Name: White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 113g (½ cup) unsalted butter; 50 (¼ cup) granulated white sugar; 107 (½ cup) brown sugar; 50g (1 large egg) egg (weight is without shell); 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract; 188g (1½ cup) all-purpose flour/ plain flour (if measuring by cups, use spoon and level method); ½ tsp fine salt; ½ tsp baking soda; 40g (⅓ cup) dried cranberries; 130g (¾ cup) white chocolate chunks or chips

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are a festive classic that bring together creamy sweetness and a touch of tartness. With their chewy centers, crisp edges, and vibrant pops of flavor, these cookies are a staple for holiday gatherings or cozy afternoons at home.

white chocolate cranberry cookies inside a holiday cookie tin with leaves and holiday lights in the background.

Recipe in a Glance

TEXTURE: Chewy centers with crisp edges, dotted with creamy white chocolate chunks and chewy cranberries.

FLAVOR: Sweet and creamy from the white chocolate, with tart pops of flavor from the dried cranberries.

EASE: Super simple to make with no chilling required; perfect for beginner bakers.

TIME: Approximately 30 minutes, including prep and bake time.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Shop efficiently (treat this as your grocery list) and gather your ingredients at home without running circles in your kitchen. (i.e. One trip to the fridge to get all your dairy needs.) You can still find the full printable recipe at the end of this post.

REFRIGERATED:

butter. Creaming the butter with sugars provides a fluffy and aerated base. It’s important to use room unsalted room temperature butter – 113g (½ cup).

eggs. For this recipe, you’ll need 1 egg (50g) , at room temperature as well.

REFRIGERATED:

sugars. Brown sugar can give cookies a chewier, softer, and more moist texture, while regular white granulated sugar helps the cookies spread. You’ll need 50g (¼ cup) of granulated white sugar and 107g (½ cup) of brown sugar.

vanilla. 1½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract for flavor.

flour. 188g (1½ cups) of all-purupose/ plain flour. It’s always best to measure flour by weight, but if you’re still using cups, please use the scoop and level method.

salt. ½ teaspoon fine salt (sea salt or table salt) to balance the sweetness.

baking soda. ½ teaspoon of baking soda to give our cookies some lift. Note that baking soda losses its effectiveness, so make sure yours are still good.

cranberries. You’ll need 40g (⅓ cup) dried cranberries. Don’t use fresh cranberries because it will mess up the dry/wet ratio.

white chocolate. I prefer using white chocolate chunks and buy a good quality brand to get that creamy flavor. You’ll need 130g ( about ¾ cup).

mise en place ingredients for white chocolate cranberry cookies

Recommended Tools

digital food scale (this is a must…and check-out the cute colors!)
Oxo medium scooper/ cookie scoop
Nordicware Prism half sheet pan (I love the embossed pattern.)
parchment paper sheets (VERY convenient if you bake a lot)

Let’s Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Step by Step

STEP 1. Preheat and prep: Preheat oven (NO FAN) to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

STEP 2. In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar together on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

STEP 3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.

STEP 4. In a separate small mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, gradually add this to the butter mixture and beat until combined. The cookie dough will be soft and thick.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in the cranberries and white chocolate.

STEP 5. Scoop and roll dough, 50g each or using a medium cookie scoop, into balls. Arrange dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

STEP 6. Bake just until cookies are light brown on edges but still gooey in the center, about 9 to 11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Pro Tips

Use good-quality white chocolate. High-quality white chocolate chunks or chips will elevate the flavor.
Store properly. Keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Scoot the cookies. Do you do the cookie scoot?? It helps make your freshly baked cookies into nice round circles. As soon as you pull your cookies out of the oven when they are still hot and malleable, use a cookie cutter that’s just a tad bigger than the cookies (you could also use a bowl flipped upside down) and swirl around the cookie. As it bumps the sides of the cookie cutter it creates a round shape. Give it a try!
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.

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