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White chocolate cranberry cookies have soft-baked centers, crunchy edges, and are loaded with the best combination: tart, dried cranberries and sweet white chocolate morsels.
Everyone loves a classic chocolate chip cookie, but there are times you want to change it up.
I was given this cookie recipe by one of my closest friends. We were chatting about add-ins for cookies and cranberry and white chocolate came up. Some combinations in cookies just go so well together. It’s like they were MADE to be together. Cranberry and white chocolate is definitely one of them, especially around the holidays as it seems like cranberries are most thought about during November-December!
Ingredients for White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Butter – unsalted and at room temperature so it’s easier to cream together with sugar.
- Dark brown sugar – gives the cookies a deeper color and depth of flavor.
- Granulated sugar – gives sweetness to the cookie.
- Eggs – helps bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk – you can use whatever kind you have, you can even use non-dairy milk.
- Dried cranberries – sweetened, dried cranberries work well in this recipe. I love the chewy, tartness of dried cranberries to help balance out the sweetness!
- White chocolate chips – the regular-sized morsels, not mini white chocolate chips.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Variations and Tips
- Add nuts – chopped hazelnuts are a great addition to these white chocolate cranberry cookies! They would give the cookie extra texture and volume.
- Use orange zest – adding in a little bit of orange zest would give this cookie a little zing and the flavor pairs really well with the tangy cranberries and sweet white chocolate.
- Chop a white chocolate bar – this is one of my favorite things to do if I don’t want to use chocolate chips. I take a white chocolate bar and use a serrated knife and finely chop/shave the chocolate so you get various sized chunks scattered throughout the dough.
- Remove them from the oven early – if you like extra soft and slightly underbaked cookies, pull the cookies out a little early. They will still set up while sitting on the hot baking sheet.
- Add cornstarch – did you know if you add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the dry mixture, it yields a softer, chewier, and more tender cookie? Give it a try!
- Buy a cookie scoop – using a cookie scoop ensures that you have even-sized cookies for even baking. You wouldn’t want one large and one small cookie baking together at the same time. The smaller cookie would finish baking much faster than the larger one.
FAQs
You may use another dried fruit in this recipe but try to stick to the dried cranberries. If you really want to swap them out, dried cherries or dried apricots would be a good alternative.
You could use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead.
You likely over-baked them. To avoid this, pull them out of the oven a minute or two early and let them set up on the baking sheet. They will be soft in the center (when you pull them out of the oven) but they continue baking since the baking sheet is hot.
Hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, or sliced almonds (not whole), would be great additions. Keep in mind the toppings are already pretty full so anything else might make your cookies overloaded and fall apart (not enough dough to topping ratio). Less is more in this case!
Storage Instructions
To store at room temperature: allow the cookies to cool completely then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. To keep the cookies soft, add a slice of white bread to the container.
To freeze: after you’ve finished making the dough, scoop dough onto a large baking sheet with a cookie scoop then freeze and place frozen cookie dough in a freezer-safe container or bag. Alternatively, you can press the dough into cookie dough trays and freeze. Dough will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Love cranberries in your baked goods? Try these!
- Homemade Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Apple Cranberry Crisp
- Cranberry Orange Breakfast Cake
- Cranberry Shortbread Bars
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 ¼ cup (152 g) dried cranberries
- 1 ½ cup (270 g) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Then add in the egg, vanilla extract, and milk and beat for 2 more minutes.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until all combined and well-incorporated.
- Using a spatula, fold in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop, place dough on lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. You want it to still be a little soft in the center. It will set up while it cools.
- Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Video
Nutrition
Photographs by Meg McKeehan Photography
These are in the oven now, and smell so good!
Hope you enjoyed them :)
I made these a couple of weeks ago and they turned out brilliantly! Thanks for the recipe :) http://hungryhinny.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/cranberry-and-white-chocolate-cookies/
I LOVE the combination of white chocolate and cranberries – delicious!
These look absolutely delicious!! I now know what I can do for saturday when friends are coming over :)
But how much brown sugar is actually needed ._.? ‘1 brown sugar, packed’ – there is something missing there, isn’t there?
But this is really a great recipe :) :) yummmy =~=
Oh shoot! That meant to say 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed. So sorry! I’ve fixed it now. :)
I love the combination of cranberry & white chocolate – every time I ask my boyfriend what cookies he wants me to make, he says ‘cranberry & white chocolate’ so I will definitely have to make him these!
So, I usually can’t stand white chocolate. There are a few exceptions to this and one is usually when it is in a cookie like this! I love cranberries and these look great!
I’ve never heard of the new berry Girl Scout cookies…I admittedly always end up living under a rock when it comes to them, but will definitely be adding these cookies to my list of favorites!
I love a chewy cranberry cookie and these look SO good, Julie! Perfect for sharing… or not sharing at all.
Wow those look so tasty! I am glad I stumbled upon your blog!!
I usually don’t like white chocolate but in this case I’ll make an exception.