Fresh Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies (video)

Cranberry white chocolate cookies are pretty popular but have you tried making them with fresh cranberries? I´m telling tell you, this is a game-changer! You get the same amazing cranberry white chocolate flavor, but the cookies taste more fresh and interesting. The sourness of fresh cranberries perfectly balances the sweetness from the sugar and white chocolate. They have crunchy edges and soft/chewy centers. You’ve got to try these cookies!

Ingredients:

Cranberries – this recipe calls for fresh cranberries, not dried cranberries. Dried cranberries could be substituted but I do not recommend that. The sugar levels of these cookies are adjusted to the tartness of fresh cranberries. I also added a little bit more flour to the cookies since the fresh cranberries release moisture (and the dried cranberries take the moisture out of the cookies).

White chocolate – you could substitute white chocolate to other chocolate like dark or milk chocolate (although it just wouldn’t be the same amazing flavor!) or you could swap part of the chocolate for nuts like pecans or walnuts.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these amazing cookies:

How to make it step by step:

A little reminder:

How to measure flour: if you use a kitchen scale to measure out all the ingredients, it all goes easy breezy! But if you’re using measuring cups, remember that 1 cup of flour can weigh 120-150g, depending on how you’re filling your cup. Don’t scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup, which can compact it! 1 cup of flour in my recipes weighs 125g. To correctly measure the flour, you need to:

1. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon.
2. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup.
3. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.

Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5, no fan (if you have a convection oven reduce the temperature by about 20° or follow the manufacturer’s instructions).

Roughly chop white chocolate and cranberries (each cranberry should be cut into 2-3 pieces).

Toss the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour until coated on all sides.

Add the softened butter and both types of sugar into the mixing bowl. Mix over medium-low speed for about 3-5 minutes, until light, fluffy, and well-combined (you can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer, if using a stand mixer use a paddle-shaped attachment).

Add the egg and vanilla extract, mix over medium-low speed for another 3-5 minutes, until well-combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time with a spatula.

Stir the flour with baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl.

Mix over low speed until half combined (you should still see flour here and there and the dough will be rather clumpy – see photo 7).

Add the chopped chocolate and cranberries to the bowl.

Mix until they are evenly distributed, but the dough should be clumpy (see photo 9).

Scoop the dough with a 3-tablespoons-ice cream scoop or just with your hands/spoon. Gather the dough clumps with your hands then roll it into balls (every ball should weigh 40g/1.4oz). Don’t flatten the balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Bake for about 14 minutes. Bake the cookies in batches. The baking time may slightly vary depending on the oven. The cookies should have golden edges but will be completely soft.

Take the baking tray out of the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet (they will continue to set up from the residual heat on the pan after they come out of the oven).

Enjoy!

TIP: Always use a cold baking sheet for baking your cookies. If the baking sheet is warm – the fat in the cookies will melt quicker resulting in flat cookies!

How to make them pretty (optional):

Reserve some cranberry slices and chocolate chunks. Stick 1-2 cranberry slices on top of the balls of dough BEFORE baking them (press them just slightly into the dough). When the cookies come out fresh out of the oven, press 1-3 chocolate chunks into hot and soft cookies (AFTER baking).

Storing and freezing options:

How to store the cookies: These cookies are crunchy at the edges and soft/chewy in the middle for about 2 hours after baking them, then they will start to soften from the moisture of the cranberries. They also taste very good the next day but are very soft. Since they have fresh cranberries in them, I wouldn’t leave them for more than 2-3 days. Cool them completely and store in a tightly-closed container (the best would be a cookie tin) at room temperature.

How to freeze the cookie dough: Make the cookie dough and form balls with your hands (as described in the recipe), then flatten the balls a little. Place them apart (the balls shouldn’t touch each other, otherwise they will stick to each other) on a baking sheet or a chopping board in the freezer. Leave them in the freezer until frozen – it will take about 1-2 hours. After they are frozen you can transfer them into zip-lock bags or tupperware containers. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to bake frozen cookie dough: Bake the cookies exactly like freshly-prepared cookies. You don’t need to thaw the dough, just bake the cookies straight from the. Put them in the preheated oven and bake as written (it may take a little longer – about 1-2 minutes longer).

