I’ve never had a Starbucks cranberry bliss bar, so this white chocolate cranberry bar recipe is not necessarily inspired by the treat. I do, however, love the combination of white chocolate and cranberry, so I understand the hype around those bars. This recipe is so easy to make at home, but it feels like you made something almost complex and fancy. You’ll impress yourself with how good these turn out! The brown butter in these bars takes the flavor to the next level. Oat flour and dried cranberries add the best chewy texture to the blondies, and they are topped with a layer of rich and creamy white chocolate fudge.
How To Make Cranberry White Chocolate Blondies
The fudge topping requires only three ingredients, but you’ll need to start this first since it calls for basically homemade sweetened condensed milk. It’s very easy and hands-off to make; just combine the sugar and milk in a pot and simmer it for 30-40 minutes. Then let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour. While it chills, you can get started on making the blondies, which couldn’t be easier. You mix the ingredients in one bowl. Once they are baked and cooled, melt the white chocolate and mix it with the condensed milk, then pour it on top of the blondies and allow the fudge to set before slicing.
These are one of my favorite Christmas cookies, and one of the only recipes I enjoy white chocolate in. It’s a welcomed change to all the chocolate around the holidays. But if you’re looking for a chocolate cookie recipe, try my homemade Ritz chocolate covered peanut butter cookies.
Bake Notes
- If you happen to have an opened can of sweetened condensed milk, you can use 1/4 cup of that instead of the homemade version.
- I’ve never bought oat flour, I just throw oats in the blender to make my own. If you don’t have any oats, you can use more all-purpose flour in place of the oat flour (1 1/4 cups total).
- If you don’t have unsalted butter, salted butter will work just the same.
Cranberry Bars With White Chocolate Fudge
- Total Time: 1.5 hours
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
With brown butter, dried cranberries, and a white chocolate fudge topping, these blondie bars are the most festive holiday treat.
Ingredients
For the White Chocolate Fudge
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 6 oz white chocolate (3 2-oz bars)
For the Blondies
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Instructions
Make the Condensed Milk
- Add the milk and 2 tbsp white sugar to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar fully dissolves, then stop stirring. Bring the mixture to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the milk has reduced by half and darkened a bit (it should look like a shade of cream). Do not stir the mixture while it simmers or the sugar could crystallize, which would cause the milk to crack and become grainy rather than smooth.
- Once reduced, pour the milk into a heat-proof jar or bowl, allow to cool slightly, and then cover and refrigerate it for at least one hour.
Make the Blondies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with butter and line it with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: Add one stick of unsalted butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter if fully melted. Continue to stir, scraping the bottom of the pot frequently, as the mixture starts to bubble and spit for a few minutes, then foam as darkened bits appear near the bottom of the pot. Once the mixture turns an amber brown color and smells like caramel, remove it from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl.
- Add once ice cube to the brown butter and allow it to melt.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl with the butter and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and salt, and whisk to combine.
- Add the all-purpose and oat flours and baking soda. Use a spatula to fold the mixture together gently, so as not to overmix the batter. It should be pretty thick.
- Add the cranberries and fold just to incorporate.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and use the spatula to spread it into an even layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in pan.
Make the Fudge Topping
- Once the blondies are cool, chop the white chocolate into chunks and add it to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until it’s melted.
- Add the cooled condensed milk that you made earlier. Use a whisk to vigorously stir until it forms a cohesive mixture. It might look like it’s separating at first; just keep whisking. It should turn out smooth and glossy.
- Pour the fudge over the cooled blondies and spread it into an even layer.
- Allow to cool down at room temperature. Then pop the whole pan into the fridge and allow the fudge to set up for at least 3 hours.
- Slice into bars and enjoy! Keep in an air-tight container; depending on the temperature of your kitchen, they might stay set at room temp. If the fudge starts to melt, keep them in the fridge. They last for 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes