These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies have crisp edges, soft centers, and a secret ingredient that makes them taste like they came from a bakery.
Get ready to sink your teeth into the best White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies! This flavor combo is incredible and this easy recipe is sure to become a new favorite.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
Ease – The dough comes together in minutes with a basic list of ingredients. Simply scoop and drop the dough onto baking sheets.
No chill time – These cookies can be baked immediately, no need to chill the dough.
Texture – Crisp edges, soft centers, creamy white chocolate, and chewy dried cranberries.
Flavor – An incredible flavor combo: dried cranberries, white chocolate, vanilla extract, and a touch of almond extract.
Recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
- Beat butter and sugars
- Add egg and extracts
- Add dry ingredients
- Stir in white chocolate and dried cranberries
- Scoop and bake
Secret ingredient
The ingredient that sets this recipe apart from others is almond extract. This is one of my favorite ingredients for making homemade baked goods taste like they came from a bakery. Just a touch of almond extract complements the flavor of vanilla, white chocolate, and dried cranberries perfectly.
Recipe tips
- Use good quality white chocolate chips. Ghirardelli and Guittard are my favorites. If you’d prefer to use a chopped white chocolate bar you can, the cookies will spread a bit more since there are no stabilizers in the chocolate bar.
- Don’t over soften your butter. It should be softened, but still cool to the touch. If you accidentally over-soften the butter chill the dough for 1 hour before baking.
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies. A 2-tablespoon scoop is my favorite.
- For prettier cookies, add a few white chocolate chips and dried cranberries to the top of the cookies immediately after baking.
- Do not overbake. These cookies should be removed from the oven when the edges are set but the center is still slightly under baked. They should be so delicate that you cannot pick them up off the baking sheet. They will firm up as they cool.
- Leftover white chocolate chips? Make this two ingredient White Chocolate Mousse.
Can you freeze these cookies?
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough balls (unbaked) or you can freeze baked cookies.
Freezing cookie dough: Place the portioned cookie dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet or platter. Freeze until they are firm, then transfer the dough balls into zip top freezer storage bags (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking. Flatten the dough balls slightly before baking and add a minute or two to bake time if they’re coming straight from the fridge.
Freezing baked cookies: Place the baked and cooled cookies in zip top freezer storage bag (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 3 months. Serve at room temperature, or warm slightly in the microwave to get the white chocolate a little melty.
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Recipe
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups all purpose flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar, make sure it is fresh and soft
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bar, plus more for topping, if desired
- ⅔ cup dried sweetened cranberries, plus more for topping, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine flour (see note), baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add egg and extracts and beat until combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add ¾ cup each white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and stir until well combined.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough and place the dough balls a couple inches apart on the cookie sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and the center is still slightly underdone. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through cooking time, if necessary. If your dough balls are smaller or larger than 2 tablespoons, adjust bake time accordingly. Make sure not to overbake. The cookies should still be soft in the center when you remove them from the oven.
- Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven you can shape them using the technique mentioned below**. If desired, press a few additional white chocolate chips or dried cranberries into the top of each cookie. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape.
White chocolate: Use good quality white chocolate chips. Ghirardelli and Guittard are my favorites. If you’d prefer to use a chopped white chocolate bar you can, the cookies will spread a bit more since there are no stabilizers in the chocolate bar.
Freezing cookie dough: Place the portioned cookie dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet or platter. Freeze until they are firm, then transfer the dough balls into ziptop freezer storage bags (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking. Flatten the dough balls slightly before baking and add a minute or two to bake time if they’re coming straight from the fridge.
Freezing baked cookies: Place the baked and cooled cookies in ziptop freezer storage bag (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 3 months. Serve at room temperature, or even warm slightly in the microwave to get the white chocolate a little melty.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!Recipe updated November 2023; flour increased slightly.
Ernestina Lee
Can fresh cranberries be used?
Allison
I think they might be too tart and possibly add too much moisture. You’re welcome to play around with it.
Dawn
Very good recipe! Turned out great. Merry Christmas 🎄
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by!
Kate Oszko
Thank you!!! These turned out perfectly. I made them with choc melts(it’s what I had) and omitted the almond essence as I had none, and did 2 capfuls of vanilla (small bottle). I put a large tablespoon of dough on the cookie sheet so I had a yield of 23. I don’t like soft biscuits so mine browned a tad (10 mins in tge oven). They are crisp and a little chewy. Just wonderful.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Jill M.
Lovely cookies! Fabulous taste and the batch size is perfect.
Thank you!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Mary
Just tried this recipe for the first time they are delicious, love the almond extract
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Nancy
I just made these cookies for the first time. They are so delicious! These will now be one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by.
Theresa Baeza
May I ask is the macadamia nut instruction a typo? Does it mean to say put white chips and cranberries on top for prettier cookie?
Allison
Yes! Thank you for pointing that out. I just corrected it. Apologies. 🙂
Raquel
Mine came out flat! Any suggestions?
Allison
Perhaps your butter was too soft? Are you sure you measured the flour correctly?
Anita Garcia
I swear I live by this recipe now! I have made these cookies, probably five times in the last four weeks. I’ve shared them with friends, and they absolutely love them, my kids can’t get enough of them! I am making a couple more batches for the holidays to pass out. I’m so excited, and I think I almost memorized the recipe without having to look back at it. It is super easy to make, the instructions are perfect and I haven’t had any issues at all. Thanks for the recipe! Keep them coming! 🍪😋💕👩🏻🍳
Allison
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to leave a nice review. 🙂 I appreciate it!
Angela
These cookies turned out perfect! Everyone loved them. The almond flavor really kicked up the taste.
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