White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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These white chocolate chip cranberry cookies are a festive treat that always makes an appearance in my holiday cookie boxes. The red and white colors throughout the cookies always look so festive! However, these cookies are also great all year round. They are chewy, crispy, sweet, and tart all at once, making it hard to eat just one.

I love how easy these cookies are to make. Simply combine all the ingredients in a mixer before scooping them onto a baking sheet, and then bake to perfection. There’s no chilling time, no complicated techniques, and you only need a few simple ingredients. They also keep well, so you can always have some on hand. Need another cookie recipe for your cookie tray? Try my double chocolate chip cookie recipe, cookies and cream cookies, or my chocolate biscotti recipe!

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Ingredients needed to make white chocolate cranberry cookies.

Baking soda — make sure the baking soda is not expired in order to help create a soft, fluffy white chocolate and cranberry cookie.

Butter — be sure to buy unsalted butter and not salted butter to avoid an overly salty cookie. Also, make sure the butter is at room temperature, which means it’s soft enough so when you press into it, your finger leaves a dent. If it’s cold, it’ll be difficult to cream it.

Sugar — you need both brown and granulated sugar. Brown sugar will help yield a soft and chewy cookie as well as add a delicious caramelized flavor, whereas granulated sugar helps with sweetness and structure.

Eggs — eggs are a must as they add moisture and bind together the ingredients. They also provide structure.

Dried cranberries — I love the chewy, sweet-tart flavor you get from the craisins. Don’t skimp out on them! Skip using fresh cranberries, as they’ll add too much liquid to the batter.

Chocolate chips — this recipe uses white chocolate chips. I recommend using good-quality white chocolate chips but you can also use white chocolate chunks if you prefer.

How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Set of two photos showing butter added to a mixer of sugar then eggs mixed in.

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beating until well combined before adding the next egg. Beat in the vanilla.

Set of two photos showing flour added to a mixing bowl and dried cranberries poured in after the batter has formed.

3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour whisked with baking soda and salt, and beat just until combined.

4. Scrape down the bowl. Add the white chocolate and cranberries to the mixing bowl.

Set of two photos showing white chocolate chips added to the cookie batter then dough balls scooped onto a lined sheet pan.

5. Stir until combined.

6. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, place dough balls on the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are browned. Let cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Overhead view of a white chocolate cranberry cookie on top of a glass of milk.

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

You can reserve some dried cranberries and white chocolate chips to press into the top of the cookies after they come out of the oven or right before baking for a prettier presentation.
I highly recommend using a triggered cookie scoop. A cookie scoop ensures that all the cranberry white chocolate cookies are the same size, so they bake evenly. If you bake cookies regularly, then it’s worth purchasing!
Room temperature butter and eggs will mix more evenly. If your eggs are cold, place them into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes. Doing so will quickly bring them to room temperature if you have forgotten to take them out of your fridge beforehand.
Make sure your brown sugar is soft and moist for the best results. If your brown sugar has hardened, don’t worry, it’s super easy to fix! I have a post all about how to soften your brown sugar.
Measure your flour correctly to avoid dry and dense cranberry white chocolate cookies. Adding too much flour to the batter is the most common mistake people make. The easiest way to measure is by using a digital kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. Avoid packing the flour into a measuring cup.
For the best flavor, use pure vanilla instead of artificial extract. It’s subtle but makes a difference! Even better, try my homemade vanilla extract.
Make sure not to overbake the cookies. After you take the cookies out of the oven and cool them on the baking sheet, they will firm up.
If you prefer a crispier cookie, replace some of the brown sugar with granulated sugar.
Dried cherries are a great option if you do not have dried cranberries.

A stack of white chocolate cranberry cookies with one leaning on the stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store leftover cookies?

If you don’t eat all the cookies in one sitting, you can store leftover white chocolate chip cranberry cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can also store them in the fridge, but they won’t be as chewy.

Can I freeze these cookies?

These cookies are freezer-friendly. Once the cookies have cooled, transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container. Freezer for up to 2 months, and when ready to enjoy, thaw on the counter until they’ve reached room temperature.

Can I freeze the cookie dough?

You can freeze the cookie dough if you do not want to bake it all at once. Place the cookie dough balls in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, then transfer the dough balls into zip-top freezer-friendly bags. When ready to enjoy, you can bake the cookie dough balls from frozen with an extra minute added to the baking time.

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If you’ve tried this White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!