As one of the first cookies published on my website, this popular recipe stands the test of time. You’ll love these white chocolate chip cranberry cookies because they’re soft-baked, wonderfully chewy, have extra vanilla, plus they combine sweet white chocolate morsels with tart dried cranberries. It’s a flavorful and classic pairing for holiday cookie trays or anytime throughout the year!
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips, including a reduced chill time that is reflected in the printable recipe below.
These white chocolate cranberry cookies are an absolute fan-favorite. There are a few tricks to this cookie magic, so let me share some tips I’ve added over the years (including reducing the dough chill time from 2 hours to 1 hour). It’s a great cookie recipe to have in your back pocket… right next to your recipes for chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies!
One reader, Eileen, commented: “These white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies are the best! They are delicious and they made my house smell like a bakery while cooking. I feel like this is the best cookie I have ever tasted and I felt like a pro using this recipe! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Heather, commented: “Just wanted to pop in and rave on these cookies. I found the recipe a couple years ago and they are a staple on my Christmas cookie list. I do add chopped pecans and they were a fantastic addition! ★★★★★“
In Short, These White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies Are:
- Adapted from these soft chocolate chip cookies
- Soft-baked with slightly crisp edges
- Brown sugared with extra vanilla
- Thick & chewy
- Easy to make
- Brimming with creamy white chocolate chips & tart dried cranberries
Plus, the cookie dough freezes easily and the baked cookies freeze and thaw without issue. If you ever want to learn more about my process for freezing cookies and cookie dough, here is my How to Freeze Cookie Dough page.
Start With a Tested Cookie Dough
As I mentioned above, this recipe uses this soft chocolate chip cookies recipe as the base. It’s unfussy and welcomes a variety of add-ins and flavors. Honestly, I make this version more often because the add-ins are a little more special. You could also replace the white chocolate chips with regular chocolate chips for a chocolate/cranberry combo (or even use dark chocolate like we do for dark chocolate cranberry blondies and dark chocolate cranberry almond cookies—yum!). Add pistachios like I do for white chocolate cranberry pistachio cookies. Or go a little wild and make my other variations using this dough: butterscotch pretzel chocolate chip cookies & salted caramel pecan chocolate chip cookies.
Key Ingredients in White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Room Temperature Butter: If you’re looking for an extra buttery, almost dense chocolate chip cookie, try my chocolate chip cookies. That recipe starts with melted butter. For today’s version and the original soft chocolate chip cookies, I start with room temperature butter. Creaming the butter with sugars provides a fluffy and aerated base. (I have a full tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar, if you need extra guidance on this step.) The creaming process is only possible if the butter is softened to room temperature. Keep in mind that softened butter is cool to the touch, not greasy. (See Room Temperature Butter if you’re interested in learning more.)
- More Brown Sugar Than White Sugar: Did you know that sugar does more than just sweeten cookies? Brown sugar can give cookies a chewier, softer, and more moist texture, while regular white granulated sugar helps the cookies spread. For chewier and more flavorful cookies, use more brown sugar than white sugar. And, if you have it, use dark brown sugar for deeper brown sugar flavor.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract!
- Cornstarch: It seems like an odd ingredient for cookie dough, doesn’t it? Just as it makes shortbread cookies extra tender, a small amount can actually provide added softness to other cookie doughs, too. We don’t want to replace any flour with it because the cookies could lose shape, so just add 2 teaspoons. Cornstarch also helps keep the cookies thick.
- Dried Cranberries & White Chocolate Chips: Add 1 cup of dried cranberries and 3/4 cup white chocolate morsels. I used to make these cookies with 3/4 cup of each but lately I add extra cranberries for more chunks in each bite. Just like when making cranberry nut no-knead bread, use dried cranberries here instead of fresh because when baked, fresh throws off the dry/wet ratio. I usually use the brand Craisins.
Success Tip: Chill The Dough
The ingredients come together quickly and easily, but allow 1 hour for the dough to chill in the refrigerator before baking. The refrigerator is a cookie dough’s best friend because it helps firm up soft cookie doughs (like today’s) which prevents the cookies from over-spreading. Chilling also gives the flavors in the dough a chance to settle and mingle together. I used to chill this dough for at least 2 hours, but 1 hour is plenty and still allows for a decent spread.
Success Tip: Use a Cookie Scoop & Your Hands
I always use this medium cookie scoop for the cookie dough. Each cookie should be around 1.5 Tablespoons of dough, so that size is perfect. After scooping, I briefly roll the dough in my hands. You don’t need to make a perfectly smooth and round ball—in fact, I like keeping the dough balls taller rather than wide as pictured next. Shaping this way helps achieve a thicker, textured-looking cookie.
