White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries
Need another festive cookie recipe? These White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries meld the creamy sweetness of white chocolate with the tangy burst of dried cranberries in a soft cookie base.
White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries
Indulge in the festive spirit with these irresistible white chocolate chip cookies with cranberries, a perfect addition to your holiday cookie baking list.
Imagine biting into a soft, crisp, chewy cookie bursting with the sweetness of white chocolate chips with the tartness of dried cranberries.
Dunk them into a warm mug of peppermint hot chocolate for the coziest Christmas evening or a hot chocolate nightcap.
For a festive double chocolate cookie, you don’t want to miss my decadent peppermint dark chocolate cookies!
Can I use dark or milk chocolate chips?
Yes, you can substitute the white chocolate chips with dark or milk chocolate. Try my chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe using dark chocolate chips!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour: Is also known as plain flour in Australia. Make sure to accurately measure your flour and basic baking ingredients for the best results.
- Cornstarch: Also known as cornflour in Australia, it contributes to the chewy texture but if you don’t have it on hand, omit it from the recipe or arrowroot flour makes a good substitute.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies (with photos)
A full and detailed recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Prepare Wet Mixture: Pour the cooled melted butter into a large mixing bowl and add both sugars and whisk for 20 seconds. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla.
Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift in the flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. Add the salt and combine until a thick dough forms.
Add Chocolate and Cranberries: Fold in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat Oven: To 356ºF (180ºC) fan-forced. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Form Cookies: Scoop 45g/1.5 oz (or 3 level tablespoons) of dough, roll into tall balls, and place on the tray, spaced 10cm apart. Do not flatten balls.
Bake: For 10-12 minutes until lightly golden, and centers are soft. Remove and tap the tray on your bench top or stove top 3 times to help slightly deflate. Cool the cookies on the sheet for 15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Measure your baking ingredients accurately: To achieve the best results. Check out my helpful guide on how to measure basic ingredients.
- Melt butter first: Melt butter and cool for 10-15 minutes until slightly warm; if too hot, the egg may curdle when added.
- Room temperature egg: Ensure your egg is at room temperature before starting to prevent it from curdling when it’s whisked with the warm melted butter.
- Do not flatten balls: No need to flatten the dough balls on the baking sheet. Keeping them tall allows them to spread naturally during baking in the oven.
- Deflate cookies: Tap cookies on the bench top or stovetop to deflate them after baking; this creates the classic cookie top waves.
Why are my cookies not spreading as much?
Over-chilling the dough or using too much flour can cause cookies not to spread enough. Ensure to measure ingredients correctly. No need for extra flour, even if the dough seems wet and let the dough sit at room temperature for a bit longer if chilled overnight.
How can I make my cookies chewier?
The center of the cookies might seem slightly under-baked when you pull them out of the oven, but that’s the secret to their chewiness. Let them cool completely, and they will firm up while retaining that chewy center.
Storage Instructions
Store: Allow cookies to cool completely and store in an airtight container, at room temperature for 1 week.
Freeze: Place baked and cooled cookies in a freezer-friendly zip-lock bag or container, layered with parchment paper between each layer of cookies to prevent sticking. Label with the date and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: At room temperature for 1-2 hours until soft enough to eat.
Freezing Cookie Dough:
- Prep: Shape dough into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced apart.
- Freeze: Chill the sheet for 1-2 hours until firm.
- Store: Transfer balls to a zip-lock or container. Separate layers with parchment. Label with the date; store for up to 3 months.
Baking from Frozen:
- From Frozen: Preheat your oven as directed in the recipe, and add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time. Monitor them closely until they’re ready as per recipe instructions.
- Thaw Before Baking: Thaw the frozen cookie balls in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight, then bake as per the original instructions.
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it’s much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cranberries
Ingredients
- 160 g unsalted butter melted
- 2/3 cup golden granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, how to pack
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (225g/8 oz.) all-purpose flour, scoop & leveled
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Melt Butter: Over low heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, use a microwave in 30-second bursts. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cool until slightly warm.
- Prepare Wet Mixture: To the cooled butter, add both sugars and whisk for 20 seconds. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift in the flour, cornstarch, and baking soda. Add the salt and combine until a thick dough forms.
- Add Chocolate and Cranberries: Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. For overnight chilling, see notes.
- Preheat Oven: To 356ºF (180ºC) fan-forced. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Form Cookies: Scoop 45g/1.5 oz (or 3 level tablespoons) of dough, roll into tall balls, and place on the tray, spaced 10cm apart. Do not flatten balls.
- Bake: 10-12 minutes until lightly golden, edges are set but centers are soft. Remove and tap the tray on your bench top or stove top 3 times to help slightly deflate.
- Cool: Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Chill dough overnight: To chill your dough overnight, make it per the recipe instructions and instead of chilling it for 30 minutes, leave it wrapped in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to shaping the cookies to let it soften.
- Store: Allow cookies to cool completely and store in an airtight container, at room temperature for 1 week.
- Freeze: Place baked and cooled cookies in a freezer-friendly zip-lock bag or container, layered with parchment paper between each layer of cookies to prevent sticking. Label with the date and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: At room temperature for 1-2 hours until soft enough to eat.
Nutrition
First published in November 2018, this recipe was updated in November 2023 to include new step-by-step images, expert recommendations, storage guidelines and more.
Hi, thanx for the recipe! I made these cookies & they were chewy & delicious…only thing is they were too sweet…how do u think I should adjust the recipe so they are still delicious but a lot lesser sweetness?
Hi Sharon, so happy to hear you made and enjoyed these cookies! They’re absolutely delicious. I haven’t tested this recipe with any adjusted quantities of the sugars but you can try reducing the amount of the granulated sugar, perhaps down to 1/4 cup and see how that goes. The brown sugar is what really gives these cookies that chewiness but again, it’s trial and error with playing around with the quantities and reducing both sugars. Cutting the sugars down will alter the texture and look of the end product. You can even reduce the white chocolate chips as they’re quite sweet in each mouthful. I hope that helps and would love to hear how you go! Sam 🙂
Thanx Sam! Will surely make another batch soon & will let u know how’s the adjustment, hopefully they work well
Amazingly delicious! Thanks x
Hi Tina, thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed these cookies, thanks for sharing. They’re one of my new favourites! 🙂