White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
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White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies – tangy tart chewy cranberry craziness combined with sweet white chocolate creaminess for a bright, festive, and wonderful holiday cookie. This cranberry cookie is so tasty you won’t want to wait for the holidays!
This cranberry cookie recipe is a holiday version of the classic chocolate chip cookie. If you want more chocolate chip cookie recipes, try our Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Bars, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, and Toffee Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies.
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There’s always something special about holidays and the comforting nostalgia that brings cookies to mind. With that said, this amazing, soft and chewy white chocolate cranberry cookie isn’t just for Christmas or Valentine’s Day– yah, it works beautifully for an office or family treat!
Even “non-cran-fans” will be delighted with this thick and chewy white chocolate cranberry cookie! You’ll probably be wishing these folks didn’t like them so well once you see how fast they disappear!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Recipe
- A festive holiday cookie that tastes good as well as looks great!
- Relief for those “unicorns” who don’t like chocolate chip cookies!
- Can make ahead and store in the freezer when you want a cookie that isn’t run of the mill!
Equipment Needed To Make Wonderful White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
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Baking Sheets – My favorite pans are aluminum half-sheet pans. I have 5 of them and use them for everything from roasting veggies to baking cookies.
Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats – I love to use the pre-cut parchment sheets that fit my pans perfectly
Measuring Cups & spoons
Large & Medium Mixing Bowls
Electric Mixer
Whisk
Cooling Rack
Ingredients You Need To Make This White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Recipe
(full printable recipe at the end of this post)
Pantry Staples- Flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Unsalted Butter – Be sure to use real butter and not margarine. Additionally, make sure you allow the butter to come to room temperature before using it. Room temp butter is still cool to the touch, yet your finger should be able to make an indent in the butter without sinking.
Light Brown Sugar – Love that molasses content; it lends itself to a moister and softer cookie.
Vanilla extract – Be sure to use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Dried Cranberries – The key for the tart and tangy contrast to the cookie.
White Chocolate Chips – To offset the tartness of the cranberries with just the right smooth, sweet, and creamy finish.
Sea Salt – Sprinkling a dash on top adds another dimension to each bite!
How To Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
ONE: Make the cookie dough by creaming the butter and sugars and adding the other wet ingredients (per the full recipe below), then the dry ingredients.
TWO: Roll cookies into balls and chill for 30 minutes.
THREE: Preheat oven to 350°F and sprinkle raw cookies with sea salt.
FOUR: Bake and allow cookies to rest 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then gently press some cranberries and chips on top. Cool completely before serving.
Storing White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
- Use an airtight container to store white chocolate cranberry cookies, keeping them at room temp for up to two weeks. (We have a hard time finding anyone who says they have any to store for that long!)
- The baked cookies will hold up well stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months.
- You can also freeze the cookie dough, rolled into balls. Simply freeze balls on a tray for 30 minutes then transfer to a freezer bag or suitable container and pull and bake when you feel like a festive cranberry cookie treat!
Tips for Soft and Chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Butter temperature is crucial when you want thick, chewy white chocolate chip cranberry cookies. The butter should be workable, but cool. This is important if you choose not to chill the dough before baking and to avoid the batter spreading to create a crisper cookie.
When you crave a more chewy cranberry white chocolate chip cookie, you can attain this by soaking your dried cranberries in warm water for about 5 minutes. This gives overly dried cranberries a slight plump so you don’t end up with dry, tasteless little red nuggets. Be sure to lay them out on a paper towel and pat dry before adding to the dough.
Using silicone liners or parchment is strongly recommended instead of a greased cookie sheet to avoid the “spread dread!”
Substitutions and Variations
- If a cookie isn’t a cookie to you without a nut, try adding ¾ cup of macadamia nuts.
- A bit of orange zest adds a nice dimension if you want a little twist.
- You can use different dried fruit or mixed dried berries if you aren’t a huge cran’ fan. But we recommend you at least try the cranberry white chocolate version before you go rogue! 🙂
- Spiced rum or brandy gets extra brownie points if you happen to be trying to outdo a sibling’s take on this holiday fav…just substitute either for the vanilla.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Recipe FAQs
Why do I need to roll into balls, when some recipes just say to drop a spoonful?
Rolling this white chocolate cranberry cookie dough is what keeps the cookie from crumbling a day or so after baking, a common complaint. Rolling also assists in keeping the dough from spreading.
Does this recipe call for sweetened or unsweetened cranberries?
Most dried cranberries are prepared with sugar added so that is what will work best for the recipe for those who usually consume dried cranberries that contain sugar.
Those who actually have and use unsweetened cranberries are accustomed to the extra tartness and can easily use them in this recipe instead.
Can I use “Craisins” instead of dried cranberries?
Yes, they are actually the same thing, cranberries dried with sugar added. Craisins just happens to be a trademarked name of Ocean Spray Cranberry, Inc.
Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried cranberries?
You can, although you need to convert ¾ of dried to 1 cup fresh. If you don’t want your berries to “pop” and most likely dampen the cookie, you might want to crush or cut the cranberries prior to adding them. Keep in mind, fresh-cut cranberries may redden/pinken the overall batter, which might be kinda cool if you are using them as a Valentine’s Day cookie.
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White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
WHITE CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES are a wonderful addition to your holiday baking. Tart chewy cranberry craziness combined with sweet white chocolate creaminess for a bright and festive cookie. A cranberry cookie so tasty you won’t want to wait for the holidays!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (5.3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room termperature
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- sea salt for sprinkling on top (optional)
- a few extra cranberries and chips for pressing on top of cookies (optional)
Instructions
- Lline baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Using a large bowl and an electric mixer on medium-high, cream butter and sugars together until fully, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and egg and continue mixing until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add to the butter mixture and beat on low until well incorporated. Fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips.
- Form cookie dough into 2 tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Chill for about 30 minutes before baking (see NOTES).
- Preheat oven to 350°F and sprinkle dough balls with sea salt.
- Bake on the center rack for 12-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes and while still warm gently press a few cranberries and chips on the top of the cookies (this is optional, but makes the cookies look like they are from a bakery).. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to two weeks.
Chilling the cookie dough is optional, but makes for a better cookie! You can refrigerate the dough in the bowl for up to 72 hours but you will want to set it out to soften a little to make it easier to scoop and roll the cookie dough.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used.
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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I have made these several times they are so good. I add 3/4 cup of chopped pecans. I also form the cookies before chilling the dough