Description
Soft-Baked White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are deliciously chewy cookies that combine sweet white chocolate chips with tart dried cranberries. These cookies feature a creamy vanilla-scented dough that’s chilled to perfection before baking, resulting in a perfect soft and tender bite every time.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar (dark recommended)
- 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 extra for garnish
- 1 cup (140g) dried cranberries, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until combined and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla: Beat in the room temperature egg and pure vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again to fully combine.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine wet and dry: On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, forming a soft and thick dough.
- Incorporate chips and cranberries: Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries on low speed until evenly distributed in the dough.
- Chill dough: Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3-4 days to prevent the cookies from over-spreading during baking.
- Prepare for baking: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If chilled longer than 3-4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften slightly for easier scooping.
- Preheat oven and prep pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.
- Scoop and arrange dough: Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough each and roll into balls. Arrange the dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned while centers remain soft. For minimal spreading, gently bang baking sheets on the counter while cookies are still warm to help stretch and deflate if needed.
- Cool and garnish: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Optionally press extra white chocolate chips and dried cranberries onto the warm tops for aesthetic appeal. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store: Store baked cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Chilling the dough for at least 1 hour is crucial to prevent cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Use dark brown sugar for a richer, deeper flavor, though light brown sugar works as well.
- If the dough is too firm after chilling, allowing it to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes makes it easier to scoop and roll.
- Gently tapping baking sheets on the counter while cookies are warm can help them spread evenly if needed.
- Pressing additional white chocolate chips and cranberries on top after baking adds an attractive finishing touch but is optional.
- These cookies stay fresh for up to one week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
