Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are the epitome of Christmas Cookies. They’re thick, chewy, and studded with white chocolate and dried cranberries for the perfect blend of sweet and tart. Drizzle them with extra white chocolate so every bite is pure holiday deliciousness!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Recipe

If you’re looking for thick, chewy, bakery-style cookies loaded with white chocolate and cranberries for the holidays, this is the recipe you want! These Christmas Cookies are sweet, rich, and subtly tart.

They’re simple but sophisticated, plus they’re perfectly festive for holiday gatherings, cookie swaps, and hostess gifts!

And there are so many ways to fancy them up! Top them with white chocolate or frosting, or give them a simple drizzle or a half-dip in melted white chocolate.

Cranberry Cookies Recipe Ingredients

Cookie Dough

• all-purpose flour
• cake flour – helps make cookies tender
• malted milk powder – adds extra flavor
• corn starch – helps make them chewy
• salt
• baking soda
• salted butter – use cold European style for best results
• light brown sugar
• granulated sugar
• large eggs
• large egg yolks
• vanilla bean paste or extract
• white chocolate – baking chocolate bars
• white chocolate chips
• craisins – I recommend Ocean Spray brand as they are usually plump instead of dry

Optional Toppings

• Sparkling Cranberries
• white chocolate melting wafers, I recommend the Ghirardelli brand
• coarse sugar

How to Make Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies:

1. Line two 12×17-inch baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk together flour, cake flour, malted milk powder, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together COLD salted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium-high speed until smooth.
3. Once combined, add in the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition, followed by the additional large egg yolks. Then mix in the vanilla bean paste.
4. Once smooth, mix in the flour mixture a little at a time until fully combined. I highly recommend mixing until mostly combined in a stand mixer, then using your hands to give the dough some love and mixing it the rest of the way, ensuring all the dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl are thoroughly incorporated.
5. Add white chocolate to a food processor and pulse until small pieces form. Add the chopped white chocolate and chips to the cookie dough, but don’t mix in yet.
6. Add craisins to the food processor (no need to clean in between) and pulse until small bits form. Add to the dough and mix until evenly combined.
7. Use a #16 cookie scoop or weigh each dough ball out to 3.2oz and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and use the bottom of a cup to press the ball flat, about ½ to ¾-inch thick, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. After chilling, Bake for 11 to 14 minutes.
9. Allow them to sit on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
10. Once cooled, melt white chocolate melting wafers in a microwave-safe bowl at 30-second intervals, stirring between each one until fully melted. Spread the melted white chocolate over the top of the cookies. Immediately top with coarse sugar and Sparkling Cranberries if using.

• If using unsalted butter, increase the added salt to 1 1/2 teaspoons.
• Do not use room temperature or melted butter in these cookies – cold butter only.
• To make sure the cookies are uniform in size, it’s best to use a kitchen scale. This is also the best way to ensure that your ingredient measurements are correct by using grams instead of cup measurements.
• I highly recommend using a stand mixer for this cookie recipe instead of mixing by hand or with a hand mixer. Since this recipe uses cold butter, it is much more difficult to cream properly, so a stand mixer with a paddle attachment is the best way to get the job done.
• Fresh cranberries can be used instead of dried cranberries with just a few extra steps. To do so, put the cranberries in a baking dish at 250 degrees F for 15 minutes to get them soft. Next, gently chop or leave whole and add to the batter.
• When the cookies come out of the oven, use a large round cookie cutter to swirl each cookie inside to smooth out the edges. This will give the cookie a perfectly round shape.

Cranberry Cookie Recipe Variations

You can make a few tweaks to this White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies recipe to really make it your own!

• Rum: You can use any type of fruit brandy in this recipe or replace it entirely with spiced rum.
• Vanilla: If you don’t want to add alcohol, use 1 tsp of vanilla or almond extract instead of brandy.
• Chocolate Chunks: Use white chocolate chunks in place of chips for more chocolate in each bite; if you’re in a pinch, you chop up a white chocolate bar to add to the dough.
• Nuts: For some savory crunch, try adding chopped nuts like pecans.
• Citrus: Add a citrusy twist with a tablespoon of orange zest for a more festive flavor.

How To Store White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

Once baked and cooled, these cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to four days.

How To Freeze Baked Cookies

Let the cookies cool completely after baking, then flash freeze for 30 minutes on a baking sheet to make sure the exterior bits of chocolate is firm and reduce the risk of making a mess. Transfer the cookies to a freezer bag and remove as much excess air as possible before freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature a nuke in the microwave for 15 seconds before enjoying.

How To Freeze Cookie Dough

Portion the dough out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (the balls can be close together) and flash freeze for 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer bag and remove any excess air and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the bag before thawing in the fridge, so the dough doesn’t stick to the bag. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes once thawed.

More Cranberry Recipes:

• Starbucks Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars – Deliciously dense bars for a fraction of the price!
• Layered Cranberry Cheesecake Bars – Made with 4 mouthwatering layers of goodness!
• Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies – Filled with citrusy orange zest and tart dried cranberries!
• White Chocolate Cranberry Bread Pudding – The perfect Christmas morning breakfast!
• Cranberry Bread With Crumble Topping – A tender, quick bread that preps in just 15 minutes!

This recipe was originally published in December 2019 and was updated in December 2023 with a new bakery-style recipe and photos. Click here for the original recipe for those who want it.