And, if desired, press a few more white chips & dried cranberries into the baked cookies while they’re still warm.
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Soft-Baked White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You’ll love these white chocolate chip cranberry cookies because they’re soft-baked, wonderfully chewy, have extra vanilla, plus they combine sweet white chocolate morsels with tart dried cranberries. Set aside 1 hour to chill the dough in the refrigerator before baking.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I use dark)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (135g) white chocolate chips, plus a few extra for garnish
- 1 cup (140g) dried cranberries, plus a few extra for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be soft and thick. Add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and beat on low speed until combined. Cover dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3-4 days. Chilling is imperative to prevent the cookies from over-spreading.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 3-4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the firm cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- As the oven preheats, scoop and roll dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough each, into balls. The dough may be slightly crumbly, but will come together as you work it with your hands. Arrange dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. The centers will still look soft. If cookies didn’t spread much, lightly bang the the baking sheets on the counter a couple times while the cookies are still warm. They’ll stretch and deflate.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. During this time, press extra white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the warm tops. This is optional and only for looks. After 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- 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 3. 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. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cornstarch: A small amount of cornstarch provides added softness to the dough and cookies. Cornstarch also helps keep the cookies thick. If you don’t have any, you can leave it out—no need to replace with anything.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Can you swap the cranberry and white chocolate for regular chocolate chunks/chips?
I love the way the dough sets in the freezer and this recipe is perfect! I just want to make sure other “add ins” will do the same
Hi Allyson, absolutely! Feel free to play around with the add-ins, keeping the total amount about the same.
Hi Sally! I’m such a fan! I use many of your recipes, but your flaky pie crust recipe is one of my very favorites. Just made a triple berry pie over the weekend and it was killer! As for this recipe, I have a 5 quart Kitchen Aid tilt head stand mixer. Could it handle a double batch at once do you think?
Hi Kenza! Cookie recipes usually double well and your mixer should be able to handle the volume just fine. Happy baking!
Pardon my ignorance. Please can you tell me how to modify this recipe if I want to reduce the sweetness?
Hi Mark, Feel free to slightly reduce one or both of the sugars, but keep in mind that if you decrease the sugar the cookies will not have the same texture (it’s used for texture and moisture in addition to taste) and it can impact the spread of the cookies, too.
thank you. if I reduce sugar then could you please tell me if I can increase or decrease anything else to get the same texture?
by how much should I reduce sugar and any other ingredients.
I never did any baking. I am trying to make this for my girl friend and she does not like lot of sweetness.
The White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are a hit with my family! Thanks for the recipe!!
Can I use salted butter!
Hi Kathy, You can use salted butter – reduce the added salt to 1/4 tsp. See our post about salted vs unsalted butter for more details. Enjoy!
Hello! I’ve been making this recipe for years and it’s a party favorite. My question is I recently (for the first time) made them and froze them. Well when I took them out. I didn’t thaw them I just baked in the oven and they came out so flat that I couldn’t serve them. They still tasted good and hubby had them haha but they were so flat and not the usual self. Any advice???
Hi Kamila, how strange! It sounds like it may have been an issue with the dough. Was the butter a bit too warm? That’s usually the culprit for cookies that overspread. Or was another ingredient accidentally mis-measured or left out? Here are all of our tips to prevent cookies from spreading. So glad this recipe is a favorite for you!
Could you add coconut to this?
Can’t see why not, Ami!
Thought about adding macadamia nuts. What would be the ratio of those with the chips and cranberries?
Hi Mary, you can definitely add macadamia nuts to these cookies – yum! We would keep the total amount of add-ins to 1 and 3/4 cups, so reduce the white chocolate chips/cranberries a bit to make room for the macadamia nuts. Happy baking!
Is King Arthur all purpose flour okay for cookies? I know the gluten content is higher than other all purpose flours but it’s the type I keep on hand most.
Absolutely!
What size pan should I use to bake one batch of this recipe to make them as cookie bars instead of cookies?
Thanks!
Hi Bonnie! You can use this recipe for cookie bars in a 9-inch square pan. The bake time should be around 32-35 minutes.
Can these be made gluten free? Any tips, besides gluten free flour?
Hi Susan, we haven’t tested these cookies using a 1:1 gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Hi! Can I add rolled oats to this recipe? If so, about how many cups of it?
Hi Juliana, we’d recommend making these white chocolate chip cherry oatmeal cookies instead, and you can swap the dried cherries with dried cranberries. Enjoy!
I just made these cranberry white chocolate chips cookies for the Mission Circle bake sale at our church. I asked my wife to be my officisl “taste tester.” She said that the cookies were “insanely good.” The cookies sold out right away!
