Cranberry Millionaire Bars
Cranberry Millionaire Bars
The Viral, Lose-our-minds, Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar Copycat (Better than Homemade)
Every November, the second, no the nano-second Starbucks puts the Cranberry Bliss Bar on its holiday menu, our underlying emotional state changes. These addictive, should-be-illegal layered bars made of soft blondie base with dried cranberries and white chocolate, topped with cream cheese frosting, more cranberries, and a drizzle of white chocolate – have been a cult favorite since Starbucks came out with them in 2003. What started as a “limited time” holiday item is now the #1 most requested, seasonal pastry in the chain’s history, getting people to put out thousands of copycat recipes (like this one) and selling out nationwide every December.
The homemade version below beats Starbucks every single time (of course): you control the freshness (real butter vs margarine), the tart/sweet ratio (way more real cranberry), and the thickness (taller and chewier). In 2025 they’re trending harder than ever on social channels because they present beautifully, freeze perfectly, and look stunning on holiday cookie trays – also cause they are trendy and we all love trend (i.e. looking good). One pan makes 24 bars and also, … they make you look like a Christmas boss – the real reason we make them.
Cranberry Millionaire Bars
Yield: 24 large triangles • Prep: 20 min • Bake: 20–23 min • Chill: 1 hour
Blondie Base
Cream Cheese Frosting
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Toppings & Instructions
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To be honest I like these but they are not my favorite among all the numerous and types of cranberry recipes that people usually think of. What can I say? I really like the taste of fresh cranberries in recipes, especially in a cake batter like a bread, or as a fruit topping on ice cream.
But I do enjoy these immensely on Christmas Eve. For some reason on that day the sugariest of deserts taste so much better.
Now, I’ve included some notes about cranberry millionaire bars and some variations as well below:
Blondie Bottom
Common Notes & Variations
| Note / Question | Answer / Tip |
|---|---|
| Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried? | No — fresh will release too much liquid and make the bars soggy. Stick with dried (or dried cherries work in a pinch). I hear you though, I prefer fresh too. |
| They came out too gooey / underbaked in the middle | Bake until the center no longer jiggles and a toothpick has moist crumbs, not wet batter — usually 22–25 min depending on your oven. Cool completely before frosting. |
| Frosting is too runny | Use full-fat cream cheese straight from the fridge and beat butter + cream cheese first, then add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Chill the frosted bars 30–60 min before drizzling. |
| Can I halve the recipe? | Yes — use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan and bake 18–22 min. Perfect for small households. |
| How long do they stay fresh? | Room temp 2 days, fridge up to 1 week, freezer (unglazed or fully finished) up to 3 months. |
| Gluten-free version? | Thousands of people seem to swear by King Arthur Measure-for-Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 — no changes needed. I’ve not tried it though. |
| Make-ahead tip | Bake & frost the bars, skip the final drizzle, wrap tightly, and freeze. Thaw overnight in fridge → drizzle right before serving. |
| Orange version (most popular twist) | Add 1 Tbsp orange zest + 2 Tbsp orange juice to the blondie batter and 1 tsp zest to the frosting — tastes even closer to Starbucks 2025 “limited batch”. |
| Dark chocolate drizzle | Swap half or all of the white chocolate drizzle for dark or semisweet — gorgeous contrast and less sweet. |
| Gingerbread spice bars | Add 1 tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp ginger + ¼ tsp cloves to the blondie batter — holiday perfection. |
| Extra thick “double decker” | Use a 9×9 pan instead of 9×13 — same amount of batter & frosting = bakery-style height. |
Easier than it looks to Make
A Simple recipe with less, lots of ways to make them to suit your taste.
These Cranberry Millionaire Bars are legitimately one of the easiest holiday treats you can pull off, even if you’re juggling a million things in December. The blondie base comes together in one bowl without needing a mixer. Just melt the butter, add in the brown sugar and eggs, dump in the flour, add in the cranberries and white chips, and you’re done.
Spread it into a parchment-lined pan, bake for barely 20 minutes, and walk away. While it cools you whip the frosting in under three minutes with a hand mixer. Most people who make these say the whole thing, start to finish, takes less than an hour of actual work.
Once the bars are cool, the rest is pure assembly-line type stuff: put on the frosting with a spatula, sprinkle the cranberries and drizzle melted white chocolate. Chill for an hour (or even 30 minutes if you’re in a rush), then slice and watch how every single batch you make turns out gorgeous and tastes better than Starbucks. If you can stir and spread, you can easily do these bars on the first try.
– Cranby
