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    Home » Recipes » Cakes & Cupcakes

    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes

    Published: Feb 9, 2015 · Last modified: Oct 8, 2022 by Leslie Kiszka / This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 3 votes
    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes: My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. | stressbaking.com

    My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting.

    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes: My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. | stressbaking.com

    If you’ve followed my blog for a while, then you’re probably well aware of my affinity for Starbucks. To keep money in my bank account, I do my best to come up with copycat recipes for my favorite S’bucks drinks and eats. 

    I already figured out how to make my absolute favorite thing — Cranberry Bliss Bars — but a few weeks ago I wondered if I could morph that into something else.

    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes: My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. | stressbaking.com

    I kinda forgot about it until I had a dream the other night that was clearly a sign. I mean, seriously. Listen to this.

    In the dream, I walked into Starbucks to order a Cranberry Bliss Bar and they told me they didn’t carry them anymore. I must have made a pretty epic pouty face, because the girl behind the counter said, “Please don’t cry! We can make you something even better – just have a seat over there and I’ll bring you something shortly.”

    So she goes into this secret back room kitchen and whips up a single cupcake in a matter of a couple minutes (totally realistic, by the way). She walks out with a beautiful little cupcake sitting atop a little white doily on a delicate tea plate.

    There was a white glow shining down from the heavens onto the plate as she carried it and angels were singing.

    Well, actually, it zoomed out and I saw the glow was just a guy adjusting one of the store lights and the angels were just a holiday CD playing. Even my dreams play out like a sitcom.

    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes: My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. | stressbaking.com

    I woke up giddy at the idea of turning the bars into cupcakes and got right to work. It took a few different rounds of cupcake batter to get it the way I wanted it.

    • The first time I overloaded it with cranberries and white chocolate chips and they were way too dense.
    • The second time I think it was a combination of too much butter and not enough flour.
    • The third time I almost had it, but I tried using melted white chocolate in the batter and it just made it too heavy.

    And finally, fourth time’s a charm. They’re a little more dense than any cupcakes I’ve made in the past, but I like it that way.

    If it were lighter it wouldn’t be the kind of base I needed for what I was going to pile on top. The frosting you guys… the frosting. It’s so freaking delicious.

    It’s almost exactly what I used on top of the bars with a small addition of vanilla extract and I added butter to stabilize it – you know how much I like to pipe frosting nice and tall. 

    Ingredients for cranberry bliss cupcakes

    Cupcakes

    • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • 1 large egg, room temperature
    • ¾ cup milk
    • ¼ cup greek yogurt
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon orange extract
    • 1 cup dried cranberries (aff link)
    • ½ cup white chocolate chips

    Frosting

    • 8 ounces cream cheese, cold
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
    • 6 ounces white chocolate chips, melted
    • Dried cranberries (aff link), for garnish

    How to make cranberry bliss cupcakes

    Cupcakes

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon together. Set aside.
    • In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in egg, milk, yogurt, vanilla and orange extracts and whisk together until combined.
    • Add in dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips until just combined – don’t overmix!
    • Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.

    Frosting

    • In a large bowl with a stand or hand mixer (aff link), beat cream cheese until smooth. Add butter and beat until smooth and creamy.
    • In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate chips in the microwave. Set aside to cool a little.
    • Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and grated orange peel and beat until combined.
    • Pour in half of the melted white chocolate and beat until well combined.
    • Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes however you’d like. Top them with dried cranberries (aff link) and drizzle with the rest of the melted white chocolate. Enjoy!
    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes: My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. | stressbaking.com

    Just look at them… the specs of orange peel, the velvety frosting. And these cupcakes wouldn’t be complete without a delicious garnish – dried cranberries (aff link) and a white chocolate drizzle.

    If you’re looking for an excuse to shove your face with cranberry-y white chocolate-y goodness, these are it. Go make them – you can thank me later.

    After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!

    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes: My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting. | stressbaking.com

    Cranberry Bliss Cupcakes

    5 from 3 votes
    My favorite Starbucks treat turned into a cupcake! Blondie cupcakes packed with white chocolate and cranberries, topped with a sweet, tangy white chocolate cream cheese frosting.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 22 minutes
    Total Time 32 minutes
    Servings 12 cupcakes
        ✓ Read the recipe from beginning to end
          ✓ Check oven calibration
            ✓ Check expiration dates
              ✓ Properly measure ingredients
                ✓ Check butter temperature

    Recommended Equipment

    • Muffin/cupcake tin
    • Muffin/cupcake liners
    • Mixing bowls
    • Whisk
    • Stand Mixer
    • Hand mixer
    • Pastry bag (reusable)
    • Pastry bags (disposable)
    • Decorating tips

    Ingredients
     
     

    Cupcakes

    • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • 1 large egg, room temperature
    • ¾ cup milk
    • ¼ cup greek yogurt
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon orange extract
    • 1 cup dried cranberries
    • ½ cup white chocolate chips

    Frosting

    • 8 ounces cream cheese, cold
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 6 ounces white chocolate chips, melted
    • 2 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
    • Dried cranberries, for garnish

    Instructions
     

    Cupcakes

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon together. Set aside.
      1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour | ½ teaspoon baking powder | ¼ teaspoon baking soda | ¼ teaspoon salt | ¾ teaspoon ground ginger | ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave.
      ½ cup unsalted butter
    • In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add in egg, milk, yogurt, vanilla and orange extracts and whisk together until combined.
      1 cup light brown sugar | 1 large egg | ¾ cup milk | ¼ cup greek yogurt | 2 teaspoons vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon orange extract
    • Add in dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate chips until just combined – don’t overmix!
      1 cup dried cranberries | ½ cup white chocolate chips
    • Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.

    Frosting

    • In a large bowl with a stand or hand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add butter and beat until smooth and creamy.
      8 ounces cream cheese | ½ cup unsalted butter
    • In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate chips in the microwave. Set aside to cool a little.
      6 ounces white chocolate chips
    • Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and grated orange peel and beat until combined.
      2 cups powdered sugar | 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract | 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
    • Pour in half of the melted white chocolate and beat until well combined.
    • Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes however you’d like. Top them with dried cranberries and drizzle with the rest of the melted white chocolate. Enjoy!
      Dried cranberries

    Nutrition

    Calories: 580kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 780IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Author Leslie Kiszka
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating!

    Related Posts

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    Leslie Kiszka in a red dress

    About Leslie

    I'm the hot mess behind every recipe you see here! I use baking as an outlet for relieving stress and anxiety to provide you with approachable homemade recipes and a little humor, for good measure.

    learn more about Leslie →

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jessi

      November 20, 2019 at 12:49 am

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness gracious. This recipe is utterly divine. It tastes just like the bliss bars. AMAZING. My only issue is my frosting got quite runny – it could be because my white chocolate seized and I had to coax it back to a melty liquid, but the frosting still tastes great so hey. No worries!

      Reply
      • Leslie Kiszka

        November 20, 2019 at 4:00 pm

        Oh no! I think you’re absolutely right – once white chocolate seizes up, it’s never the same. But regardless, I’m glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    2. Cake Delivery in Ahmedabad

      October 16, 2017 at 6:23 am

      What a delicious and nice compiled recipe you have shared via this blog. I think you have got the expertise in this. I really like your fodiee behaviors. Keep conveying such messages, really needed us

      Reply

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