Description
Soft-Baked White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are chewy, tender cookies featuring sweet white chocolate chips and tart dried cranberries, enhanced with vanilla and a perfect soft-baked texture. These cookies are chilled before baking to prevent spreading, yielding a thick, melt-in-your-mouth treat ideal for any cookie lover.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (170g)
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (150g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled (250g)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Add-ins
- 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, use a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is combined and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and pure vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl again as needed to combine all ingredients well.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients on low mixer speed. Mix until a soft and thick cookie dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Add White Chocolate Chips and Cranberries: Fold in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries using the mixer on low speed until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the cookie dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 days to prevent over-spreading during baking.
- Prepare for Baking: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If chilled more than 3-4 hours, let it soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes to make scooping easier. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Form Cookie Balls: Scoop approximately 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Arrange dough balls spaced 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. The dough may be slightly crumbly but will come together with handling.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned but centers remain soft. If cookies do not spread much, gently bang the baking sheets on the counter while cookies are warm to encourage deflation and spreading.
- Cool and Garnish: Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. During this time, press extra white chocolate chips and dried cranberries onto the tops for decorative appearance. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store Cookies: Keep 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 the cookies from spreading too much in the oven and ensures a soft-baked texture.
- If you prefer, you can substitute dried cherries for the dried cranberries for a slightly different fruity tartness.
- Use dark brown sugar for deeper flavor, but light brown sugar works as well with a milder taste.
- If white chocolate chips are not available, chunks of white chocolate will also work and add a nice melty texture.
- To make scooping easier after chilling, allow the dough to warm slightly at room temperature before rolling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
