White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies - Add a little festive fun to your holiday baking tray this year with these soft and chewy white chocolate cranberry cookies, perfect for all your gatherings and cravings!
Soft white chocolate cranberry cookies are one of the best and one of my favorite easy Christmas cookies to bake around the holidays! They're soft and chewy, chunky and delicious. You'll love the balance of sweet white chocolate in a brown sugary cookie and the tartness of dried cranberries in every bite.
You'll want to whip up a batch of these cranberry white chocolate cookies to have on your cookie tray right next to the old fashioned sugar cookies, chocolate thumbprint cookies, and Christmas whoopie pie cookies at your next holiday party, or for gifting friends, for cookie exchanges, or for a snack with a cold glass of milk. They're made with simple baking ingredients, so you may already have what you need to get started!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy. A batch of 36 cookies is ready in under an hour!
- So festive! The perfect holiday cookie recipe.
- Taste and texture. Produces soft, chewy, sweet, and tart cookies.
- Versatile. Perfect for any occasion.
- Freezer-friendly. Double the recipe and freeze half for later!
Ingredients for Chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Unsalted butter: You want it slightly melted, so be sure you measure the butter after it’s been melted, not before.
- Cane sugar and brown sugar: I use both for sweetness, but the additional brown sugar gives the cookies a softer texture and added moisture with a nice caramelized flavor.
- Vanilla extract: For extra warm flavor that pairs well with sugary cookies and white chocolate chips!
- Large egg: For binding. Bring it out to room temperature about 40 minutes before you begin. It’ll blend in more easily and it’ll help the cookies to bake evenly.
- All-purpose flour: Measure your flour accurately using a scale or the spoon and level method so you’re not using too much.
- Baking powder: This is what helps keep the cookies nice and soft and gives it a lift.
- Sea salt: Brings out the flavors and balances the sweetness.
- White chocolate chips and dried or fresh cranberries: The festive mix-ins. The white and red are so pretty. Be sure to save some chocolate chips to place on top.
See the recipe card for the full information on recipe ingredients and quantities.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Step 1: In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Step 2: Mix in the egg and vanilla, continuing to beat until smooth and fully combined.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Slowly, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low until everything is just combined.
Step 4: Use a spatula to fold in the white chocolate chips and cranberries (either dried or fresh) so they are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
Step 5: Scoop out the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place them onto the parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Place a few extra chocolate chips onto each cookie dough ball.
Step 6: Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 11-13 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Enjoy!
Cooking Tips
- Room temperature ingredients. This is important to ensure all the ingredients blend smoothly and evenly. It also means that all your ingredients are baking at the same rate.
- Do not overmix the dough. Mix until just combined that way they stay nice and chewy, and not tough.
- Adding extra chocolate chips on top. If you forget before baking, just stick a few on top immediately out of the oven while they’re still soft.
- Use an electric mixer. This makes life easier! You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Recipe FAQs
This could be because your baking powder has expired or the cookies spread too much. If you find your dough too soft, place it in the fridge to chill for a few minutes before scooping the dough.
Much like my giant chocolate chip cookie recipe, it’s also important to follow the recipe exactly for the best, thick results!
Sure, you can! You will need to thaw frozen cranberries first, and pat them dry to ensure they’re not watery. Then, chop them up or keep them whole, and add them to your dough. They will have an extra tart flavor.
It’s important to keep them covered in an airtight container, so prevent them from drying out. If you find they are starting to dry out, you can place a piece of bread inside the container as well. This helps to keep the cookies soft and chewy.
You could try milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or chopped nuts (if you’d had Dubai chocolate or chocolate chip cookies with walnuts you know what an amazing combination nuts and chocolate is!) instead. You could also swap the cranberries for raisins if preferred.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pecan Cookies
- Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
- Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
- Cinnamon Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting – Gooey Pull-Apart Dessert
- Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins (with Cream Cheese or without!)
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📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies (Soft, Chewy & Easy)
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter unsalted, slightly melted (12 tablespoon or 1 ½ sticks)
- ¼ cup cane sugar (add ¼ cups more sugar if you like your cookies extra sweet)
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Mix-Ins
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips plus more to decorate the top of the cookie balls before baking
- 1 cup dried cranberries or 1-2 cups fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Prep the Oven & Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the softened butter, cane sugar, and brown sugar for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and well combined.
- Add the Wet Ingredients: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until the batter becomes smooth and fully incorporated.
- Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sea salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together—avoid overmixing for the softest cookies.
- Fold in the Mix-Ins: Use a spatula to gently fold in the white chocolate chips and dried or fresh cranberries until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop and Bake: Roll or scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a few extra white chocolate chips on top for a bakery-style finish.Bake for 11–13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are still soft.
- Cool and Serve: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy warm or fully cooled.
Notes
- Don’t overbake: These cookies are best when the centers stay slightly soft. They will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
- Chill for thicker cookies: If you prefer thicker, bakery-style cookies, chill the dough for 30–60 minutes before baking.
- Swap the mix-ins: White chocolate pairs beautifully with dried cherries, blueberries, or chopped pistachios if you want to switch things up.
- Use room-temperature ingredients: Slightly melted butter and a room-temperature egg help the dough mix evenly and create a smooth, creamy texture.
- Make ahead: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Scoop before freezing for easy baking later.
- Baking in batches: Keep the dough chilled between batches to prevent spreading.
- Measure the flour correctly: Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it — packing flour can make the cookies dry or cakey.
Nutrition
Happy baking!
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