White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
Indulge in the perfect holiday treat with these white chocolate cranberry blondies, featuring a chewy, orange-infused base packed with tart cranberries and melty pockets of white chocolate. Topped with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting and a festive sprinkle of dried cranberries, this elegant dessert can be assembled for any celebration from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day!
Ideal for gifting or as a stunning addition to a holiday dessert board, these easy white chocolate blondies offer a delightful twist on the classic brownie. They share the same soft, chewy texture but feature a rich, vanilla-kissed base with white chocolate instead of cocoa, elevated by the bright, festive pairing of orange and sweet-tart cranberries.
What are white chocolate cranberry blondies?
Cranberry white chocolate blondies feature a rich, chewy, and vanilla-forward base, distinct from brownies due to the absence of cocoa. Studded with sweet dried cranberries and pockets of melted white chocolate, they are then further infused with orange for a bright, festive flavor.
These baked dessert bars are topped with a luxurious white chocolate cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with extra cranberries and a pretty zest of orange – perfect for any special occasion or festive holiday gathering!
Ingredients needed to make cranberry white chocolate blondies
- Cubed butter: Use unsalted butter for better control of the salt content.
- Light brown sugar: Adds moisture and chewy texture to the blondie base.
- Eggs: Bring to room temperature before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.
- Vanilla extract: For depth of flavor.
- Pure orange extract: Pairs beautifully with the notes of vanilla and the sweet and tart cranberries.
- All-purpose flour: A sturdy flour for blondies and brownies. You could use gluten-free flour or other alternatives like almond meal instead.
- Baking powder: For a good rise.
- Salt: Balances and enhances the flavors in these holiday blondies. Omit the salt if you use salted butter.
- Dried cranberries: Added to the blondie batter for sweet and tart flavor and chewy texture. Sprinkling them over the frosting also adds a pretty pop of color to these festive treats.
- White baking chocolate: Chopped pieces of white chocolate offer gooey pockets of sweetness in the baked blondie bases while additional white chocolate is melted to create a decadent frosting.
- Frosting: This cream cheese frosting is sweetened with powdered sugar and infused with grated orange zest and melted white chocolate.
- Garnish: Sprinkle these frosted white chocolate cranberry blondies with dried cranberries and extra orange zest, if you like.
How do you make cranberry and white chocolate blondies?
Prep and preheat:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Make the blondie batter:
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar. Cool slightly before moving to the next step.
- In the same bowl, add the eggs, beating well, and then add in the vanilla and orange extracts.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then stir these dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
- Add in the cranberries and chopped chocolate. Stir well.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake and cool:
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-21 minutes.
- Remove the blondies from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the frosting:
- Melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on medium power (or 50% power) for short intervals of 10-15 seconds, stirring well after each interval until smooth.
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange zest until smooth.
- Gradually beat in half of the melted white chocolate.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled blondies.
Garnish and serve:
- Sprinkle dried cranberries over the frosted blondies and then drizzle with the remaining melted chocolate.
- If you like, add additional orange zest on top of the bars for extra flavor and boost of festive coloring.
- Once cooled and frosted, cut the blondies into squares or triangles, depending on your preference.
Serving
Enjoy these scrumptious white chocolate cranberry blondies as a complete dessert or serve them with a scoop of ice cream. Apart from enjoying these white chocolate blondies for Thanksgiving and Christmas, you could also add them to this Valentine’s Day Dessert Board for your special celebrations.
Leftover white chocolate blondies (without the frosting) can easily become a delicious crumbled topping for a bowl of vanilla ice cream, or to make a delicious trifle!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover white chocolate cranberry blondies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend leaving these blondies out at room temperature for long due to the cream cheese frosting. Allow the chilled blondies to come to room temperature before serving again, otherwise they will be too hard straight from the fridge.
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled white chocolate blondies (without frosting) as individual squares/triangles in plastic and again in foil. Transfer them to an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag to be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the number of blondies you want overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before topping with fresh frosting and a sprinkling of dried cranberries and orange zest.
- Don’t overmix: Be careful that you don’t overmix the blondie batter or you will create overly dense white chocolate blondies.
- Check for doneness: You can tell when the blondies are done baking by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the baking dish which should return clean. If it returns wet, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, keeping a close watch that they don’t burn.
- Grease the pan: You can line the baking pan with parchment paper as well as grease it with softened butter as a sure way to prevent the blondies from sticking to the pan.
- Cool the butter-sugar mixture: Make sure to cool the melted butter and sugar mixture before adding to the eggs when making the batter, or you risk scrambling the eggs.
Variations:
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the blondie batter and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum if needed.
- Lighter topping: Omit the cream cheese frosting and just drizzle the baked and cooled blondies with melted white chocolate for a slightly lighter version.
- Add-ins: Feel free to add chopped nuts for extra texture.
- Citrus swap: Replace the orange extract and zest with the same amount of lemon extract and zest for a brighter, tangier profile that still pairs beautifully with the cranberries.
- For coconut lovers: Stir sweetened shredded coconut into the batter and sprinkle toasted coconut on top along with the cranberry garnish.
Dessert bars are some of the simplest and most versatile treats to bake, offering the perfect combination of easy preparation and crowd-pleasing appeal. If you love these white chocolate cranberry blondies, make sure to also try these Cranberry Cheesecake Bars, Holiday Pecan Bars, or Apple Butter Oatmeal Bars.
More holiday sweet treats you may want to try:
- Gluten Free Peppermint Brownies
- Russian Tea Cakes with Maple
- Mini Pecan and Pumpkin Tarts
- Cinnamon Roll Pecan Cake
- Cranberry Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
Get the Recipe:
White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
Ingredients
Blondies:
- ¾ cup butter, cubed
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure orange extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter; stir in the brown sugar. Cool slightly before moving to the next step.
- In the same bowl, add eggs, beating well, and then add in the vanilla and orange extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and then stir these dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
- Add in the cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick) and stir well. Spread the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not over bake), 18-21 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the frosting:
- Melt the white chocolate in the microwave so it’s soft and ready to add to the frosting mixture. To melt white chocolate chunks in the microwave, use a microwave-safe bowl
- On medium power (or 50% power) for short intervals of 10-15 seconds, stirring well after each interval until smooth.
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and orange zest until smooth. Gradually beat in half of the melted white chocolate; spread over blondies.
- Sprinkle with cranberries; drizzle with remaining melted chocolate. Optional to add additional orange zest on top of the bars.
- As soon as the blondies are cool and frosted, cut into squares, or cut into triangles.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover white chocolate cranberry blondies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend leaving these blondies out at room temperature for long due to the cream cheese frosting. Allow the chilled blondies to come to room temperature before serving again, otherwise they will be too hard straight from the fridge.
- Freezing: Wrap the cooled white chocolate blondies (without frosting) as individual squares/triangles in plastic and again in foil. Transfer them to an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag to be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the number of blondies you want overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before topping with fresh frosting and a sprinkling of dried cranberries and orange zest.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
