These delicious white chocolate cranberry cookies have the perfect blend of sweet white chocolate chips and tart dried cranberries with a hint of orange. They are an easy recipe to add to your baking list and look so beautiful on your holiday cookie tray.
1cupunsalted butter2 sticks, softened to room temperature
1 ½cupsgranulated sugar
1teaspoonfresh orange zest
2largeeggs
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1cupwhite chocolate chips
1 ½cupsdried cranberries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix together.
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and orange zest and blend with an electric mixer on medium high until fluffy. (you can also use the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment).
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
Add the eggs in one at a time, blending them in after each one is added.
2 large eggs
Then add the vanilla extract.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients blending on low speed until the flour is just barely mixed in.
Be very careful not to over-mix.
Add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and gently stir them into the cookie batter.
1 cup white chocolate chips, 1 ½ cups dried cranberries
Use a 1 ½ or 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop equal sized cookie dough and plate them on the prepared baking sheets aat least 2 inches apart.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are just barely golden brown.
Remove from the oven and gently tap the baking sheet on the counter for the centers to sink. Then place them back in the oven for an additional 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes then place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Use dark chocolate or milk chocolate chips if you'd like.Add chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.Add ½ cup more chocolate chips if you'd like.Use gluten free one-to-one flour like Bob's Red Mill GF brand.Omit the orange zest if you'd like.When you remove them from the oven when tapping the centers down, you can use a large round cookie cutter and gently swirl it around the edge of the cookies to shape them back into perfectly round circles.Make sure the butter is fully softened so it blends smoothly. Let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before using.Make sure to measure using the spoon and level method as adding too much flour will result in dry, crumbly cookies.Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.