These soft and chewy white chocolate cranberry cookies are a holiday staple with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. So festive for any cookie tray!
For more cookie recipes, try cranberry orange shortbread cookies, best chocolate chip cookies and triple chocolate chip cookies.
Table of Contents
Soft White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie Recipe
After making my macadamia nut cookies the other day, I decided to adapt the recipe to make this delicious variation with dried cranberries. These white chocolate cranberry cookies are the perfect Christmas cookies!
You can never have too many quick and easy cookie recipes during the holidays, especially ones that look as good as they taste! The beautiful pop of color from the cranberries makes these festive-looking white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies a definite go-to for any cookie tray, gift, or cookie exchange.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Soft and flavorful. This simple recipe is soft and chewy from a secret ingredient known as cornstarch.
- Perfect pair. White chocolate chips just go with sweet cranberries! The two are the perfect pair in this cookie and my oatmeal cranberry cookies.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Cream. Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer. This process is made much easier using softened butter. It should become light and fluffy. Then, add in the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Whisk. In a separate bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder and slowly add this mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix well and fold in the chocolate chips, cranberries and optional macadamia nuts.
- Chill then scoop. Chill dough up to an hour then using a cookie scoop add cookie dough balls to a prepared parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake until edges are golden brown but still soft in the middle. Remove to cool for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Baking Tips and Variations
- Too cold. If you find your cookies aren’t spreading nicely, it could be because you’ve kept the dough in the fridge for too long. An hour is maximum, however, 15 minutes should suffice. If using frozen cookie dough, make sure to bring it back to a warmer temperature before baking.
- Too warm. Although there is such a thing as too cold, it’s important to remember there is such a thing as too warm! You want the butter chilled so it doesn’t overspread too quickly. The longer it takes for the butter to melt into the cookie, the more evenly it spreads. So, in a nutshell…not too warm, not too cold.
- Nuts. Chopped pecans, pistachios or macadamia nuts would add a lovely crunch to the white chocolate cranberry cookie.
- Raisins. If cranberries aren’t your thing, try raisins instead. You can also omit them for just a white chocolate chip cookie recipe.
- A science. Baking, as we know, uses really precise measurements. Be sure to level your flour in the measuring cup using the straight edge of a knife to keep it level.
Storing and Freezing
- Storing: Enjoy these cookies for the next 3 days by keeping any leftovers in an airtight container.
- Freezer. If you’ve made a bigger batch and want to freeze some, they will keep for 3 months in a freezer-friendly airtight container. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before enjoying.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
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White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup light brown sugar , packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (more if desired)
- ¾ cup dried cranberries (more if desired)
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Instructions
- Cream. Cream 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and 3/4 granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Mix for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Add in 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla and mix until combined.
- Combine cookie dough. Whisk together 2 3/4 cups flour, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a separate bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until combined. Fold in 1 cup white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup dried cranberries. Refrigerate dough for 15 to 60 minutes.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper and set aside. Using a medium cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons, place the cookie dough on the baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. The cookies should still be soft in the middle.
- Cool and store. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for 3 minutes and then move to cooling rack. Store in a covered container up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Cookies, Dairy-Free, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Holiday Cookies, Nut-Free, Vegetarian, White Chocolate Cookies
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I followed the recipe exactly. The cookies were soft, sweet and heavenly. The colors were very festive. This is a new holiday favorite!
Hi, can I reduce the amount of sugar? What should I do?
I haven’t tried, but if you do let me know how they turn out!
We love how chewy these cookies are and the cranberries make them just perfect for the holidays!
Perfect holiday flavors baked into incredible cookies! These are a must have for any holiday dessert tray or cookie swap!