Looking for an amazing Christmas cookie recipe? You'll LOVE these chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies! Each bite of this delicious sweet treat is loaded with flavor, and they're so easy to make. Treat yourself this holiday season or anytime of year!
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There are some flavor combos that always make me think of the holidays, and cranberries and white chocolate is one of my favorites!
Cranberries make sense, because they are in season. And as far as white chocolate goes, my mom always bought a big block at Christmastime. Then we spent the season making all sorts of sweets. It was such a fun and delicious tradition!
These scrumptious White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies combine both of these holiday faves into one mouthwatering recipe! You are going to love this classic cookie ... they're thick and chewy, and each bite is loaded with dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and crunchy nuts. Plus, they're so easy to make.
Ready to start baking? Then keep reading for all the details!
🎄🎄🎄 P.S. This holiday season, I'm joining my food bloggers friends to raise money for Cookies for Kid's Cancer (a truly amazing nonprofit) and to share our favorite cookie recipes! You can find out more about this wonderful organization (plus, pick up some delish recipes!) below.
Ingredients
These Cranberry Cookies are made with simple ingredients that you can find in any grocery store! Here's what you'll need:
- Cranberries - Dried cranberries (also called craisins) give these cookies a delicious tart-sweet flavor and wonderful texture.
- Chocolate - You'll pair the chewy cranberries with rich, creamy white chocolate chips. (Chocolate chunks can also be used, if you prefer.)
- Nuts - Crunchy nuts work perfectly with the other ingredients. I used walnuts this time, but other nuts (such as macadamia nuts, pistachios, or pecans) may also be used.
- Butter - This recipe uses unsalted butter, and because it's melted, you don't need to let it warm to room temperature before using.
- Sugar - You'll use a combination of two sugars for the cookies: brown sugar and granulated sugar. This gives to the cookies a tasty flavor and texture.
- Flour - These cookies are made with all-purpose flour.
- Other Ingredients - You'll also need vanilla extract, one large egg, baking powder, and salt (I recommend using kosher salt).
You'll Also Need
To prepare the cookie dough, you'll need measuring cups and spoons, plus a mixer to blend the ingredients together (a stand mixer works best). You'll also need a couple sheet pans to bake the cookies (these sturdy baking pans are my fave). If you'd like to make cleanup easier, line the pan with parchment paper.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
These yummy cookies are simple to make! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's an overview of the steps:
- Melt butter. Start by melting the butter in a small pan over medium heat (or in your microwave).
- Combine wet ingredients. Use a stand mixer to mix together the melted butter, brown and granulated sugars, vanilla extract, and salt until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Then beat in the egg.
- Mix in dry ingredients. Next, you'll whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add this flour mixture to the butter mixture, then mix together until completely combined.
- Add chocolate, cranberries, and nuts. Finally, blend in the white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and walnuts until everything is evenly mixed.
- Shape + chill dough. Roll heaping tablespoons of the dough into balls, then place the balls on a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookie balls slightly, then refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. Tip: You should be able to get about 30 small cookies out of this recipe, but feel free use a couple tablespoons of dough per cookie if you'd prefer larger cookies.
- Bake. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, then bake the cookies until they're browned on the bottom and lightly colored on top. Tip: For cuter cookies, press a few chocolate chips, nuts, and / or cranberries into the cookies as soon as you remove them from the oven.
And that's all there is to it! Personally, I can't resist sneaking a few of these thick and chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies hot from the oven. It's nearly impossible to stop at just one, so don't forget to save some for the rest of your family!
Tip: This recipe uses a few tricks to achieve the cookie's wonderful texture. First, the butter is melted before mixing with the other ingredients, and second, the dough is chilled before baking. Don't skip this step, or your cookies will flatten while baking.
Variations
Can't resist experimenting? Here are a few easy ways to customize these Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies:
- Nuts - Almost any kind of nut works for this recipe! I used walnuts, but macadamia nuts are also a classic. Pecans, pistachios, almonds, etc. would work, too.
- Orange - Give your cookies a refreshing orange flavor (so delish with cranberries!), by adding in the zest of one orange when combining the wet ingredients.
- Chocolate - For a different flavor altogether, try using regular chocolate chips instead of white. These dark chocolate chips would be super tasty!
Storage
Store any leftover Cranberry Christmas Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for about one week. If you can't eat the cookies that fast, you may also freeze them for up to three months (although they'll taste best when enjoyed within a month).
Related Recipes
Looking for more cookie recipes? Try one of these mouthwatering treats next:
- Pecan Fingers - My favorite Christmas cookies!
- Cranberry Walnut Cookies
- Black Bottoms Cupcakes
- Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
- Poppy Seed Kiss Cookies
- Stamped Sugar Cookies
- Salted Caramel Pretzel Cookies
- Curry Shortbread Cookies
- Honey Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
- Ginger Cookies
You can also find all my cranberry recipes here, and don't miss these white chocolate recipes, too!
Looking for even more cookie recipes? Then you're in luck, because I'm joining Erin from The Speckled Palate and Susannah from Feast + West for the Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange! If you're looking for creative cookie recipes, then you'll love this awesome virtual cookbook with hundreds of delicious cookie recipes from my fellow food bloggers.
Help support a great cause! I'm especially excited about this year's exchange, because we're raising money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative, and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Since 2008, Cookies for Kids' Cancer has granted nearly $20 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
Please join me supporting this wonderful organization by making a donation. This year OXO is matching all donations through the end of 2024 for up to $100,000. So anything we donate will be doubled!!
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks / 170 grams)
- ¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts (or macadamias, pecans, etc.)
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat (or in microwave). Cool slightly before using.
- Add butter to a stand mixer bowl, along with brown and granulated sugars, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until smooth and shiny (a couple minutes). Beat in egg.
- Whisk together flour and baking powder in a separate bowl, then add to butter mixture. Mix until completely combined.
- Add chocolate, cranberries, and walnuts to dough; mix well.
- Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and place on greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Using fingers, flatten balls slightly.
- Refrigerate cookies for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake cookies for 15 minutes or until browned on the bottom and lightly colored on top.
- Let cookies cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
- Store any cookies you don't eat right away in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
These cookies are just calling my name! Not only are they gorgeous, but I know they taste amazing, too. I love the combination of cranberry and white chocolate together, and these cookies are going to be a hit in our household for sure!
Thank you for bringing these gorgeous cookies to our collaboration this year! I hope you and yours have the happiest holiday season.
Hi Erin! Hope you enjoy the cookies, and thank you so much for hosting the Sweetest Season. Have a wonderful Christmas!