White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
These white chocolate cranberry cookies are the festive answer to the classic chocolate chip cookie — chewy in the center with lightly crisp edges, studded with tart dried cranberries and sweet, creamy white chocolate chips. The flavors land right in the holiday sweet spot: the cranberries bring a bright, tangy bite that cuts through the richness, and the white chocolate melts into little pockets of sweetness in every bite. They’re quick to make, with no chilling required, so a batch can go from bowl to cooling rack in about half an hour.
The secret is using softened butter and brown sugar for chew, adding the mix-ins last so they stay evenly distributed, and pulling the cookies out while the centers still look slightly underdone — they finish setting on the hot sheet.
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 10-12 minutes per batch Servings: 30 cookies
What You’ll Need
- Mixing bowls
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Bake on the right equipment: see our best cooling rack for cookies guide — a sturdy rack lets air circulate under the cookies so the bottoms stay crisp instead of steaming soft.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips
- 1 cup (150 g) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the flour. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing on low speed just until no dry flour remains.
- Fold in the mix-ins. Stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries with a spatula until evenly distributed through the dough.
- Preheat and scoop. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
- Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are golden and set but the centers still look slightly soft. They firm up as they cool.
- Cool on a rack. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Tips for the Best White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Use softened, not melted, butter. Butter that holds its shape when pressed creams properly with the sugar and gives the cookies their chewy texture. Melted butter makes them spread thin and crisp.
- Don’t overbake. The cookies should look slightly underdone in the center when they come out — they carry over on the hot sheet and stay soft and chewy. Fully set in the oven means dry on the plate.
- Soak the cranberries if they’re very dry. A 10-minute soak in warm water (then drained and patted dry) plumps up stiff dried cranberries so they stay soft and juicy in the finished cookie.
Chewy, buttery, and bursting with tart cranberries and creamy white chocolate — these white chocolate cranberry cookies are the batch to bake all December long.
