Copycat Secrets Uncovered

The Queen of Copycat doesn’t guess. Starbucks lists every ingredient in order by weight, so we worked backward from the label until the numbers lined up. Here’s what made the difference.

• White chocolate goes IN the frosting. White confectionery coating is the second ingredient on the whole label, right behind flour. That’s a LOT of white chocolate! So we melt it right into the cream cheese frosting. It sets up firm and fudgy, holds its shape when you cut, and doesn’t slide off the bar. We use white melting wafers in all three spots: chopped in the batter, melted in the frosting and melted for the drizzle.
• It’s ginger, not cinnamon. Copycats online can’t agree on this one, but the label settles it: ginger. Starbucks uses candied ginger, which is pricey and you only need a tiny bit. Ground ginger gives you the same flavor for a fraction of the cost, and 1/4 teaspoon is all it takes.
• The orange is in the bars, not the frosting. The only orange on the label is sugared orange peel, and it’s in the blondies. We tasted the frosting plain, and there’s zero orange or ginger in it. Candied orange peel is hard to find, so fresh zest rubbed into the brown sugar does the job.

We set ours right next to a bar from Starbucks, and they taste identical! And the price difference is wild. Starbucks charges about $4 a bar, and these work out to about $1 each. A dozen from Starbucks runs you around $48. This whole pan costs about $12!

Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars Ingredients

Nothing fancy here, but a few things matter.

• White melting wafers. Starbucks uses white confectionery coating, and melting wafers are the closest match. They melt smooth for the frosting and the drizzle, and a rough chop gets them ready for the batter. You can also use white chocolate chips.
• Brown sugar and fresh orange zest. Brown sugar gives the blondies those molasses notes. The zest from half an orange stands in for Starbucks’ sugared orange peel.
• Butter AND canola oil. The Starbucks label lists both, so we use both. Unsalted butter brings the flavor, and the oil helps keep the bars soft.
• Ground ginger. Just a whisper of warmth in the background. It’s on the Starbucks label, so it stays in.
• Dried cranberries. Chop them so you get cranberry in every bite. Some Craisins go in the batter and the rest go on top of the frosting.
• Cream cheese. Let it get truly soft before you start, or your frosting will have lumps.
• Canola oil (for the drizzle). A little bit in the melted wafers keeps the drizzle smooth and easy to zigzag.

Supplies: An 8×8 pan (this one is SO cheap) and parchment paper.

How to Make Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

Bake the Blondie Base

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Give the paper a spray with nonstick spray.
2. MELT the butter in the microwave and let it cool for 3 to 5 minutes. While it cools, rub the orange zest into the brown sugar with your fingers.
3. WHISK the melted butter, canola oil and brown sugar mixture until smooth, then whisk in the egg and vanilla.
4. STIR in the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground ginger, just until combined.
5. FOLD in the chopped cranberries and chopped white chocolate wafers.
6. PRESS the batter into the pan with your fingers. It’s thick, so don’t fight it with a spatula.
7. BAKE for 16 to 19 minutes, checking at 16.

How to Tell When They’re Done

Pull them when the edges are golden and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. A clean toothpick means you’ve gone too far, and you’ll lose that soft, chewy middle. They keep cooking a little as they cool.

Don’t Skip the Parchment

Seriously. When the blondies come out of the oven, grab the parchment and lift the whole slab right out onto a cooling wire rack. No digging, no broken corners, and the pan is free. Later, you frost and cut right on the parchment. SO easy!

Whip Up the Frosting

1. MELT 1/2 cup of the white chocolate wafers in 20-second bursts until smooth. Let it cool slightly so it doesn’t thin out the cream cheese.
2. BEAT the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy.
3. STREAM in the melted white chocolate and the vanilla, beating well.

Frost, Drizzle and Chill

1. FROST the completely cooled blondie base. If the frosting is still too loose to spread, chill it for 15 minutes first.
2. SPRINKLE the rest of the chopped cranberries over the frosting and press them down on top of the bars gently so they stick.
3. MELT the last 1/4 cup of white chocolate wafers with the canola oil until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
4. DRIZZLE the melted chocolate across the top in a zigzag with a fork.
5. CHILL for 30 to 60 minutes so the frosting firms up and the drizzle sets.

