For some reason I get enjoyment out of finding Starbucks copycats or clone recipes (whichever word you prefer). Maybe it has to do with the satisfaction I get from making something better for a fraction of the cost. Or maybe it has to do with my innate need to uncover secret information (and believe me I am the detective you want to hire!) But honestly, I’m beginning to wonder if maybe I was a disgruntled Starbucks barista in a previous life, since I am on a never-ending quest to show-up Starbucks.

This time around I’m doing it a little backwards. I’ve never actually bought these bars at Starbucks, so it wouldn’t be right to claim that they’re better. Based on all of the reviews and the source, it’s a pretty safe bet. This particular “clone”, as he prefers calling them, comes from Todd Wilbur who spends his days cracking the code on popular recipes. The bar is fabulous and seriously, can we get anymore festive than this? This is another great pick for a cookie exchange or a treat to bring to neighbors. My only advice is to refrigerate these for a few hours before digging in. I, of course, couldn’t wait and was a tad disappointed. However, this morning I decided to give it another try and something magical happened in my fridge last night. Much better cool or at room temperature.  

If you’re in a cranberry mood, but want another option, go check out Bridget at Bake at 350′s recipe for Cranberry Almond Bars that she posted this week. And if you’re in a cocktail-cranberry mood, you must make the Jack Frost Make-ahead Cranberry Margaritas that I posted last year. People go crazy over these and you do everything ahead. I’m making them again tomorrow for a girls night get-together.

 Anyone in a Starbucks Copycat kind of mood?

Go and check out Todd Wilbur’s website. This week’s free recipe is a clone of Starbuck’s Peppermint Brownies.

 or go back and see a few of my better than Starbucks posts…

Caramel Frappaciuno Cupcakes -Picture on the right. Enough said!

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars – Yum, Yum & Yum!!! One of my all-time favorites!

Starbucks Copycat Coffee Cake – will be gone in no time!

My Don’t Wait for Prince Charming Chai Tea Recipe (P.S. Prince Charming still hasn’t arrived with my chicken soup, but I am forever hopeful!)

Cranberry Bliss Bar Clone Recipe

(From Todd Wilbur, Top Secret Recipes Unlocked)

Ingredients
\3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. minced crystallized ginger
3/4 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries
4 oz. white chocolate, cut into chunks
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extractFrosting
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup chopped sweetened dried cranberries
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tsp. lemon juice

Drizzled Icing
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vegetable shortening

 Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 Make cake by beating the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, ginger, vanilla, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in the flour and baking powder until smooth. Mix the chopped dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks into the batter by hand. Pour the batter into a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned on top. Allow the cake to cool.

Make the frosting by combining the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread the frosting over the top of the cake.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

Make the drizzled icing by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, and shortening. Drizzle this icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion with a squirt bottle or fill a small plastic storage bag with the icing and cut off the tip of one corner.

Cover the cake and let it chill out in the fridge for a couple hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times, making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.