Description
Soft-Baked White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are wonderfully chewy and packed with sweet white chocolate chips and tart dried cranberries. These cookies are made with a buttery dough, enhanced by extra vanilla flavor, and are chilled before baking to achieve the perfect soft texture and prevent over-spreading.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (170g)
- 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar (150g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (250g)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips (135g), plus extra for garnish
- 1 cup dried cranberries (140g), plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy and combined, about 3 minutes.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to ensure everything is well combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until evenly incorporated.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until just combined. The cookie dough will be soft and thick.
- Add White Chocolate and Cranberries: Beat in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries on low speed until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill the 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.
- Prepare for Baking: When ready, remove the dough from the refrigerator. If chilled longer than 3-4 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften for easier scooping.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Shape Dough Balls: Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Arrange them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Dough may be slightly crumbly but will come together as you work it.
- Bake Cookies: Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned but the centers still look soft.
- Optional Deflate: If cookies didn't spread much during baking, gently bang the baking sheet on the counter a couple of times while they are still warm to help them stretch and deflate.
- Cool and Garnish: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. During this time, optionally press extra white chocolate chips and dried cranberries into the warm tops for garnish.
- Finish Cooling: Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storage.
- Storage: Store cookies covered at room temperature for up to 1 week to maintain freshness.
Notes
- Chilling the dough for at least 1 hour is essential to prevent cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Using dark brown sugar gives the cookies a richer, deeper flavor, but light brown sugar works well too.
- Letting the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes after extended chilling makes scooping and shaping easier.
- Pressing extra white chocolate chips and dried cranberries on top after baking is optional but adds a nice visual and extra flavor.
- If baking multiple sheets, rotate them halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
