White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies (no chill time)
These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies have crisp edges, soft centers, and a secret ingredient that makes them taste like they came from a bakery.
Get ready to sink your teeth into the best White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies! This flavor combo is incredible and this easy recipe is sure to become a new favorite.
Jump to:Why you’ll love this recipe
Ease – The dough comes together in minutes with a basic list of ingredients. Simply scoop and drop the dough onto baking sheets.
No chill time – These cookies can be baked immediately, no need to chill the dough.
Texture – Crisp edges, soft centers, creamy white chocolate, and chewy dried cranberries.
Flavor – An incredible flavor combo: dried cranberries, white chocolate, vanilla extract, and a touch of almond extract.
Recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
- Beat butter and sugars
- Add egg and extracts
- Add dry ingredients
- Stir in white chocolate and dried cranberries
- Scoop and bake
Secret ingredient
The ingredient that sets this recipe apart from others is almond extract. This is one of my favorite ingredients for making homemade baked goods taste like they came from a bakery. Just a touch of almond extract complements the flavor of vanilla, white chocolate, and dried cranberries perfectly.
Recipe tips
- Use good quality white chocolate chips. Ghirardelli and Guittard are my favorites. If you’d prefer to use a chopped white chocolate bar you can, the cookies will spread a bit more since there are no stabilizers in the chocolate bar.
- Don’t over soften your butter. It should be softened, but still cool to the touch. If you accidentally over-soften the butter chill the dough for 1 hour before baking.
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies. A 2-tablespoon scoop is my favorite.
- For prettier cookies, add a few white chocolate chips and dried cranberries to the top of the cookies immediately after baking.
- Do not overbake. These cookies should be removed from the oven when the edges are set but the center is still slightly under baked. They should be so delicate that you cannot pick them up off the baking sheet. They will firm up as they cool.
- Leftover white chocolate chips? Make this two ingredient White Chocolate Mousse.
Can you freeze these cookies?
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough balls (unbaked) or you can freeze baked cookies.
Freezing cookie dough: Place the portioned cookie dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet or platter. Freeze until they are firm, then transfer the dough balls into zip top freezer storage bags (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking. Flatten the dough balls slightly before baking and add a minute or two to bake time if they’re coming straight from the fridge.
Freezing baked cookies: Place the baked and cooled cookies in zip top freezer storage bag (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 3 months. Serve at room temperature, or warm slightly in the microwave to get the white chocolate a little melty.
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Recipe
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies have crisp edges, soft centers, and a secret ingredient that makes them taste like they came from a bakery.
from votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 15 (recipe can be doubled)
Calories: 213kcal
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine flour (see note), baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add egg and extracts and beat until combined.
Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Add ¾ cup each white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and stir until well combined.
Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough and place the dough balls a couple inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are beginning to turn golden brown and the center is still slightly underdone. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through cooking time, if necessary. If your dough balls are smaller or larger than 2 tablespoons, adjust bake time accordingly. Make sure not to overbake. The cookies should still be soft in the center when you remove them from the oven.
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven you can shape them using the technique mentioned below**. If desired, press a few additional white chocolate chips or dried cranberries into the top of each cookie. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely.
Notes
*To properly measure flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup OR whisk it to lighten it, gently scoop a heaping portion and level it off with the back of a knife. **How to get perfectly round cookies: Option 1: Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven place a round glass, bowl, or cookie cutter (larger than the cookie) upside down over the top of the cookie. Gently but quickly swirl the glass/bowl/cookie cutter in a circular motion. The edges of the cookie will bump against the inside of the glass creating a perfectly round shape.
Option 2: Immediately after the cookies come out the oven use the back of a spoon to gently push the edges inward to create clean edges and a perfect round shape. White chocolate: Use good quality white chocolate chips. Ghirardelli and Guittard are my favorites. If you’d prefer to use a chopped white chocolate bar you can, the cookies will spread a bit more since there are no stabilizers in the chocolate bar. Freezing cookie dough: Place the portioned cookie dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet or platter. Freeze until they are firm, then transfer the dough balls into ziptop freezer storage bags (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking. Flatten the dough balls slightly before baking and add a minute or two to bake time if they’re coming straight from the fridge. Freezing baked cookies: Place the baked and cooled cookies in ziptop freezer storage bag (I often double bag them). Freeze for up to 3 months. Serve at room temperature, or even warm slightly in the microwave to get the white chocolate a little melty.Nutrition
Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!Recipe updated November 2023; flour increased slightly.
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