These Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are perfectly soft and chewy with white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and macadamia nuts in every bite. A Holiday favorite!
Chewy Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
These cranberry white chocolate cookies are a must for our Christmas cookie trays and everyone just loves them! The white chocolate and red cranberries make them so pretty to serve for the Holidays. They are slightly crispy around the edge and the center is soft and chewy. These will be the first dessert to go when serving at any party and everyone always wants the recipe.
Here are a few other delicious and pretty cookies to include on your Holiday cookie tray: Butter Cookies, Turtle Cookies, Pfeffernusse, and Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies.
Ingredients Needed
This cookie recipe starts with your basic cookie ingredients with the addition of white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Get the full amounts in the recipe box below.
- Butter and Shortening – combining the two gives the best texture to these cookies.
- Sugars – granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Eggs and Pure Vanilla Extract
- Dry ingredients – Flour, sugar and salt.
- White Chocolate – use white chocolate chips of white chocolate chunks.
- Dried Cranberries – we like to use Craisins.
- Nuts – this is optional, but we like macadamia nuts for this recipe.
How To Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
A note before making these: there is a one hour chill time before baking, so make sure to plan ahead.
- Mix. First, you will cream together the butter, sugars and shortening.
- Add. Slowly mix into that mixture the eggs and vanilla.
- Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir your dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, salt).
- Incorporate. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix again.
- Fold. Once the dough is all mixed together, fold in the craisins and chocolate chips.
- Chill. Scoop your cookies onto your pan and chill them in the fridge for an hour.
- Bake. Cook at 375 for 9-12 minutes.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes before pulling them off the pan.
Storing
- Store. Place the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze. These cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. I like to place the cookies in an airtight container and add wax paper in between the layers to prevent sticking.
- Freezing the cookie dough. Place the cookie dough balls in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, then transfer the dough balls into zip-lock freezer bags. When ready to use, bake the cookie dough balls from frozen with an extra minute added to the baking time.
Tips and Variations
The Butter. Make sure the butter is just soft and NOT melted. This makes a huge different with the texture of the cookies.
Presentation. Save some chocolate chips and press them on the tops of the raw cookie dough right before baking.
Chocolate. If you’re not a fan of white chocolate, try some dark chocolate chips. Chocolate chunks would also be delicious.
Nuts. this is totally optional, but feel free to replace the macadamia nuts with walnuts or pecans.
Cookie Size. I highly recommend using a cookie scoop. This will keep all the cranberry white chocolate cookies the same size, so they bake evenly.
Baking Time. 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. Ovens vary, so make sure to keep an eye on the first batch and take them out when the tops get a light golden color.
More Cranberry Desserts
- Cranberry Pistachio Fudge
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Cranberry Christmas Cake
- Cranberry Cheesecake
- Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake
- Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup macadamia nuts chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix just until beaten but not fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wed ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Fold in the white chocolate chips, craisins, and nuts.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, it’s okay if they are close together, then place them in the freezer to chill for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and arrange the chilled cookie dough balls 2-inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet (keep remaining dough balls in the freezer until ready to bake) and bake for 9 to 12 minutes just until the edges are golden brown and the center is still soft.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Last Step:
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