These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, they offer the right balance of flavors between the sweet white chocolate chips and the tart cranberries. A perfect cookie for the holidays or anytime of the year!

These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.

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White chocolate cranberry cookies make a great addition to a Christmas Cookie Box and are a definite crowd-pleaser during the holidays or any occasion really. I’ve been baking them again and over again for over a decade now, and I’m obsessed with this recipe. So here it comes again, with new photos and more detailed recipe instructions.

These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.

There are many reasons why these cookies are some of my favorite ones, but mainly it comes from the amazing cookie dough. Easy to make in 5 minutes, it is soft, subtly flavored with brown sugar, and yields some perfectly chewy cookies, slightly crispy on the edges. You will love it as a base for these white chocolate cranberry cookies, and also to create a soft batch of chocolate chip cookies!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are…

  • Soft & chewy with crispy edges
  • Sweet & slightly tart
  • Loaded with white chocolate chips
  • Easy to make (the cookie dough will take you 5 mins)
  • Customizable! Ditch the cranberries white chocolate chips, and make a soft batch of chocolate chip cookies instead!
These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.

The recipe ingredients

  • All-purpose flour + cornstarch. The use of cornstarch in addition to all-purpose flour makes the cookie dough extra soft ad participates to create thick cookies. You don’t need much. Just a little bit is enough to create this effect.
  • Baking soda. Note that I do not use baking powder in this recipe, but baking soda exclusively. It provides the perfect lift for this cookie recipe, do not try to replace or substitute with any other leavening agent.
  • Salt. Salt boosts the flavors and cuts the extra sweetness of the white chocolate chips.
  • Granulated sugar + light brown sugar. The combination of both is key to achieve a soft cookie dough, that will then yields some chewy cookies. Do not try to substitute with any other sugar.
  • Eggs. The recipe calls for 1 egg and 1 yolk, for extra moisture in the cookie dough.
  • Vanilla extract. It boosts the sweet flavors and brings slightly caramelized notes to the cookies. For best results, use organic 100% pure vanilla extract.
  • Dried cranberries. Prefer natural and if possible organic dried cranberries, as there can be all sorts of dried cranberries (some are full of added sugar or other additives).
  • White Chocolate Chips. Use regular size white chocolate chips for this recipe, or replace with chopped bars of white chocolate if desired.
These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.
These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.

How to make white chocolate cranberry cookies?

  • Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
  • Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Always start with whisking melted butter and sugar; this will help cool off the melted butter a little. Then add the egg, the yolk and the vanilla extract.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and combine.
  • Fold in the cranberries and the white chocolate chips with a rubber spatula, making sure they spread out evenly throughout the dough.
  • Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. Chilling the dough will help cookies hold their shape better while baking.
  • Shape into cookie balls and bake in batches, leaving enough space between each to allow for spreading. Remove from the oven when the edges are set and the center slightly underbake. Stay close to the oven to check the baking time rather than relying on the baking time only; as each oven is different.
These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.

Pro tips for success

  • Measure the ingredients properly. This is key to achieve the desired texture in your cookies. Too much flour and the cookies will end up dry, not enough sugar and the cookies will be dense (not chewy).
  • Use both granulated sugar AND light/dark brown sugar. The combination of both will yield a chewy bite in your cookies.
  • Let the cookie dough chill in the refrigerator. The longer the better, and you can either chill the dough or the cookie balls if desired.
  • Underbake the cookies slightly. This is key to a soft, chewy texture. Remove your cookies from the oven when they look just set and slightly underbaked. Remember that they will continue to bake as they cool down onto the baking sheet for a few more minutes.
  • If the cookies come out too thick, bang the cookie sheet on the countertop a couple of times right after you removed it from the oven to create these slightly puffy, inflated texture with crispy edges.

Make ahead and storing white chocolate cranberry cookies

Storing. Once cookies are baked and completely cooled, transfer to an airtight container and keep at room temperature for about 3-4 days.

Make ahead and freezing. You can prepare the cookie dough and refrigerate up to 3 days in advance. Then let the dough soften at room temperature until easy to scoop, before baking. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Flash-freeze them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 1 hour, then transfer to an ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen in a preheated oven, prolonging the baking time by 1 or 2 minutes if needed.

These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.

Quick variation with chocolate chip cookies

This cookie dough is absolutely incredible and yields some perfectly soft cookies. For this reason, I often use it as a base to make chocolate chip cookies instead. For best results, I recommend to replace dried cranberries and white chocolate chips with approximately 1 cup (175g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips.

With cranberries, make also…

These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.
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White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, with crispy edges, they are deliciously sweet and slightly tart.
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  • Author: Delphine Fortin
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 12 mins
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 16–18 cookies 1x
  • Category: Cookies
  • Cuisine: American recipes

These are the BEST white chocolate cranberry cookies! Thick, soft and chewy, they offer the right balance of flavors between the sweet white chocolate chips and the tart cranberries.

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Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • ¾ cup (180g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup (135g) light brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (60g) dried cranberries
  • ¾ cup (150g) white chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave and pour it into a medium-sized bowl. Add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and whisk vigorously until no sugar lumps remain. Whisk the egg and the yolk, then the vanilla extract.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix together with a rubber spatula. Fold in the cranberries and the white chocolate chips. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum. Take the dough out and allow to soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before using it.
  4. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, scoop large balls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Place about 8 balls on each cookie sheet, leaving enough space in between each of them, and flatten slightly with your hands.
  5. Bake each batch for about 12 minutes, or until edges are just set and centers look slightly underbaked. Remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool down slightly into the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.*

Notes

* Removing the cookies from the oven when still underbaked is key for soft, chewy centers. At first, the cookies will look slightly underbaked, but it’s ok as they will continue to “bake” as they cool down onto the baking sheet. 

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