Healthy Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copycat)
According to everyone I shared these with, they thought these cookie bars tasted even better than the originals from the coffee shop! They’re full of festive cranberries, and the cream cheese frosting makes them even more irresistible. They’ll keep for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator — if they last that long!
Ingredients
FOR THE COOKIE BARS
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- ½ cup (55g) fresh whole cranberries, diced
FOR THE FROSTING
- ⅓ cup (80g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt (see Notes!)
- ⅓ cup (75g) Greek yogurt cream cheese, softened
- ¾ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
- 2 tbsp (14g) fresh whole cranberries, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8”-square pan with foil, and coat with cooking spray.
- To prepare the cookie bars, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in the diced cranberries.
- Spread the cookie dough into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 14-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the center feels firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting the bars out by the foil, transferring to a wire rack, and cooling completely to room temperature.
- Just before serving, prepare the frosting. Beat together the Greek yogurt and Greek yogurt cream cheese until smooth in a small bowl with an electric mixer. Mix in the liquid stevia until fully incorporated. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled bars, and sprinkle with the diced cranberries. To slice, cut the large square of baked cookie dough in half horizontally, then in thirds vertically to obtain six rectangles. Slice each rectangle in half diagonally from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale (← that's the one I own and love!). Too much will dry out your cookie dough and give it a crumbly texture. If this happens to you, add milk (any type!) to the cookie dough ½ teaspoon at a time until you're able to incorporate all of the flour mixture.
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: I omitted the white chocolate from this original recipe to make these homemade bars 100% clean eating friendly. However, it's fine to include white chocolate, if you'd like!
For completely traditional-tasting cranberry bliss bars, add 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped white chocolate to the cookie dough, 1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest to the frosting, and drizzle the finished bars with melted white chocolate.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
COCONUT SUGAR ALTERNATIVES: Light brown sugar or granulated sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar. Do not substitute liquid sweeteners like honey, agave, or pure maple syrup because they’ll make the cookie dough too runny.
CRANBERRY NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: To quickly dice the cranberries, add them to a food processor, and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.
Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh.
In a pinch, ¼ cup of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted for the cranberries in the cookie dough. Also, 1 tablespoon of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted for the cranberries in the frosting. To hydrate the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the cookie dough. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.
GREEK YOGURT NOTE: I’ve found that FAGE plain nonfat Greek yogurt works the best when making frosting because it’s thicker than many other brands, which really helps with the frosting’s consistency. (It also has less of a yogurt “tang” to its flavor!)
CREAM CHEESE ALTERNATIVES: Well-softened Neufchâtel (⅓-less fat) cream cheese or regular cream cheese may be substituted for the Greek yogurt cream cheese.
LIQUID STEVIA NOTE + ALTERNATIVES: I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. If you prefer, 2 ¼ teaspoons of this powdered stevia is the best substitute. I do not recommend using honey, pure maple syrup, or agave because it’ll make the frosting too runny. Otherwise, 4-6 tablespoons of regular powdered sugar (or adjusted to suit your tastes) may be substituted.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten free flour, use as follows: ¼ cup (30g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, 3 tablespoons (21g) coconut flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
{gluten free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.