White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Updated Nov 12, 2026
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These white chocolate cranberry cookies have chewy edges, gooey centers and white chocolate chips and dried cranberries in every bite! They are easy to make in 30 minutes with no chilling required and are a festive cookie perfect for the holidays!
There’s something about the combination of white chocolate and cranberry that is perfect for the holiday season. Whether it’s the colors or the flavors or both, these white chocolate cranberry cookies are a delicious treat to make during the most wonderful time of the year, also try this orange cranberry bread.
These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, buttery and sweet, just like my white chocolate chip cookies, cranberry oatmeal cookies & white chocolate brownies.
They’re an easy to make (no chilling), festive cookie that would make a great addition to any holiday cookie tray.
Wow – just made these cookies and they are delicious! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
– Erika
Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Eggs. For egg substitutes, see my eggless chocolate chip cookies recipe.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter. Or, make a vegan version with these vegan chocolate chip cookies (just use cranberries and vegan white chocolate).
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or regular white sugar – I don’t use sugar substitutes so I can’t recommend them, but if you try it let me know in the comments.
- Light brown sugar. I don’t recommend making substitutions for the light brown sugar in this recipe.
- White chocolate chips. Use high-quality, white chocolate chips made with real cocoa butter (read the ingredients)!! Some brands I recommend: Whole Foods 365 White Chocolate Baking Chips, Cacaoholic, and Callebaut.
- Dried Cranberries. You technically can substitute any dried fruit you’d like (dried cherries are delicious), but the cranberries are a namesake ingredient and as such, I don’t recommend leaving them out. Also try these white chocolate macadamia cookies and coconut chocolate chip cookies.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
This recipe is very simple and straightforward. We’ll walk through the steps together and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by combining the dry ingredients, then set them aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy – about 1 minute.
Next, add the egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 1 minute.
Then, add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until incorporated.
Next, add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and stir until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
The dough should be firm but not dry (as pictured below).
Tips for the Best White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Measure the flour correctly. Too much flour can make the cookies dry and prevent them from spreading. I recommend using a kitchen scale and the metric measurements in the recipe card for the best results.
- Use softened butter. The butter should be soft enough to cream with the sugars but not melted. Butter that’s too warm can cause the cookies to spread. If your dough is warm, you can always chill it for 30 minutes before baking.
- Use dried cranberries. Dried cranberries provide chewy texture and tart flavor without adding excess moisture to the cookie dough.
- Don’t overbake. Follow the 8-10 minute bake time strictly, they will barely look done when they are!
- Let them cool on the baking sheet. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They continue baking on the cookie sheet and set!
Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the top is just set and just barely beginning to turn light golden brown.
Do not overbake. The cookies won’t look fully done and that is exactly how they should look (just like this chocolate chip cookie recipe).
Remove from the oven and let the white chocolate chip cranberry cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store
Once cooled, store these white chocolate chip cranberry cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Freeze
You can freeze these cranberry white chocolate cookies two ways:
- Freeze the dough before baking. portion and roll dough into balls, then place in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions.
- Freeze baked cookies. To freeze baked cookies, let them cool to room temperature. Then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To thaw: let the white chocolate and cranberry cookies sit out at room temperature until thawed.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies Recipe FAQs
Yes, this recipe doubles very well. You can click on the “2X” button in the recipe card for ingredient measurements of a double recipe.
Use a high-quality, white chocolate chip made with real cocoa butter (read the ingredients)! Some brands I recommend: Whole Foods 365 White Chocolate Baking Chips, Cacaoholic, and Callebaut.
Yes, you can. You just need to coarsely chop them into small pieces so they bake evenly in the cookies. Also, keep in mind that they have more moisture and will change the texture of the cookies slightly.
Nope – no chilling required!
Yes! You can make the dough and store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days before baking.
Yes of course. Just chop it and add it to the dough.
You an make my white chocolate macadamia nut cookies instead!
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 1 minute.
- Then add the egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture and beat on medium-low speed until incorporated.
- Add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to measure out portions of dough, roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the top is just set and just barely beginning to turn light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool
Notes
- All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Fine sea salt. Use fine (not coarse) sea salt. If using iodized table salt, decrease the amount by half.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Granulated sugar. I recommend using organic cane sugar or regular white sugar – I don’t use sugar substitutes so I can’t recommend them, but if you try it let me know in the comments.
- Light brown sugar. I don’t recommend making substitutions for the light brown sugar in this recipe.
- White chocolate chips. Use a high-quality, white chocolate chip made with real cocoa butter (read the ingredients)!! Some brands I recommend: Whole Foods 365 White Chocolate Baking Chips, Cacaoholic, and Callebaut.
- Dried Cranberries. You technically can substitute any dried fruit you’d like (dried cherries are delicious), but the cranberries are a namesake ingredient and as such, I don’t recommend leaving them out.
- Freeze the dough before baking. portion and roll dough into balls, then place in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions.
- Freeze baked cookies. To freeze baked cookies, let them cool to room temperature. Then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To thaw: let the white chocolate and cranberry cookies sit out at room temperature until thawed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Laura! I’ve been following you for a while and have made several of your recipes, including this one and the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Both are EXCELLENT. I made small tweaks, of course. For both, I discovered that substituting cake flour for all purpose created a lighter textured cookie, which I preferred. I also increased the cranberry quantity by half to offset the super sweetness of the white chocolate. I baked tons of these for Christmas and used them, along with your best chocolate chip and an “inside out red velvet cookie” recipe to include with 70 corporate gift boxes with our Small Batch Artisen Coffee pods that we roast fresh. These were a HUGE hit!!! Thank you. I can always count on your recipes to come out beautifully!!
Thank you so much Debby! Sounds like you made an absolutely delicious gift for your colleagues!
Is it possible to substitute the white chocolate with dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate?
Absolutely!
Wow – just made these cookies and they are delicious! 8min was perfect for my convection oven. Hopefully I’ll have enough left to take to a friend in an hour…..Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
I had so many small bags of dried cranberries, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it out, and I’m so glad I did! I made these cookies for our Christmas dinner, and they were a hit! Perfectly chewy and the flavor was great. The day after, my brother texted me and he wanted to place an order for these cookies haha! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much Silvia! I’m so glad they made your holiday special and delicious! Merry Christmas!