White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies have crisp edges, soft centers, and a secret ingredient that makes them taste like they came from a bakery.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings (recipe can be doubled)

Calories 213kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

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

*To properly measure flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup OR whisk it to lighten it, gently scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife.

**How to get perfectly round cookies:

Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape.

Glass bowl over a chocolate chip cookie on a baking sheet,

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