Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars Copycat Recipe

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Better Baking Bible

Cranberry blondies with white chocolate and orange-infused cream cheese frosting.

CRANBERRY BLISS BARS / DREAMCAT115 / CC BY

Starbuck’s cranberry bliss bars are everything you need to spice up a cold winter’s day! These bars are actually blondies – rich, dense, and sweet dessert bars that resemble a traditional brownie only with brown sugar and vanilla to substitute the cocoa. Starbucks has some of the best recipes out there and they generously released their original banana bread recipe I posted here but haven’t revealed their cranberry bliss bars… yet.

So we had to do a little bit of digging to find a nearly identical recipe and the one we found is right on the bullet! These cranberry bliss bars taste exactly the same, if not TEN TIMES better. I have to admit that these are totally addictive and taste like nothing I’ve ever tried before! They are filled with white chocolate, cranberries, and a hint of orange. All wonderful flavors of the season that taste delicious when combined together. The frosting is made of cream cheese, white chocolate, and freshly grated orange zest.

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes to secret menus for not only Starbucks, but also Tim Hortons, McDonalds, even copycat recipes for the Costco muffins. The copycat recipes taste nearly identical and makes me feel like I’m cheating without getting caught! I’ve been tempted to try of the Costco muffins recipe for a while now. When I do, I’ll be sure to post it along with some really pretty pictures. But for now, try these holiday inspired Starbucks cranberry bliss bars:

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars Copycat Recipe

A copycat recipe of Starbucks’ delicious holiday cranberry bliss bars.

Ingredients:

For Blondie Bars

3/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 oz white baking chocolate, chopped

For Frosting

8 oz (1 package) cream cheese, at room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
6 oz white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
2 tsp fresh orange zest

Instructions:

To Make Blondie Bars

Preheat oven to 350F and grease and line with parchment paper a 9×13″ baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl with a electric mixer on low, combine sugar, butter, and then beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until combined. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold in cranberries and white chocolate.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

To Make Frosting

In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer on high, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until well combined. Slowly add in half of the melted white chocolate and beat until well incorporated.
Frost the blondies and then sprinkle over with chopped cranberries. Drizzle the remaining white chocolate over the blondies and place in the fridge to chill. Once completely cooled and ready to serve, cut blondies into triangle shapes, and voila!

CRANBERRY BLISS BAR / TANJA VAN DEN BERG-NIGGEN / CC BY

Chocolate Dipped Wafers With Nuts and Coconut

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Better Baking Bible

Don’t you just LOVE no-bake desserts? It’s almost like cheating when it comes to baking! These homemade chocolate dipped wafer cookies sprinkled with coconut, and nuts, are so easy to make and completely customizable. If you want to make these for Valentine’s Day, simply swap the nuts for pink and red sprinkles. For Easter, dip them in Chocolate and then sprinkle over crushed Cadbury’s Mini Eggs. You can also alter them for Christmas, and use red and green sprinkles. Your options are only limited to your imagination!

The recipe I use for the filling is the exact same recipe I used for my chocolate salami recipe, just this time I didn’t roll up the wafer sheets. These freeze very well, and can sit for a long time – chocolate can practically last forever!

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Chocolate Dipped Wafers With Nuts and Coconut

Fast no-bake wafer cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkled over with chopped walnuts and shredded coconut. Totally customizable decorations!

Ingredients:

For Chocolate Wafers

200 g powdered sugar
400 g unsalted butter at room temperature
4 wafer sheets (store bought)
80 g dark cooking chocolate
400 g Petite Beurre cookies (crushed into tiny bits)
80 g raisins
4 eggs
2 tbsp rum

To Decorate

Dark cooking chocolate
Butter
Oil
Chopped nuts
Shredded coconut

Instructions:

To Make Wafer Cookies

Mix eggs and powdered sugar in a pot of a double boiler. Add butter and chocolate and cook on a double boiler until it turns into the consistency of pudding.
Remove from stove and mix in rum, crushed cookies, and raisins.
Evenly spread the mixture over one wafer sheet and place another sheet on top. Press as hard as you can with a heavy object such as a large wooden cutting board. Transfer to freezer to chill for a few hours.
Once chilled, remove from freezer and cut into wedges or rectangles.

To Decorate

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, add a little bit of oil and butter and keep mixing until the mixture becomes pourable. I do this step all approximately!
Dip wafers into chocolate and then sprinkle them with walnuts or coconut. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and back in the freezer to chill.
Once wafer cookies are chilled and the chocolate has hardened, they are ready to eat!

Notes

Swap your nuts and coconut for any sprinkles in the color of your choice!

Chocolate Rum Salami with Petite Beurre Cookies, Dark Chocolate, and Raisins

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

Chocolate salami is originally an Italian dessert popular across Europe that looks like a real salami, but it’s definitely not a meat product! This sweet salami is made from dark chocolate, broken petite beurre cookies, butter, raisins, eggs, and a bit of rum. The term “salami” simply comes from it’s physical resemblance. The chocolate is formed into a long cylinder and sliced to serve just like a real salami! The bright bits of petite beurre cookies resemble the white flecks of fat seen in salami.

