Use white chocolate and dried cranberries to make the most delicious cookies ever! These white chocolate cranberry cookies are surprisingly simple and easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
Table of Content
Want a different twist to your holiday cookies? Try these cranberry white chocolate cookies. Cranberries are in season in the fall. And the acid in the berries is what makes these cookies so fluffy. They’re a perfect treat for holiday entertaining.
Why make these cookies
- These cranberry cookies have a soft and chewy texture, with a wonderful flavor of tart cranberries and sweet chocolate.
- I am using a stand mixer (hand mixer) but you can use a large bowl and whisk as well.
- And most of the ingredients are simple pantry staples or easy to find.
- Also, these can be made in just about 30 minutes from start to finish.
- This is a kids' favorite cookie, so make sure to double the recipe.
- In addition, they make perfect Christmas gifts to give family and friends during the holiday season. Once baked and cooled completely, just wrap them in plastic and tie a pretty bow.
Timeline and process
- Prepare the cookie dough - 10 mins
- Chill cookie dough - 15 mins
- Bake cookies - 10 mins
Ingredients and substitutes
- All-purpose flour - I use regular all-purpose flour with baking soda and salt. Baking soda gives it that wonderful light texture.
- Cornstarch - Also known as cornflour, adds a nice crisp to the cookies.
- Chocolate chip - I like the combination of chocolate with cranberries. Especially, because cranberries are tart, so the chocolate adds a nice depth of flavor.
- Sugar - The light brown sugar keeps them soft but the white sugar makes them crisp giving this cookie a perfect texture.
- Spices - You can use cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, or gingerbread spice. Today, I am not using any spices.
- Chocolate - I am using bittersweet chocolate chips but you can also use white chocolate chips or a chopped chocolate bar.
- Vanilla - You can use vanilla extract, bean paste, or vanilla sugar.
Chocolate chip cranberry cookies
- Preheat the oven at 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4
- Dry ingredients - Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream together the butter with both brown and white sugar until light and fluffy.
- Then, add the eggs one at a time into the creamed sugar mixture, then the vanilla extract. Next, add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, but, do not over-mix.
Pro tip - We do not want to activate the gluten in our dough so do not overmix.
- Finally, add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
Pro tip - This cookie dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. - Chill the cookies for just 15 minutes. Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to drop cookie dough balls on two baking sheets lined with silicon mats or parchment paper.
Pro tip - You can also drop the dough balls on a cookie sheet and freeze them until firm. Then, freeze the dough balls in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
- Bake for 10 to 12 mins or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
- Cool on a cookie tray for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before you transfer to a cookie jar.
Tips for Success
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and sugar can cream until light and fluffy.
- Rest the dough before rolling the cookies. Resting helps the butter firm up again, which makes it easier to work and prevents spreading
- And if the cookie dough is too soft, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough will prevent spreading.
- Preheat the oven for a good 15 minutes making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- It is a good practice to place cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
More cookie recipes
- Chocolate chip cranberry cookies
- White chocolate cranberry bars
- Classic chocolate chip cookies or Everyday chocolate chip cookies
- Christmas Spritz Cookies or Christmas Star Cookies
- Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies or Gingerbread Sugar Cookies
- Classic Gingerbread cake or Gingerbread Cupcakes
- Spiced Gingerbread Loaf Cake
- The Best Molasses Cookies and Old Fashion Soft Molasses Cookies
- Shortbread with Molasses
- See all holiday cookies or all cookie recipes
How long will these white chocolate cranberry cookies keep?
These cranberry cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. You can chill the cookies in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can also freeze the dough for up to 3 months or freeze the cookies for up to a month.
How do you fix cookies that spread too much? How to prevent cookies from spreading?
These cookies do not spread too much.
However, too much butter or sugar in the recipe can lead to cookies spreading. Also, too much baking powder or baking soda can also make cookies spread too much.
In addition, place cookies on a cold, not hot baking pan.
And make sure the oven is at the right temperature.
Do these chocolate cranberry cookies spread?
The cookie needs the right temperature for baking. So the cookie spreads just enough and the outside bakes to a crisp preventing any more spreading (hope that makes sense). Hence, finding the right oven temperature is essential. Therefore, please follow the directions that come with the recipe.
Printable Recipe
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 258kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 15 servings
Description
Use white chocolate and dried cranberries to make the most delicious cookies ever! These white chocolate cranberry cookies are surprisingly simple and easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup (280 g) All purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon (15 g) Cornstarch (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup (227 g) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 2 large Eggs
- ½ cup (100 g) White sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Spices (cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or nutmeg)
- 1 cup (235 g) White chocolate chips (or sweet white chocolate)
- 1 cup (100 g) Dried cranberry
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4
- Dry ingredients - Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream together the butter with both brown and white sugar until light and fluffy.
- Then, add the eggs one at a time into the creamed sugar mixture, then the vanilla extract. Next, add flour mixture into the wet ingredients, but, do not over mix. Pro tip - We do not want to activate the gluten in our dough so do not overmix.
- Finally, add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Pro tip - This cookie dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Chill the cookies for just 15 minutes. Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to drop cookie dough balls on two baking sheets lined with silicon mats or parchment paper. Pro tip - You can also drop the dough balls on a cookie sheet and freeze them until firm. Then, freeze the dough balls in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
- Bake for 10 to 12 mins or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
- Cool on a cookie tray for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before you transfer to a cookie jar.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and sugar can cream until light and fluffy.
- Rest the dough before rolling the cookies. Resting helps the butter firm up again which makes it easier to work and prevents spreading
- If the cookie dough is too soft, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough will prevent spreading
- Preheat the oven for a good 15 minutes making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- It is a good practice to place cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
Bake Ahead and Freezing Instructions
- Dough - You can freeze the dough for a month wrapped well in a ziplock bag. Then, thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.
- Unbaked cookies - And, you can also freeze the baked cookies dough balls in freezer bags. They will stay for up to a month.
- Baked cookies - Alternatively, freeze the baked cookies between parchment papers for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 258- kcalCarbohydrates: 35.7- gProtein: 2.1- gFat: 12.5- gSaturated Fat: 7.5- gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.4- gMonounsaturated Fat: 0- gTrans Fat: 0.4- gCholesterol: 51- mgSodium: 121- mgPotassium: 0- mgFiber: 1- gSugar: 21.7- gVitamin A: 0- IUVitamin C: 0- mgCalcium: 0- mgIron: 0- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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