Other delicious cookie recipes:

• Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
• Apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies
• Chocolate chip pecan cookies
• Linzer Cookies
• Orange walnut rugelach
• Cinnamon palmiers recipe – 3-ingredient puff pastry cookies

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

Fresh Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Amazing cranberry white chocolate cookies made with fresh cranberries. The sourness of fresh cranberries perfectly balances the sweetness from the sugar and white chocolate. They have crunchy edges and soft/chewy centers. You’ve got to try these cookies!

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5 from 4 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Total Time 29 minutes minutes

Servings 23 cookies

Calories 157kcal

Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup (115g) soft butter
• ▢ 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 2/3 cup (135)g light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups (250g) flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups (125g) fresh cranberries + 1 tablespoon flour
• ▢ 6 oz (170g) white chocolate

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Instructions

• Roughly chop white chocolate and cranberries (each cranberry should be cut into 2-3 pieces). Toss the cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour until coated on all sides.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5, no fan (if you have a convection oven reduce the temperature by about 20° or follow the manufacturer's instructions).
• Add the softened butter and both types of sugar into the mixing bowl. Mix over medium-low speed for about 3-5 minutes, until light, fluffy, and well-combined (you can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer, if using a stand mixer use a paddle-shaped attachment).
• Add the egg and vanilla extract, mix over medium-low speed for another 3-5 minutes, until well-combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time with a spatula.
• Stir the flour with baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl. Mix over low speed until half combined (you should still see flour here and there and the dough will be rather clumpy).
• Add the chopped chocolate and cranberries to the bowl. Mix until they are evenly distributed, but the dough should be clumpy.
• Scoop the dough with a 3-tablespoons-ice cream scoop or just with your hands/spoon. Gather the dough clumps with your hands then roll it into balls (every ball should weigh 40g/1.4oz). Don’t flatten the balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
• Bake for about 14 minutes. Bake the cookies in batches. The baking time may slightly vary depending on the oven. The cookies should have golden edges but will be completely soft.
• Take the baking tray out of the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet (they will continue to set up from the residual heat on the pan after they come out of the oven).
• Enjoy!

Notes

• How to make them pretty (optional): Reserve some cranberry slices and chocolate chunks. Stick 1-2 cranberry slices on top of the balls of dough BEFORE baking them (press them just slightly into the dough). When the cookies come out fresh out of the oven, press 1-3 chocolate chunks into hot and soft cookies (AFTER baking).
• The baking time: will depend on how much of the dough you took for each cookie and from the oven as each oven bakes a little differently. The cookies are ready if they have golden edges, are pale at the top, and soft.
• What if you forgot to soften the butter? Cut the butter into small cubes and add it into the bowl and mix it for 1-2 minutes until it is softened, then add the sugar and cream (mix) with the butter.
• How to measure flour: If you’re using measuring cups, remember that 1 cup of flour can weigh 120-150g, depending on how you’re filling your cup. Don’t scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup, which can compact it! Use a scale for best and consistent results. To correctly measure the flour with a measuring cup, you need to: 1. Fluff the flour by stirring it in the bag/flour container with a spoon. 2. Spoon the flour and sprinkle it into your measuring cup. 3. Sweep off the excess flour with the back of a knife.
• How to store the cookies: These cookies are crunchy at the edges and soft/chewy in the middle for about 2 hours after baking them, then they will start to soften from the moisture of the cranberries. They also taste very good the next day but are very soft. Since they have fresh cranberries in them, I wouldn’t leave them for more than 2-3 days. Cool them completely and store in a tightly-closed container (the best would be a cookie tin) at room temperature.
• How to freeze the cookie dough: Make the cookie dough and form balls with your hands (as described in the recipe), then flatten the balls a little. Place them apart (the balls shouldn’t touch each other, otherwise they will stick to each other) on a baking sheet or a chopping board in the freezer. Leave them in the freezer until frozen – it will take about 1-2 hours. After they are frozen you can transfer them into zip-lock bags or tupperware containers. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• How to bake frozen cookie dough: Bake the cookies exactly like freshly-prepared cookies. You don’t need to thaw the dough, just bake the cookies straight from the. Put them in the preheated oven and bake as written (it may take a little longer – about 1-2 minutes longer).
• Calories = 1 cookie (1/23 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!

Course Dessert

Cuisine international

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