This chocolate salami is a fast-to-make no-bake dessert that tastes delicious, and freezes well which means you can easily prepare it ahead of time. It looks impressive and complicated to make, although its easy and tastes absolutely delicious.

This recipe makes about 4 chocolate salamis, I previously made another version here, although I believe this version turned out much better. The store-bought wafer sheets you need for the recipe should look like the ones seen here. These can be bought anywhere in Europe, but can also be bought at European supermarkets in America.

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Chocolate Rum Salami

Yields 4

Dark chocolate, raisins, and rum rolled in wafer sheets.

Ingredients:

200 g powdered sugar
400 g unsalted butter at room temperature
4 wafer sheets (store bought)
80 g dark cooking chocolate
400 g Petite Beurre cookies (crushed into tiny bits)
80 g raisins
4 eggs
2 tbsp rum

Instructions:

Soften your wafer sheets by placing them between wet towels (not soaking wet). Let them stay like this while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Mix eggs and powdered sugar in a pot of a double boiler. Add butter and chocolate and cook on a double boiler until it turns into the consistency of pudding.
Remove from stove and mix in rum, crushed cookies, and raisins.
Evenly spread the mixture over the softened wafer cookies and roll lengthwise into a salami.
Allow the salami to dry for a few hours, then roll up in aluminum foil and place in the fridge to chill before serving. You can also place it in the freezer and slice it frozen whenever you want to serve, since they defrost very fast.

Banana Bread Lamingtons – Easy Holiday Dessert

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

These banana bread lamingtons are a delicious spin-off of the traditional vanilla squares rolled in chocolate and coconut. Real lamingtons are delicious, but being a big fan of banana bread, I would say this banana/choco/coconut combo tastes even better!

For the banana bread recipe, I used the original Starbucks recipe they use to make their banana bread that retails for $5 a slice! I made a few slight alterations, baked it in a rectangular cake sheet, cut into squares, dipped in chocolate, and finally rolled the banana bread suqares in coconut. Voila! An easy dessert to make that looks impressive, and tastes absolutely delicious!

Lamingtons are a traditional Australian dessert named after Lord Lamington, who served as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. Historians say that Lord Lamington actually did not like lamingtons and reffered to them as “those bloody poofy wooly biscuits”. Maybe he would have liked our version better!

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Banana Bread Lamingtons – Easy Holiday Dessert

Banana bread lamingtons rolled in chocolate and coconut!

Ingredients:

For Banana Bread

2 cups white flour
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp buttermilk
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 ripe medium sized bananas

For Chocolate Frosting

150 g dark chocolate
150 g unsalted butter
100 g sugar
2/3 cup milk
200 g shredded, unsweetened coconut

Directions:

To Make Banana Bread

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a rectangular sheet cake pan and dust with flour.
2. Combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine vegetable oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, 1 egg and bananas. Make sure to mash the bananas well and not leave any chunks.
3. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for about 45 minutes depending on the size of your pan and the thickness of the batter. Keep checking with a toothpick until it comes out clean.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for another 20 minutes. Again, transfer cake onto a cutting board and cut into approx. 2 inch x 2 inch sized squares. Place on a baking sheet and into the freezer overnight.

To Make Chocolate Frosting

Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Add sugar, mix until smooth and then add milk, stirring constantly.

To Assemble

Dip each banana bread cake square into chocolate; making sure each side is well coated. Then cover in coconut, allow to chill/rest in fridge for about an hour before serving.

Madarica Kolac – Croatian No-Bake Layer Cake Recipe

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

Loaded with chocolate, made in bite-sized pieces, and even better – no baking! If you love all of the above, you’re going to be drooling over “Madarica”, a traditional Croatian dessert that is simple to make, yet tastes VERY delicious. Plus, it looks super impressive which makes it the perfect dessert to prepare for a holiday coffee get-together or an after dinner dessert.

Madarica has thin layers of chocolate and store-bought crust which make this delicious cake a year-round favorite dessert! This cake is easy to make if you are in luck and can buy the store bought crust by Podravka like the one seen here. This cake is called no-bake because you can purchase the already made layers. If you can’t buy the crust anywhere, no worries – we have included the recipe below!

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Madarica Cake Recipe

A traditional Croatian chocolate cake with thin layers of chocolate and crust.

Ingredients:

For Cake Crust

* If you can’t buy Podravka Madarica Cake Crust, then use this recipe

5 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 egg whites
180g sour cream
1 tsp baking powder
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

For Cake Filling

4 cups milk
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
1.5 cups sugar
50g dark chocolate
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp rum

For Cake Glaze

100g dark chocolate
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions:

To Make Cake Layers

In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, egg whites, and sour cream until light and fluffy. Gradually add in flour and baking powder and knead to form a dough.
Preheat oven to 356 F. Separate dough into 6 equal parts and roll out as thin as possible into rectangles on a piece of parchment paper. Transfer to a baking sheet and place another piece of parchment paper on top (to avoid burning the top) of each layer and bake each layer for 8 minutes. The layers must not turn golden, they must stay pale!

