These white chocolate cranberry cookies offer tidings of comfort and joy to any Christmas cookie tray. Each cookie is thick and incredibly soft with sweet white chocolate chips and tart dried cranberries dotted throughout. Their red and white coloring looks so festive for the Christmas holiday, but they’re so good that we eat them all year round!
Ingredients for White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Butter: The key to making a fabulous cookie is starting with softened butter. If you forgot to soften it, fret not: here’s how to soften butter quickly.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds more moisture to the dough than white sugar, resulting in a chewier, softer cookie.
- Egg: One egg binds all the ingredients together perfectly.
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is the goldilocks of flour for cookies. It’s not too soft like cake flour, but not too tough and dense like bread flour. All-purpose flour adds just the right amount of structure to a cookie while still allowing it to be soft.
- White chocolate chips: Overwhelmed by the amount of white chocolate chips at the store? Our Test Kitchen pros found that the best white chocolate chips are Ghirardelli Classic White Chips.
- Dried cranberries: We love the beautiful maroon hue, tart taste and pleasant chew that dried cranberries add to these cranberry white chocolate cookies.
Directions
Step 1: Beat the wet ingredients
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugars until crumbly, about two minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Step 2: Add in the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and beat well. Fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.
Step 3: Scoop the dough
Drop the cookie dough by the tablespoonful two inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.
Editor’s Tip: A good cookie scoop is at the top of our necessary cookie supplies (literally). They’re so helpful for consistent cookies and they make the scooping process much quicker.
Step 4: Bake
Bake the cookies until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool the cookies at room temperature for one minute before removing to wire racks.
Editor’s Tip: Perfectly golden cookie bottoms are another sign of doneness.
Recipe Variations
- Add in nuts: Proven by the white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, these ingredients are a winning match. Macadamia’s richness and nuttiness also pair well with dried cranberries, so throw in some chopped macadamia nuts to add oomph to these cranberry white chocolate cookies.
- Swap in a different chocolate: We get it, white chocolate isn’t for everyone. Semisweet or dark chocolate are excellent swaps in these cookies.
- Grate in zest: Tart cranberry and tangy-sweet orange complement each other’s flavors perfectly. Grate in some orange zest into the cookie dough and taste what a difference some citrus zest can make.
How to Store White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
To store, allow the white chocolate cranberry cookies to cool completely to room temperature. Place them in an airtight container, layering sheets of parchment or wax paper between each cookie stack to prevent the cookies from sticking together (a must when learning how to store cookies!). Store the cookies at room temperature for up to one week.
A baking tip from the Amish? Store your cookies with a slice of bread. It’s an easy way to soften cookies so they don’t go stale as quickly.
Can you freeze white chocolate cranberry cookies?
Yes, you can freeze white chocolate cranberry cookies. Allow the cookies to cool completely to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container with a sheet of wax or parchment paper between layers. They can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
To thaw, place the cookies in the fridge overnight, or allow the cookies to thaw at room temperature for an hour.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Tips
Can you freeze white chocolate cranberry cookie dough?
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough! After making the dough, scoop out cookie dough balls and place them close together on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet, uncovered, in the freezer until the cookie dough balls are hard, 30 to 60 minutes. Add the frozen cookie dough balls to a resealable bag and store in the freezer for up to three months.
To bake, simply place frozen cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and into the oven, adding a few extra minutes of baking time as needed.
Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried?
Yes, you can use fresh cranberries instead of dried. The fresh cranberries will impart pink hued dots, and the additional moisture they hold will make for a softer cookie. You may need to add a few more minutes of baking time, though!
