You'll Love Amazing White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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The Elves Tell Me It's Santa's Favorite Cookie

This recipe for white chocolate cranberry cookies has been shared and enthusiastically reshared all over the internet. I love how simple and basic it is.

I'm with Santa; this cookie is perfect. There are no nuts or oatmeal, just a tender, buttery cookie with a little tang from cream cheese wrapped around white chocolate chips and fresh cranberries.

These white chocolate cranberry cookies are easy to make in one bowl. The cream cheese, egg, and butter must be at room temperature. That means the butter should be easy enough to cut and spread on fresh bread, but it should not look melty or oily.

Cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Next, beat in the egg and add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Make sure the leavening is completely blended into the butter and egg mixture.

Gradually add the flour, and when no streaks of flour remain, fold in the chopped white chocolate and then the coarsely chopped cranberries. The dough will be thick. Chill the dough for at least an hour to firm it up, or overnight would be even better.

Cover your baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent these white chocolate cranberry cookies from sticking. Also, be sure to allow two inches between each cookie because the dough will spread.

I Made A Brave Swap In These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

When I started to make these cookies, I did not have any white chocolate in my cupboard, but I did have some Ghiradelli premium white baking chips.

I thought they were white chocolate and worried I’d need to make another run to the store to get the right ingredients. I hate making unnecessary trips to the store because it wastes precious time!

I began researching and discovered that white chocolate isn’t chocolate at all. It does not contain any cocoa solids. It’s made from cocoa butter, milk, and sugar and may contain other sweeteners and flavorings like vanilla. It is a sweet and rich confection with a great mouthfeel.

I felt much better when I read this blurb from Taste of Home: “White baking chocolate is usually sold in 1-ounce squares in the baking section of grocery stores. You can substitute vanilla baking chips in place of squares, but be certain to use the same number of ounces called for in a recipe. One cup of vanilla chips is equal to 6 ounces of white baking chocolate.”

I use white baking chips in many other cookie recipes with great results, so I bravely went ahead and used a heaping cup of them in this white chocolate cranberry cookie.

These white chocolate cranberry cookies taste fantastic. I didn’t make another trip to the store, and the white baking chips are significantly less expensive than white chocolate. In my mind, it’s a happy ending.

That being said, if you prefer, you can use white chocolate, as listed in the recipe. Either way, I’m sure your cookies will taste amazing!

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Print

This recipe is for a soft, chewy, buttery cream cheese cookie loaded with white chocolate chips and fresh cranberries.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 8 ounce white baking chips or chopped white chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cove baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them well.
3. Cream the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
4. Add the sugar and beat until it's all incorporated.
5. Beat in the egg and add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Make sure the leavening is completely blended into the butter and egg mixture.
6. Gradually add the flour, and when no streaks of flour remain, fold in the baking chips and the cranberries.
7. The dough will be thick. Chill it for at least an hour to firm it up, or overnight would be even better.
8. Roll the dough into one-inch balls and place two inches apart on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet.
9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
10. The cookies will be very soft. Let them stay on the baking sheet for five or ten minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Notes

The cookies will look even nicer if you press in a few white chips and cranberry pieces before baking them. These cookies are extra pretty, and because they are classically red and white, they look fantastic on a cookie tray! I host a cookie exchange party every year with dear friends, and I know this one will get lots of oohs and ahhs!

Cranberries are classically Thanksgiving, and Christmas treats because the season is limited, but don’t let that stop you from baking them any time you want! Fresh cranberries freeze beautifully right in the package so grab a few extra bags to tuck in the freezer while they are abundant and use them just like fresh!

Two of our favorite cranberry recipes are Beautiful Cranberry Cake and Perfect Cranberry Orange Loaf. However, cranberries are incredicbly versatile, so don't miss Christmas Jam and Cranberry Jalapeno Dip!

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Love, GB (Betty Streff)

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