To Make Cake Filling

On medium heat, bring milk, sugar, and vanilla to a boil. Separate one part of the milk and whisk in cocoa and flour. Add the mixture into the boiling milk and add in the dark chocolate, always stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter and rum. Cover with tin foil until cooled.

To Make Cake Glaze

In a pot over medium heat, melt chocolate with butter and oil and whisk together until combined.

To Assemble

Place the first cake layer onto a baking tray and evenly spread one part of filling. Cover with second layer and repeat until finished, making sure the last layer is a dough layer. Pour the hot glaze over the whole cake and transfer cake to fridge to chill overnight. The next day, cut cake into small rectangles and serve!

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Walnut Stuffed Oven Baked Apples – Perfect Healthy Thanksgiving Dessert!

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

Looking for a healthy low-calorie fall dessert? These walnut stuffed oven baked apples make the perfect treat for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Sunday brunch, or just about any time of the day or year! The recipe is easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry.

Not a fan of walnuts? You definitely should be! Walnuts are an excellent source of ant-inflammatory omega-3 essential fatty acids, rich in antioxidants and are a very good source of manganese and cooper. They are also the healthiest of nuts you can eat, and are very filling. I have to admit, after eating one of these apples I was definitely stuffed and satisfied!
If you are on a vegan diet or lactose intolerant, you can easily substitute the milk with almond or soya milk. Having an adults-only party? Spike these apples with rum or Irish whiskey to get the party started!

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

Walnut Stuffed Oven Baked Apples

Serves 6

Oven baked apples stuffed with a mixture of walnuts, cinnamon, sugar and raisins!

Ingredients:

6 medium sized apples, tops cut off and generously cored
200g ground walnuts
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp granulated white sugar or brown sugar
1 tbsp rum or Irish whiskey (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
¼ cup rum soaked raisins (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300F (150C). Mix together walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, rum, and vanilla extract (raisins are optional).
Bring milk to a boil and pour over walnut mixture and mix into a paste. If the paste appears watery, let it sit for a few minutes until thickened. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then spoon paste into apples until filled to the top. Place apple top back on.
Carefully transfer apples to a baking sheet (no need to grease it) and bake for 1.5 hours until apples are softened and cooked through (you should be able to easily poke a toothpick all the way through the apple). Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Cake Mix Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

ICE CREAM CONE CUPCAKES / F_A / CC BY 2.0

What a fun way to spice up a pool party! These ice cream cone cupcakes are an exciting spin on regular ice cream, and plus you get two delicious treats in one – cake and ice cream! What’s even better about this recipe is that it’s so easy to make, just use boxed cake mix. Topped with a frosting of your choice and fresh fruit, it sure is a sweet refreshing dessert to serve at your next party. This dessert is perfect for kid’s birthday parties, even baby showers and charity events.

Cake Mix Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Serves 24

Ice cream cones filled with cake mix batter and topped with frosting and fresh fruit!

Ingredients:

1 box vanilla cake mix
Water, oil, and eggs needed to make cake mix
24 ice cream cones with a flat bottom
2 containers of frosting (flavour of your choice!)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350F and mix up your cake mix, following the instructions on the box. Fill up your cupcake pan with your cupcake cups and pour the batter evenly into the cups, a little less than half full. Take your ice cream cones and place them upside down onto the bater in each cup.
Bake for about 15-23 minutes, remove from oven and let it cool for half hour. Remove baking cups, pipe on frosting and decorate with fresh fruit!

Better Baking Bible

Cake, Recipes, Cookies, Cupcakes, & Easy Desserts for the Modern, Busy woman!

Category Archives: Desserts

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars Copycat Recipe

CRANBERRY BLISS BARS / DREAMCAT115 / CC BY

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars Copycat Recipe

CRANBERRY BLISS BAR / TANJA VAN DEN BERG-NIGGEN / CC BY

Chocolate Dipped Wafers With Nuts and Coconut

Chocolate Dipped Wafers With Nuts and Coconut

Chocolate Rum Salami with Petite Beurre Cookies, Dark Chocolate, and Raisins

Chocolate Rum Salami

Banana Bread Lamingtons – Easy Holiday Dessert

Banana Bread Lamingtons – Easy Holiday Dessert

Madarica Kolac – Croatian No-Bake Layer Cake Recipe

Madarica Cake Recipe

Walnut Stuffed Oven Baked Apples – Perfect Healthy Thanksgiving Dessert!

Walnut Stuffed Oven Baked Apples

Cake Mix Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

ICE CREAM CONE CUPCAKES / F_A / CC BY 2.0

Cake Mix Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes