Name: Chewy White Chocolate Chip & Cranberry Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened); 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed); 1/4 cup sugar; 1 large egg (at room temperature); 2 tsp vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp cornstarch; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 3/4 cup white chocolate chips; 3/4 cup dried cranberries

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Cookies are one of America’s all time favorite desserts, especially since they’re so customizable. Give your traditional version a festive spin with these tasty white chocolate chip & cranberry cookies. It’s like a little bit of the Holidays in every single bite.

The chocolate chip cookie is truly an ‘All-American’ classic. It’s also pretty traditional anytime of year.

I don’t know what it is, or why, but around the holidays my brain demands I change things up.

And to said brain there are a few things that just *say* Christmas.

One of them being a switch to white chocolate chips in my cookies.

And another thing? The add-ins change.

Gone are the extra candies, even the oats get kicked to the curb.

And although our favorite Christmas cookie add-in, Cranberries, are healthy, trust me when I say it’s not at all intentional.

These chewy white chocolate chip & cranberry cookies are a tasty treat with a warm, festive look that invites you to dig right in.

These cookies are good. They’re great even! In no way are they healthy, and I wouldn’t ever dream of marketing them that way.

These white chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy amazing-ness that’s totally meant to be savored for dessert.

For real though, I love these cookies so much, I’d make them in Summer too if it was seasonally appropriate.

Making these cookies is just as easy as making a batch of the traditional version.

No complicated ingredients here!

Ingredients Needed

butter
brown sugar
granulated sugar
egg
vanilla extract
flour
cornstarch
baking soda
salt
white chocolate chips
dried cranberries

What Makes Cookies Chewy?

Some people love chewy cookies & others swear by the firmer variety.

It all just depends on my mood for me.

These are the chewy kind. That doesn’t mean they’re undercooked or taste soggy either.

There’s a fine line and a bit of science behind achieving this texture without just under-baking your cookies, which isn’t safe.

And usually results in a sad cookie that even when cooled wants to fall apart.

It required adjusting the ingredient amounts, baking time, and temperature to allow the cookies to retain moisture.

All this to say, yes you can absolutely take your regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and fold in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead.

BUT, that alone won’t yield a chewy cookie.

Making The Dough

This recipe comes together easily, and is a perfect one to make with the whole family.

Getting the kids in the kitchen is usually easy for me when they hear cookies are involved!

Start by adding both the sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer with the butter. Cream them together until they’re smooth & fluffy.

Next add the egg and extract to the mixture, and whip again until everything’s smooth.

In a separate mixing bowl, it’s time to get the dry ingredients together.

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.

Working with a little bit at a time, and with the mixer set on a lower speed add in the dry ingredients to the wet batter.

Continue until all have been incorporated.

Don’t be surprised at the thickness of the batter. It’s definitely supposed to be that thick.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and remix if necessary to evenly incorporate everything.

Now, using a spatula, fold in the in chocolate chips & cranberries.

The batter’s made now, but we’ve got a few more steps to go- and this may require a little patience.

So this is the point at which I usually shoo my kids out of the kitchen while I finish up.

Cover the mixing bowl tightly with cling wrap to seal in the dough.

Refrigerate until the dough’s chilled through. At least two hours, but it can be left for up to two days if properly covered and refrigerated.

Why Chill The Cookie Dough?

If you don’t know, chilling cookie dough before baking helps keep the cookies from spreading as much.

That’s because it solidifies the fats.

This is important when you want fluffy, chewy cookies.

The fat in the dough takes longer to spread, and it actually helps the sugars absorb more moisture.

Just another little important step behind a successfully chewy cookie.

Don’t skip chilling the dough. Don’t try to cheat on the time. Trust the process.

Baking The Cookies

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, roughly 10 minutes before you’re ready to bake.

If you chilled it overnight, then it may take up to 20 minutes. The dough will almost come to room temp, but not quite.

While the dough’s softening, prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Parchment paper is non stick, so no need to spray it or do anything other than lay it out over the baking sheet.

You can also use silicone baking mats instead.

Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll, between your hands, into a ball.

If the dough is crumbly, no worries, it will smooth right out when you roll it.

Put the dough balls onto a non-stick baking sheet, about 1-1/2 – 2 inches apart from each other, to allow for spreading.

Continue until all the dough’s been shaped into cookies and added to the prepped baking sheets.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until they’ve just barely begun to turn golden brown around the edges.

Don’t worry, it’s normal for them to look extremely soft when they’re taken out of the oven.

Let the cookies rest for at least 5 full minutes, and then carefully transfer them to wire racks to finish cooling completely.

Serve the cookies with cold, fresh milk.

TIPS & TRICKS

If you want a deeper flavor, you can substitute dark brown sugar for regular brown sugar.
Don’t skip chilling the dough- it may seem like no big deal, but it’s integral to the cookies turning out.
Dried cranberries will work as a substitute for dried cranberries.

So let’s recap, soft and chewy, yet crisp too, these white chocolate chip & cranberry cookies pair decadent creamy white chocolate chips with sweet/tart dried cranberries.

The tastiest way to get in the mood for the holiday season, these are the perfect Christmas cookie combination, and any cookie aficionados dream.

Other Festive Cookie Ideas To Try

If you’ve tried these CHEWY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP & CRANBERRY COOKIES, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!