Cutting Triangles Like Starbucks

Cut the pan in half, then cut each half into three pieces. Cut each of those six pieces corner to corner, and you’ve got 12 triangles. Wipe the knife (or rinse it under hot water) between cuts for clean edges.

Storage & Freezing

Cream cheese frosting means these live in the fridge. Store them covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• Starbucks Blueberry Scones
• Starbucks Cinnamon Pull Aparts

What You Will About AuGratin Potatoes with Ham

• Homemade Cheese Sauce! You’ll never go back after you see how EASY it is to make your own cheese sauce! No canned soups in this recipe!
• Leftover Ham! This is great to make after Christmas and Easter where you have half a ham left in your fridge! And take a side dish to a main dish by adding a protein!
• Yum in One Pan! I love when dinner is in one pan – into the oven it goes!

Recipe Variations

There are lots of fun tweaks you can make to this recipe – from cheese to muffins – here are some ideas:

• Cheeses – get fancy with your cheese and mix in some gruyere or even Swiss!
• Vegetables – I’ve had a lot of vegetables “gratin” – thinly slice onion, broccoli and cauliflower and layer that in with the potatoes
• Scalloped – leave out the cheese and make a cream sauce and you’ve got Scalloped instead of Au Gratin
• Muffin Tin – stack those potato slices in a muffin tin and then pour on that cheesy sauce!

How to make Au Gratin Potatoes with Ham

Why did our parents feed us those boxed potatoes?! These are so much better!! And – they’re easy to make! Let’s get to it!

1. Preheat Oven to 400°F.
2. Wash potatoes and slice into ⅛” thin slices. I used a mandoline slicer – but be careful – if you get too close to the blade – you can cut yourself. When I get close – I just throw the rest away. It will get the task done in the blink of an eye!
3. Layer potatoes in stacks around a greased baking dish. Sprinkle diced ham among potatoes.
4. Over medium heat, Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper and whisk for 30 sec. 
5. Add half and half and cover. Whisk every 1-2 min until starts to bubble around sides. Then keep lid off and Whisk over medium low heat until thick and bubbly. 
6. Remove from heat and stir in all cream cheese and 1.5 cups cheddar cheese until melted into sauce. 
7. Spoon cheese sauce mixture over potatoes and ham. Cover casserole dish with aluminum foil (sprayed with cooking spray) and place in oven for 40 minutes. Your potatoes will be fork tender. 
8. Remove foil and add remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are cooked. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

Holiday Leftover Ideas

• Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich
• Leftover Turkey Casserole
• Cheese & Ham Frittata

More Potato Recipes

• Scalloped Potatoes for Two
• Mashed Potatoes with Cottage Cheese
• Cracker Barrel Crock Pot Hashbrown Casserole
• Sausage, Green Beans & Potato Casserole

What You Will About Cheddar Bay Stuffing

• Better Than Red Lobster – 1000% – this is better than the Red Lobster version. The new Cheddar Bay Stuffing is always a limited time offering on the menu at Red Lobster restaurants depending on the season – but now you can make it far better any time you want!
• Cheddar Bay! Who doesn’t love another use for Cheddar Bay Biscuits! We do mix in some savory brioche bread for good measure.
• Holiday Side Dish – This is an amazing addition to any holiday dinner menu! Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Easter or even a Sunday Dinner with family – this stuffing recipe is perfection! (goes great with the Red Lobster Brussels Sprouts too!)
• More Affordable! A side of stuffing at Red Lobster is $6 and a holiday platter is nearly $30! It definitely is cheaper than that when you make it yourself!

Recipe Variations

Don’t save this recipe just for the holiday season! You can mix up the recipe if you have picky eaters – or Cheddar Bay Fanatics! Here are a few ideas:

• To Mushroom or Not to Mushroom – my bff is a mushroom-hater so for her (and many others) you can leave them out
• Sausage – lots of folks add sausage to stuffing. You could replace the bacon with sausage – again undercook slightly so it finishes in the oven
• All Biscuits – you could double the biscuits and leave out the brioche – I haven’t tried it but if you’re a cheddar bay lover – go for it!

How to make Copycat Cheddar Bay Stuffing

You’ll be giving your oven a workout with this recipe – baking the biscuits, then drying out the biscuits and bread a bit and then baking the stuffing! But it’s easy and you don’t need any special tools!

1. Prepare and bake biscuits according to package directions. Remove biscuits from oven and cool. 
2. Once biscuits are made – preheat oven to 300ºF 
3. Tear Cheddar Bay Biscuits into small pieces and dice brioche into small cubes.
4. Spread Cheddar Bay Biscuit pieces and cubed bread out on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I mixed the seasoning packet with the melted butter from the Biscuit mix and poured over the biscuits & bread. Bake biscuit mixture in preheated oven for 25 minutes stirring occasionally until dry.
5. While bread is baking, in a large skillet, cook diced bacon for 5 min. Leaving bacon slightly underdone and chewy. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. 
6. In another large skillet, heat 2 sticks butter over medium heat. Once melted, add onions, celery and mushrooms and sauté until softened – about 5 min.
7. Remove veggies from heat and stir in sage, thyme, rosemary, salt & pepper.
8. Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
9. In a LARGE bowl, add cooled bread, bacon, vegetable mixture (with butter) and fold. 
10. Add chicken broth 1 cup at a time to bread mixture and gently fold until all bread pieces are coated and moist but not too gloppy. I used about 2.5 cups of broth.
11. Spoon bread mixture into baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. 

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

More Holiday Side Dish Recipes

• Smoked Cheesy Potatoes
• Air Fryer Baby Carrots
• Texas Roadhouse Green Beans

What to serve with Red Lobster Stuffing

• Spiral Smoked Ham
• Traeger Prime Rib
• Traeger Smoked Turkey

More Red Lobster Recipes

• Red Lobster Crispy Brussel Sprouts
• Copycat Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi
• Red Lobster Crab Alfredo
• Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp

What You Will About Au Gratin Potatoes

• Cheesy – I love the homemade cheese sauce – with a lot of cheese in the sauce and then some on top – every bite is full of flavor and happiness!
• Easy to Make – making your own sauce is surprisingly easy and the mandolin made slicing this bag of potatoes super quick!
• Holiday Side – if you’re already cranking up the Traeger for holiday ham – you might as well add these potatoes at the same time!

Recipe Variations

You can change up your potatoes with just a couple of steps! Here are a few ideas:

• Scalloped – leave the cheese out of the sauce and just put it on top during the last 30 minutes
• Ham – sprinkle diced ham or layer in some thin sliced ham for a cheesy ham & potato casserole
• Onions – layer thinly sliced onions in with potato slices
• Fresh Herbs – laying fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary on top while the potatoes smoke adds flavor and fragrance and you can remove before serving

How to make Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes

I’ve made a few cheese sauces and this one is just as simple – and really that’s the main work involved with making this. Your whole family will love these cheesy potatoes! Let’s get started:

1. Preheat Traeger to 400°F.
2. Wash potatoes and slice into ⅛” thin slices. 
3. Layer potatoes in stacks around a greased casserole 2.5qt to 3qt dish. You could also use a cast-iron pan but it would need to be larger than a regular skillet.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper and whisk for 30 sec. 
5. Add half and half and cover. Whisk every 1-2 min until starts to bubble around sides. Then keep lid off and Whisk over medium low heat until thick and bubbly. 
6. Remove from heat and stir in all cream cheese and 1.5 cups cheddar cheese until melted into sauce. 
7. Spoon cheese sauce mixture over potatoes. Cover with foil (sprayed with cooking spray) and place on Traeger for 50 minutes. Your potatoes will be fork tender.
8. Remove foil and add remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Smoke an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are cooked. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

