Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars

Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars

This Starbucks treat is only around for the holidays! But here’s how you can make a healthy, copycat version of the famous Starbucks cranberry bliss bars.

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I have a confession to make: I almost never go to Starbucks, because I don’t drink coffee!

However, there are two pastries at Starbucks that I have always loved: their cheese Danish, and their cranberry bliss bars. And today, I’m sharing with you my copycat recipe for Starbuck’s cranberry bliss bars!.

There’s something about these copycat cranberry bliss bars that just say ‘holiday’. Cranberries are totally a holiday fruit, and even though I’m not a fan of cranberry dressing I am a fan of cranberry desserts, like these vegan cranberry bliss bars. Just slice them up and enjoy them during lunch on Christmas day, or even in the morning with a cup of tea or coffee. They’re perfect pretty much anytime, which is why I love Starbucks cranberry bars so much.

What’s in these cranberry bliss bars?

There are three main components to these cranberry bliss bars: the cookie dough bottom, the vanilla protein whipped cream frosting, and the cranberries. You should use fresh or frozen cranberries if you can find them - they’re typically way cheaper than the packaged dried cranberries that you find in the snack aisle. And, they’re not loaded with tons of extra sugar.

But, if you’re in a pinch or already have dried cranberries in your pantry, you can rehydrate them by covering them with an inch of water in a bowl and microwaving them for about a minute. The cranberries will plump up and taste fresher when you use them in this cranberry bliss bar recipe.

How do you make healthy cranberry bliss bars?

Since it’s the holidays and we’re already indulging ourselves in all types of big meals and rich food, I wanted to make this recipe a bit lighter by making a few healthy swaps/additions, like using coconut oil in place of butter, and coconut sugar in place of sugar. By the way, I’ve become a HUGE fan of coconut sugar and love that it makes such a great substitute for regular brown sugar, without the crazy sugar highs and lows that regular sugar brings on.

More Healthy Recipes!

I’ve always loved a good copycat recipe, and this one doesn’t fail. I adapted it from Amy’s Healthy Baking, which is a great site for people who have a huge sweet tooth (raises hand) but also want to be more cognizant of what they’re putting in their bodies (raises other hand). One of my most popular recipes ever is my Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars recipe, which tastes exactly like the Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars that I loved in the early 2000s. This copycat Starbucks cranberry bliss bars recipe is really good too, but not a total 1:1 mimic of Starbuck’s bliss bars due to the healthier substitutes.

To make this recipe even better for you, I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder to the whipped vanilla frosting. I’m a huge fan of Silver Fern’s protein powder and Gold Standard’ whey protein powder because they don’t contain weird ingredients. Most importantly, they don’t taste funny, which is important when using in a recipe.

These cranberry bliss bars taste pretty darn good and I know you’ll love them this holiday season. Enjoy!

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Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

This Starbucks treat is only around for the holidays! But here’s how you can make a healthy, copycat version of the famous Starbucks cranberry bliss bars.

Ingredients

Cookie Bar

• 1 c flour*
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp cocoa butter, melted**
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp golden flax meal + 3 tbsp water)
• ½ c coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ c cranberries, diced (use unsweetened for less sugar)

Vanilla Frosting

• ⅓ c plain yogurt***
• ⅓ c cream cheese, room temperature***
• 1-2 tbsp cane sugar
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder****
• ¾ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp cranberries, diced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, flax egg, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar.
4. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Add in the maple syrup, and mix until the dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add in a little more maple syrup to hydrate it.
5. Fold in the diced cranberries.
6. Spread the cookie dough into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
7. Now, prepare the frosting. In a small bowl, beat together the yogurt, cream cheese, sugar, and protein powder until smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract.
8. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled bars, and sprinkle with the extra diced cranberries. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

*You can use gluten-free flour, if desired. I love the Krusteaz brand!

**Cocoa butter helps the cookie dough taste like it just came out of a bakery. If you don't have cocoa butter, you can simply substitute with more coconut oil.

***Feel free to use non-dairy yogurt and non-dairy cream cheese, if vegan.

****I really like the Silver Fern brand of protein powder, as well as the Nature's Whey brand. Silver Fern's protein powder is vegan, so I'd recommend that one if you avoid animal products.

Adapted From: Amy's Healthy Baking

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