Ghirardelli recommended
FOR THE FROSTING
- 8 ounces low fat cream cheese 227 grams, room temperature (1 brick)
- ½ cup powdered sugar 57 grams
- 4 ounces white baking chocolate 113 grams, melted and divided
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 grams
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries 57 grams, roughly chopped
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
FOR THE BARS
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda together. Set aside.2 cups Bob's Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter with both types of sugar. Add in the egg whites, applesauce, and vanilla. Whisk until fluffy.¼ cup salted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 2 large egg whites, ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Add in the dry ingredients previously mixed and beat until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.⅓ cup dried cranberries, 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Place the batter into the baking dish and press down to make sure it's smooth.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I like these slightly underbaked.
FOR THE FROSTING
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together. Add in half the melted white chocolate and the vanilla and beat until smooth. Fold in the cranberries, leaving some out to sprinkle.½ cup powdered sugar, 8 ounces low fat cream cheese, 4 ounces white baking chocolate, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅓ cup dried cranberries
ASSEMBLY
- Once the bars are cool, frost liberally with the frosting and sprinkle with more cranberries. Drizzle with the remaining melted white chocolate (you might reheat slowly and add 1 teaspoon vegetable or coconut oil into the white chocolate to help it to be extra smooth and not crack when cut).
- Store the bars in the refrigerator to allow the drizzled chocolate to set.
- Once set, cut into 20 bars and then cut diagonally to make triangles (like at Starbucks!). Serve cold.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Bake the bars in a preheated oven for the best results.
- Let the bars cool completely before frosting them.
- Don't cut the bars until they have set in the fridge.
- Serve the bars cold.
Nutrition Information
I love the Starbucks bars, and was so excited to try these. I couldn’t run to the the store for white chocolate, and was delighted to find half a bag of Ghirardelli white chocolate melts in the pantry. No white chocolate chips in the dough, but I added a heaping teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the frosting. They are soooo good – I can’t stop eating them!
I like the addition you added, sounds delicious!
Delicious! FYI: The pan size is 9×13. At 10 mins. baking time my bars were not even close to being done, they needed at least 15 mins. But they were delicious and cut well when I added the oil to the white chocolate drizzle. Will be adding these to my Christmas cookie assortment!
Can’t wait to make these! What size/measurement is baking dish please? That is important and does actually affect actual calorie count!
I have a question. Can Almond or Coconut flour be substituted?
I always love a good substitution! It may alter the taste slightly, but I’m sure it will still be good!
What size baking pan?
The photos look yummy, but I think the calorie count is incorrect. Or the ingredient list is wrong (2 different sugars + apple sauce + butter? also 1 cup of white chocolate chips seems like a lot)
Either the recipe makes 30 and not 15 servings, or the calories are for the bars minus the icing. By my estimate one bar = around 300 calories.
Love this and can’t wait to try it! I never indulge in the Sbucks bars anymore so I’m excited to have a trimmer version I can make at home.
Thanks, Sara!
These really do look like heavenly bliss!! And, skinny?? Where’s my plate!? I love anything white chocolate & I love the taste of cranberries, so I know I’d love these!
Thanks, Kristyn!!
These look delicious! White chocolate and cranberries are one of my favorite combinations. These look so moist and perfect for dessert!
Thanks, Julie!!
These were SO good! I can’t wait to make them again for the holidays. It’s great to have options for guests and friends who don’t want something overly sugar and sweet. These are perfect!
Thanks, Eden! Enjoy!