Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies made with classic pantry ingredients—butter, shortening, sugars, eggs—then studded with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries for a perfectly balanced sweet-and-tart cookie.
These cookies are a festive favorite: crisp, buttery edges surround a chewy, tender center. The creamy sweetness of white chocolate pairs beautifully with the bright tang of dried cranberries. For a bakery-style finish, press extra white chocolate chips and cranberry pieces on top of each cookie before baking.
Ingredients for White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies
Shortening & butter: ½ cup shortening and ½ cup butter, softened, cream together easily and give a tender texture.
Sugars: 1 ¼ cups brown sugar and ¼ cup white sugar. Brown sugar adds chewiness while white sugar helps the edges crisp.
Eggs: 2 large eggs, added one at a time for an even batter.
Extract: 1 tsp vanilla extract for warm, rounded flavor.
Flour: 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour for the dough structure.
Baking soda: 1 tsp baking soda to give the cookies a light rise.
Salt: 1 tsp salt to balance the sweetness.
Chocolate & cranberries: 1 ¾ cups white chocolate chips and 1 ¼ cups dried cranberries, folded in last so the dough isn’t overmixed.
Baking Tips for Cranberry Cookies
1. Measuring flour: Spoon flour into the cup and level it off. Packing too much flour can yield dry, dense cookies.
2. Mix-ins: Add chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch, or swap white chocolate for dark or semi-sweet chips for a different flavor profile.
3. More flavor: Sprinkle coarse sugar or flaky sea salt on top before baking for an extra-special finish.
4. For chewier cookies: Remove from the oven when centers still look slightly underbaked; they’ll finish setting on the hot sheet.
5. Cookie scoop: Use a 1-tablespoon scoop for evenly sized cookies that bake consistently.
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups white chocolate chips (divided)
- 1 ¼ cups dried cranberries (divided)
Instructions
- In a large mixer bowl, cream the shortening, butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then stir in the vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips and 1 cup dried cranberries.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (optional but recommended to reduce spreading).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into 1-tablespoon balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Press a few extra chips or cranberry pieces on top if desired.
- Bake 9–10 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake dough balls from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the baking time.
For a bakery-style look, top cookies with extra white chocolate chips and cranberry pieces before baking.
Nutrition
| Carbs: 35 g
| Protein: 3 g
| Fat: 13 g
Do I have to chill the cookie dough?
Chilling is optional but recommended. It reduces spreading and helps the cookies keep a round, bakery-style shape.
Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried?
Dried cranberries are preferred for texture and sweetness. Fresh cranberries add extra moisture and are much tarter, which changes the final texture and flavor.
Can I freeze the dough or baked cookies?
Yes. Freeze dough balls or baked cookies up to 3 months. When baking from frozen, add 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
How do I know when they are done?
Bake until the edges are lightly golden while centers remain soft. Cookies will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet.
More fruit-filled cookie ideas
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cranberry Sandwich Cookies: cozy pumpkin spice, oats, and tart cranberries with cream cheese filling.
- Cranberry Pistachio Snowball Cookies: buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with cranberries and pistachios, dusted in powdered sugar.
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie Bars: soft, chewy bars loaded with white chocolate and cranberries for an easy holiday dessert.
- Cranberry Macadamia Nut Cookies: tart cranberries, creamy white chocolate, and crunchy macadamias for a sweet-and-salty bite.
- Cranberry Orange Cookies: bright citrus flavor paired with berries for a refreshing, festive treat.
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are soft, chewy, and full of festive flavor—an easy cookie recipe that’s great for holiday baking, gift boxes, or anytime you want a sweet-and-tangy treat.