I just baked up a batch of my favorite white cranberry cookies, and oh my goodness, my kitchen smells like heaven!
These cookies are like a fun twist on a classic. The tart pop of cranberries perfectly balances the sweet, buttery cookie base.
I love how the white chocolate chips add an extra layer of creamy indulgence, too. It’s impossible to eat just one!
They’re bright, chewy, and the perfect mix of sweet and tangy. Everyone will want the recipe!
Why You’ll Love These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Visually Attractive: These cookies are full of vibrant red cranberries and creamy white chocolate chips. They’re perfect for jazzing up your dessert table.
Festive Flavors: White chocolate chips and dried cranberries are staples of holiday baked goods. Their sweetly tart flavor practically screams, “Christmas!”
Easy Preparation: This recipe is easy to follow and doesn’t require specialized equipment or hard-to-find ingredients.
Versatile: Use these as indulgent desserts, afternoon snacks, or for cookie swaps! They’re the ideal cookies for any situation.
Ingredients
- White Chocolate Chips: These little morsels are sweet and creamy. They add a rich, milky flavor to the cookies.
- Dried Cranberries: These tart and chewy dried berries add color and a tangy contrast to the sweet white chocolate.
- All-Purpose Flour: Flour acts as the backbone of your cookies. It provides structure and stability.
- Baking Soda: The leavening agent helps your cookies rise and become light and fluffy.
- Salt: A simple flavor enhancer. It’ll balance the sweetness and bring out hidden depths in the berries and white chocolate.
- Unsalted Butter: For moisture and a deep, rich flavor and tender texture.
- Sugars: Use a combination of light brown and granulated sugars in this recipe. Together, they provide sweetness and a delightfully chewy texture.
- Large Eggs: The binding agent. They hold the batter together and add moisture.
- Vanilla Extract: Just a dash will infuse the cookies with warm, aromatic, and complementary notes.
- Orange Zest: For that bright burst of citrusy goodness that’ll elevate the cookies’ overall flavor.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
You can prepare and bake these cookies in no time. Just follow these simple steps:
1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Finish the batter. Use a large bowl to beat the butter and sugars for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and orange zest. Finally, mix the dry ingredients into this mixture at low speed. Then, add the chocolate chips and cranberries.
4. Bake. Place tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake them in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
5. Cool and serve. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Here are a few handy tips to keep in mind:
- Room temperature is a must. Room-temperature eggs and butter will incorporate into the batter better. They’ll result in smoother cookie dough.
- Let the dough chill. After preparing the dough, put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours. This will prevent the cookies from spreading when they bake.
- Don’t get the cheap stuff! Imitation just won’t give you that same rich, deep flavor. If you make homemade vanilla extract, that also works nicely.
- Thicken them up. Just a couple of teaspoons in the dough will make the cookies delightfully thick and soft.
- Save your mix-ins. Don’t add all of the white chocolate chips and cranberries to the batter. Save a few to sprinkle on top after scooping the dough onto the sheets. They’ll make the cookies so much prettier.
- Try a scooping trick. Using a cookie scoop to scoop the dough will give you uniformly-sized cookies. They’ll bake more evenly that way.
- Try fun variations. You can mix in chopped nuts or use different dried fruits. You can also drizzle melted white chocolate over the finished cookies.
How to Store
These cookies aren’t just perfect because of how they look and taste. They’re also super convenient to make ahead store!
To Make Ahead: Prepare the dough according to the recipe instructions. Scoop them into balls and refrigerate the balls for up to 3 days before baking. Alternatively, you can flash-freeze the balls on a baking sheet. Then, freeze the dough in air-tight containers for up to 3 months.
To Bake Made-Ahead Dough: Bake refrigerated dough balls as directed in the recipe. For frozen balls, add 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
To Store: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container. They’ll last at room temperature for about a week or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
To Freeze: Transfer cooled cookies to a freezer-safe container, separating each layer with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
24
servings15
minutes11
minutes236
kcalThese white chocolate cranberry cookies are soft, chewy, and irresistible! They’re also super easy to prepare, and the dough can be made ahead of time.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then, mix in the vanilla extract and orange zest.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture on low speed until just combined. Gently stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave about 2 inches of space between each scoop.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. For softer cookies, bake on the lower end of the time range.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use high-quality white chocolate chips for the best flavor. I recommend Ghirardelli Classic White Chips.
- Use sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries, as you prefer.
- For perfectly round cookies, use a spoon to shape them right when they come out of the oven. (While they’re still warm.)