What to serve with Smoked Au Gratin Potatoes

• Pork Loin on the Traeger
• Spiral Smoked Ham
• Traeger Smoked Pork Chops

More Holiday Side Dish Recipes

• Smoked Green Bean Casserole
• Creamy Traeger Mac & Cheese
• Smoked Brussels Sprouts

What You Will About Mashed Potatoes with Cottage Cheese

• Roasted Garlic – I made my own roasted garlic while the potatoes were cooking and let me tell you – it made all the difference!
• Cottage Cheese??? Hey – I thought it was weird – but I’m always up for trying new things! And it worked!!!! It’s a great substitute for sour cream when making mashed potatoes.
• Perfect Side Dish – these mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for a holiday or any meal. If you’re only serving four – you could easily cut this in half.

Recipe Variations

You might think mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes – what can you do with them? So much! Here are a few ideas:

• Skip the Garlic – if you’re not a fan of garlic – you can leave it out – the potatoes will still be delicious
• Sour Cream – no cottage cheese? You can 1:1 swap it with sour cream or heavy cream
• Cheese – adding in shredded cheese like cheddar or even gouda would be great!
• Ranch – add a packet of ranch seasoning for some ranch mashed potatoes

How to make Mashed Potatoes with Cottage Cheese

These are so simple to make! Boil those potatoes and put it all together! You can roast the garlic while the potatoes are cooking – so no added time needed! Let’s get started.

1. In a large pot, add potatoes and then cover with cold water and a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once water starts to boil, add 2 teaspoons of salt and stir.
2. Once rolling boil, turn heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender about 15-20 minutes.
3. While potatoes are cooking, in a sheet of aluminum foil, place cloves of garlic (still in garlic papers but with root ends cut off) into foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap foil ball mostly together but leaving slightly open. Air fry at 400º for 15 minutes. Open foil and remove cloves. Garlic cloves should be soft and will pop out of their paper shells. Place into a bowl and set aside.
   • If you don’t have an air fryer, you can roast the garlic in the oven at 400º for 30-40 minutes.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, pour cottage cheese and milk in a food processor or blender and blend cottage cheese until it’s completely smooth. This took about 20 seconds in my Vitamix blender.
5. Add roasted garlic cloves to cottage cheese and pulse to chop garlic.
6. Drain potatoes and place back in pot. Add the butter to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. You can use a hand mixer if you like them more smooth.
7. Add the garlic cottage cheese mixture, salt & pepper to the potatoes and mix just until combined.
8. Garnish with fresh chives and serve

Recipe FAQs

More Potato Recipes

• Scalloped Potatoes for Two
• Smoked Cheesy Potatoes
• Chili’s Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Holiday Side Dish Recipes

• Best Sweet Potato Casserole
• Oven Baked Macaroni & Cheese
• Pineapple Stuffing

What You Will About Candied Bacon Crackers

• Addictive! These little guys are so addictive! I promise you will NOT be able to eat just one!
• Candied Bacon! Just a little brown sugar and this bacon is candied!
• Creamy & Spicy – Cream cheese and a little tiny jalapeno slice put it over the top! These are so much more unique than just crackers and dip!

How to make Candied Bacon Crackers

This snack will soon be a family favorite! Baking or smoking them lets all the flavors meld together on those salty buttery crackers! Here’s how to make them:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Lay club crackers in rows on parchment. (You can set them on a wire rack or a cooling rack over the parchment if you’d like.)
2. Pull cream cheese from refrigerator and cut thin slices and place one slice on each cracker. It will be easier to cut if it’s cold vs. room temperature.
3. Sprinkle cream cheese lightly with bbq rub – I like Historic BBQ Red.
4. Cut each slice of bacon into fourths.
5. Then top each piece of cream cheese with sliced bacon pieces. Sprinkle each piece of bacon lightly with brown sugar.
6. Top brown sugar with a slice of pickled jalapeño
7. Place baking sheet into preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the bacon is cooked through to your liking.
8. Remove baking sheet from the oven and let rest for five minutes to firm up cream cheese and serve warm.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

