‘Tis the season for cool mornings, warm coffee, and one of my other winter favorites — Cranberry Bliss season at Starbucks!
If any of you have ever tried their heavenly cranberry bliss bars laced with white chocolate and cranberries, you know the reason why these treats fly off the pastry shelves each day. So for my fall baking season this year, I decided to experiment and try translating this favorite into a cookie. Hence the name, “Cranberry Bliss Cookies”!
I started with one of my favorite chewy cookie bases, filled with lots of vanilla, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Then topped it with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with more cranberries, and drizzled with more white chocolate. I mean seriously — what’s not to love?!?
Sure enough, they were nothing short of heavenly. Quite sweet, but the extra tart of the cream cheese and cranberries gives just the perfect tart touch to leave you craving just one more. Perfect for dessert, or even a morning treat with your coffee. And definitely…blissful. :)
Cranberry Bliss Cookies
Ingredients
For The Cookies:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries
For The Frosting:
- 1 (8 oz.) bar cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave or double-boiler
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- 2 cups powdered sugar
For The Topping:
- 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted in the microwave or double-boiler
Instructions
To Make The Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt until well-blended. Set aside.
- Using an an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating in between to incorporate. Add the vanilla, then reduce the speed to low, and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Increase the speed to medium, and continue beating until well-combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and cranberries, and mix until just-combined. (Do not overmix.)
- Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. Then place dough by rounded tablespoon-fulls onto a baking sheet that has been prepared with parchment paper, at least 2.5-inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Remove pan, and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack until cool. Repeat with remaining dough until all cookies are baked. Wait until cookies reach room temperature before adding frosting and toppings.
To Make The Frosting:
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese and melted white chocolate until combined. (**Be sure that your cream cheese REALLY is at room temperature before adding the white chocolate. Otherwise the chocolate could seize up.) Add in the vanilla and mix until combined. Then reduce speed to low and add the powdered sugar. Mix until incorporated. Then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat once more for 1 minute on medium speed until the frosting is smooth. You can add more powdered sugar for a thicker frosting.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies. Then immediately sprinkle the frosted cookies with the chopped dried cranberries. And use a fork to drizzle on the frosting, swishing it back and forth over the cookies.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
So I am making these right now and noticed after I had made the dough that the directions don’t say to put the vanilla extract in… Just wanted to give you a heads up… I didn’t see if anyone else had commented about it either.
I noticed that too. Just figured it was with the wet.
Hi! Can anyone tell me if the icing on these stays soft or does it firm up?
It firms up a little. Enough so that you can put plastic wrap over them, but not firm like buttercream. Just perfect. :) I took these to a few classes this week along with three other types and they were the favorite! :D
Mine stayed somewhat soft, I stacked mine in clear plastic bags for a cookie exchange, they were a little messy, but no one minded :)
I actually put mine in the freezer and then once thawed the icing was not sticky at all…. I also made with slightly less icing sugar in my second batch and I thought the taste was even better.
These are ridiculously amazing! I took them to a party and they were loved by all. The only thing I’d do is pay more attention to the pictures when making these next time. I chopped my cranberries too finely and it looked like Bacon Bites cookies (although the other people didn’t mind – they don’t have Bacon Bites here ;)) I’m going to make these again and again! THANK YOU! :D I was so tired of the same old Christmas cookies. Oh and I left out the white chocolate and cranberries from the cookie dough. I think next time I’ll add some cranberries to the dough!
These are amazing, beautiful cookies! My daughter already made them and I am making them right now. I do not see when to add the vanilla listed in the directions for cookie dough. I know that the vanilla is usually added after butter and sugars are creamed, but I almost forgot to put it in because I was trying to follow the directions exactly. I just wanted to let you know this so that others don’t leave it out as well. I cannot wait to taste them!
Thank You!
Noooo! I made cranberry white chocolate chip cookies today and although they were amazing, I wish I would have remembered these. I’m going to make them anyway. Will let you know tomorrow how they turn out! :)
Oh thank you thank you thank you! I love Starbucks bars and I want to make your recipe for my Boxing Day tea party now. Perfect timing to find you.
Val
I made these for a potluck at work, THEY WERE A HIT!!! Thayou so much for sharing this with us
I made these today (as the start of my Christmas baking) and they turned out to be SO FANTASTIC! Even better than the real Starbucks version. I am in love!
OMG this is my favorite thing at Starbucks. I am ALL OVER THESE COOKIES this weekend!! THANK YOU.
I made these on the weekend & they are a hit. One question, my first batch of cookies did spread and cooked as bit-size cookies. The second batch I formed more into balls and then flattened with a glass. Can any one suggest what I may have done wrong. They stilled tasted amazing…Thx