Hi, can I make this recipe into one large cookie pie?
Hi Alima! You can use this recipe for cookie bars in a 9-inch square pan. The bake time should be around 32-35 minutes. For a giant cookie pie/cake, you could use our chocolate chip cookie cake recipe with these add-ins.
Do you think I could swap the cranberries for dried blueberries? Maybe a little lemon zest too? I’m dehydrating a bag of frozen blueberries to play around with them in recipes. I couldn’t find anything on your site though that uses them. Hopefully they work out
Hi Nicole, Absolutely!
Though the dough is a little dry for high altitude/ dry climate, and didn’t spread at all for me, even without refrigeration, it is otherwise delicious. The only high altitude adjustment made was to bring baking soda to 1/2 tsp. I’m in Colorado, thousands of feet above sea level, so this is correct for me. Anyway, they are still delicious cookie balls, I swapped cranberries for dried apple pieces and I recommend it!
Would this work ok with margarine instead of butter? (Appreciate not ideal!)
Hi Danielle, we don’t recommend it. Margarine has a different makeup than butter. If you do want to use margarine, we recommend using a recipe that is specifically formulated to do so. Let us know if you give these a try!
I swapped out 1/4 cup of white chips and 1/4 cup of craisins for chopped toasted pecans.
Knocked my socks off!
(And anyone’s who I grudgingly shared with!)
I used toasted almonds, because that’s what I had on hand, but it still turned out amazing! Will definitely try again in the future with toasted pecans.
Cookies were a big hit at a retreat. People commented on the taste softness and overall texture and the 5 dozen cookies I baked were gone so quickly.
They wanted the recipe
Can I sub cranberries for dates? Love your recipes!
Hi Brandon, chopped dates should work well here. Let us know if you try it!
I made these tonight for some coworkers and they taste phenomenal but they did not spread much. I followed the instructions to the letter. What could have gone wrong?
Hi Wade, if you find the cookies are not spreading enough, you can take them out of the oven and lightly tap the baking sheet on the counter to help initiate spread. Or, you can use the back of a spoon to gently press them down. How are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over-measured, which can prevent spread, too. Hope this helps for your next batch!
Hi Sally,
I’m from Germany and unfortunately we don’t have packed brown sugar in our supermarkets but only brown sugar like the white granulated sugar. Do you have any tips on how to make the cookies so soft?
Hi Pauline, that should still work just fine, and using more of it than white sugar (as called for in the recipe) should still yield a soft, chewy cookie. We hope you enjoy them!
In the states, brown sugar is 1 tablespoon of molasses mixed well with 1 cup of sugar. If you need dark brown sugar, mix 2 tablespoons with 1 cup of sugar.
I’m pretty sure “packed brown sugar” just means brown sugar packed down in the measuring cup. So instead of just pouring it in, pour/scoop the brown sugar in and pack it down tight, then put in more to measure the correct amount.
Hi , I was wondering if i can melt the butter
Hi Danae, this particular recipe needs room temperature butter.
Can I use fresh cranberries?
Hi Toni, dried cranberries are really best for these cookies. Fresh adds too much moisture.
Hi there! I usually use Lily’s chips, and my white chips ALWAYS melt in my cookies! Do you think it’s the brand? I want to be able to SEE those white chunks! Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Terri, We aren’t familiar with that brand, but if they are melting they may not contain stabilizers (great for when you need a smooth melted white chocolate!). We typically use Ghirardelli white chocolate baking chips/morsels, but Nestle or Hershey’s brand will work also.
can i double this recipe?
Hi Lauren, sure can!
Just made a sample batch of these cookies before I bring them to a potluck. I have to say they are amazing! I did not have cornstarch and they still stuck together without spread. I will pick up the cornstarch before I make the full batch.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
Outstanding! Easy to make, bake, and enjoy. Everyone loves these cookies. Keeper recipe. I have it memorized now. Thank you!
These are phenomenal. I reduced the brown sugar to 125 grams and the white sugar to 40 grams (I promise they are perfectly sweet still!), and I used 1 1/2 half tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. The almond flavour takes them to the next level- they came out PERFECT. So so good!
Love your recipes! Question… would a touch of orange extract be ok in this white choco cranberry cookie? Don’t want to ruin it!!!!
Hi Kris, I can’t see why not. I wouldn’t go overboard though. 1/2 teaspoon would be plenty. Or you can try the zest from 1 orange.
OOOMMMGGG these are good cookies!!!! Crispy and buttery soft inside. Added 1/8 orange extract, but not sure if I tasted it. Wanted to start with only a little.
Pressed dough down a little to make sure they were done inside. But, still a poofy cookie. Thanks!!!
Soft and delicious. As always, thank you for detailed notes and instructions!