More Bacon Recipes

• Smoked Candied Bacon
• Sausage Stuff Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
• Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
• First Watch Million Dollar Bacon

More Cream Cheese Recipes

• Smoked Cream Cheese on the Traeger
• Bacon Jalapeno Cream Cheese Wrapped Shrimp
• Skyline Chili Cheese Dip

What You Will About Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip

• One Bowl – The recipe is pretty simple – put it all in a bowl and mix – then bake!
• Cheesy – I love the cheesiness of this dip – it’s so comforting!
• Crowd Pleaser – This hot crab dip is a favorite at every gathering and you won’t have any leftovers!

Recipe Substitutions

Hot crab spinach artichoke dip is delicious – but you can also make a few tweaks based on your likes and dislikes. Here are some variations you can make:

• Shrimp – if you’re not a fan of crab or don’t have it on hand – you could chop raw shrimp and add it. It will cook while the dish bakes. Don’t dice it – but chop into 1/2″ pieces.
• Additional Seasoning – feel free to get crazy and add more seasonings – I tried to keep it simple but other additions could be a dash of lemon juice, 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic salt and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes!
• Vegetables – saute diced onions for a little additional texture and flavor, finely dice up broccoli or add diced tomatoes.

How to make Crab Spinach & Artichoke Dip

This dip is so simple to make!!! It goes together in about 5 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Thaw and drain spinach by squeezing out water
3. In a medium bowl, add spinach, artichoke hearts, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and crab meat. Stir to combine.
4. Spray a pie plate or an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray and spoon mixture into the dish. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.
5. Change oven to broil – high and cook for 3-4 minutes or until top is golden brown – watch closely as High Broil cooks quickly.
6. Allow to cool slightly and serve with tortilla chips and garnish with chives or fresh parsley.

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

More Hot Dip Recipes

• Hot & Cheesy Pulled Pork Dip
• Cincinnati Chili Dip
• Hooters Buffalo Chicken Dip

More Crab Recipes

• Red Lobster Crab Alfredo
• Air Fryer Crab Cakes
• Chinese Buffet Crab Casserole

What You Will About Spiral Smoked Ham

• Holiday Ham Recipe – whether this is for Thanksgiving, Christmas or a Classic Easter Dinner – you’ll love this easy recipe!
• Simple Ingredients – the ham is the main need but after that – the glaze ingredients are super simple and you’ll already have them on hand.
• Smoky Sensation – I love making dishes on the Traeger because of the subtle smokiness the pellets add. You’ll love it! (And you don’t have to pay attention to it!)

How to make Spiral Smoked Ham on a Traeger

We’re kind of making a Double Smoked Spiral Ham because the ham is already smoked once and we’re gonna smoke it again on the Traeger! Here’s what we’ll do:

1. Preheat the Traeger with the lid closed to 225°F; this will take about 15 minutes. 
2. Remove the ham from any packaging and discard netting, plastic and glaze packet. Place the ham cut-side down directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and cook for 60 minutes.
3. In a small saucepan, add brown sugar, pineapple juice, honey, cinnamon and cloves. Turn onto medium heat and bring to a boil together and cook for 3-4 minutes to thicken sauce before pouring onto ham and baking.
4. Brush the ham with the glaze every 20 minutes for 60 minutes. Using an Instant read meat thermometer – check the internal temperature to be sure its 145º. Ham is already cooked so you’re really just reheating it but you want it to be at least warm to the bone.
5. Remove the ham from grill. Slice and serve. Pour any leftover glaze onto the ham slices. Cover with an aluminum foil tent if not serving right away to let the ham rest. Enjoy!

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

What to make with Leftover Ham

• Cheesy Potatoes with Ham
• Ham & Cheese Pasta Bake
• Ham & Cheese Slider Sandwiches

Holiday Side Dish Recipes

• Skillet Creamed Corn
• Simply Potatoes Cheesy Potatoes
• Texas Roadhouse Green Beans