Description
Rich and buttery white chocolate cranberry cookies blend sweet and tart flavors into a delightful holiday treat. Crisp edges and chewy centers make these cookies a perfect companion for festive gatherings and cozy winter afternoons.
Ingredients
Scale
- ¾ cup (170 g / 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g / 7 oz) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g / 8.8 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 cup (170 g / 6 oz) white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) dried cranberries
- ½ cup (50 g / 1.8 oz) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Line baking sheets with parchment paper to create a non-stick foundation for the cookies.
- Creaming: Whip butter and sugars using an electric mixer until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, creating a smooth, aerated base for the cookie dough.
- Wet Ingredients Fusion: Blend egg, extra egg yolk, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture until achieving a glossy, homogeneous consistency.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Thoroughly whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl to ensure even distribution of leavening components.
- Dough Formation: Gently incorporate dry ingredients into the wet mixture, carefully mixing to maintain the dough’s delicate structure and prevent overmixing.
- Mix-in Incorporation: Tenderly fold white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and optional nuts throughout the dough, ensuring uniform ingredient distribution.
- Shaping and Positioning: Scoop and roll dough into uniform balls, placing them strategically on prepared baking sheets with sufficient spacing to allow for spreading.
- Baking Process: Slide sheets into a preheated 350F (175C) oven, allowing cookies to transform into golden-edged treats with perfectly soft, tender centers.
- Cooling Technique: Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for five minutes to stabilize their structure, then transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling and texture development.
Notes
- Optimize Butter Temperature: Ensure butter is softened but not melted, allowing perfect creaming that creates a light, fluffy cookie base with ideal texture and consistency.
- Prevent Overmixing: Mix dry and wet ingredients gently to maintain a tender crumb, stopping precisely when ingredients are just combined to avoid tough, dense cookies.
- Uniform Cookie Size: Use a consistent tablespoon scoop or cookie scoop to create evenly sized cookies, guaranteeing uniform baking and professional-looking results with consistent doneness.
- Customize Ingredient Variations: Swap white chocolate chips with milk or dark chocolate, substitute dried cranberries with other dried fruits like cherries or blueberries, or add nuts like pecans or almonds for personalized flavor profiles.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 182
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 77 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg