Cranberry white chocolate chip cookies. Recipe makes 6 cookies.
I'm not entirely sure if it's too early to start baking with cranberries, but here were are.
Since we have a toddler, we have an extensive dried fruit section in our pantry. I'm convinced that with the right combination of dried fruit (dates, cranberries, raisins, and mango) plus ripe in-season fruit, we can keep a kid from wanting candy.
I'm currently doing a little social experiment with my kid (so normal, I swear). Since, I, Christina Lane, at age 34 have zero self-control around a bag of open candy, I'm trying to instill some self-control in my kid.
I did this by buying her a bag of her favorite candy (soft peppermints--someone gave her one as we were leaving a restaurant one day (*cough* grandma), and putting it in a clear candy dish. Then, I put the clear candy dish within her reach in the pantry. I surrounded the candy dish with our dried fruit stash, a bunch of fresh bananas and a small container of cherry tomatoes. (This reminds me: have you seen our pantry with the kid snack section?)
You would think a toddler within reach of a candy jar would clear it in a day, right? The first day, she took 2 pieces, and the next day she took 1 piece. She skipped a few days and forgot about the candy, and then settled into a routine of 1 per day. She skips days quite often, too.
I'm okay with that, you know? I don't want her to be the kid that freaks out at the sight of candy at Halloween and stuffs her face because it's a forbidden thing.
I will be the adult stuffing my face with Halloween candy, however. Pass me all of those fruit-flavored tootsie rolls and sour candy, okay? I'm too old to learn self-control! Hah!
White chocolate chip cranberry cookies:
Anyway, I used part of the bag of dried cranberries to make these cranberry white chocolate chip cookies. The recipe only makes 6 cookies, which is so perfect!
I adapted the recipe from my small-batch white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, but found that I had to add an extra tablespoon of flour. I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's due to the sugar-infused dried cranberries. Sugar is a liquid ingredient in baking, and when it hits the heat of the oven, it melts and spreads. Another explanation could be different humidity levels on baking day.
Small batch baking tips:
Speaking of humidity and flour levels, a lot goes into a small-batch recipe. Since we have such few ingredients, small tweaks cause big changes. So, if you make my recipe for small batch chocolate chip cookies and it feels off to you, email me and we'll work it out! Often it just needs another tablespoon of flour. Or, you need an awesome baking sheet, a silicone mat (it retards cookie spread, in my experience), or your oven needs to be calibrated.
Dare I say that large-scale baking is slightly more forgiving than small-batch baking? I've found it to be true. If the hand-mixer flings flour out of the bowl when you turn it on, it's not such a big deal for a big recipe. When I'm baking a small recipe, I make the effort to scoop the flour off the counter and add it back in!
These cranberry white chocolate chip cookies are a must-have on your cookie tables. The recipe can absolutely be doubled or tripled to suit your needs. Small batch cookie recipes have their place in the holiday season, because sometimes you want a sampling of every type of Christmas cookie. And if every cookie recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, well, that will effect your New Year's Resolution to diet, right?
Small batch cookie recipes for life. I don't know any other way to live!
Recipe substitutions for white chocolate cranberry cookies:
Ok, since a few of you will ask: you can use sweetened or unsweetened cranberries for your cookies. Sweetened cranberries are typically more authentic. Also, be sure to seek out real white chocolate chips. Real white chocolate is made with actual cocoa butter; fake white chocolate is made with oil instead of cocoa butter. Always choose real white chocolate!
Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
A small batch of cranberry white chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk (white reserved for another use)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the medium bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy, about 40 seconds.
- Next, add the egg yolk and beat until combined.
- Finally, sprinkle the flour, baking soda and salt evenly over the surface, and beat to combine everything.
- Stir in the cranberries and white chocolate chips by hand.
- Divide the dough equally into 6 cookies (about 46 grams each), and space evenly on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown on the edges and the surface begins to crack.
- Let cool completely, and store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days (if they last that long).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 3g
Jane says
Thanks to a recent trip to the frozen yogurt shop, my nephew discovered his love of white chocolate chips. I'm looking forward to making these cookies for his upcoming birthday!
Leah Vogel says
Where do you buy white chocolate? I have trouble finding the good stuff.
Christina Lane says
I buy it at the regular grocery store, but I just check the labels before buying. It should say 'white chocolate' not 'white chips' or 'white bark.' Ghirardelli has a great bag of them that I've even found at Walmart :)
Mary Ann Ong says
Hi Christina, would love to try this. Just in case I want to skip adding white chocolate chips, can I replace it with nuts? Thanks ????
Christina Lane says
Hi Mary Ann! You definitely can, because the recipe I adapted it from had nuts :)
Cindy Rodriguez says
I love the idea of stashing healthy snacks around those soft peppermints for your daughter. Genius idea! These look super yummy - can't wait to try.
Kori says
I’m currently dairy free, would the cookies change much if I subbed a margarine or something else?
Christina Lane says
I think they would, Kori. I'm sorry! Margarine doesn't behave the same way as butter does in the oven. It tends to melt way faster and make the cookies spread too much. If you're desperate for a cookie, add an extra tablespoon or two of flour, and chill the dough before baking :)
Leila says
Christina, I bake dairy free a lot and have adapted many of your recipes. They still taste good with margarine/canola oil (don't shoot me!) but of course butter is best!
Camille is such a cutie. I'm glad you're teaching her to limit her candy intake on her own. It's a life skill :) And I love peppermint patties.
Pam says
This was my 1st recipe to try & they were very tasty! 2 questions: can I use self rising flour instead of plain flour? And, should I flatten the cookie dough from a ball before baking bc they seemed thick? Can't wait to try more recipes for 2!
Christina Lane says
Hi Pam,
Glad you liked them! I wouldn't swap flours...self-rising flour has a different amount of leavener in it than needed in this recipe. If you want the cookies to spread more, instead of lining the baking sheet, spray it with cooking spray and let the bake directly on the pan :)
2pots2cook says
Keeper it is for Christmas ! Thank you so much !
Patty says
Could these be frozen if you don’t want to eat all of them in two days?
Christina Lane says
Yes, Patty. Just freeze before baking, and then when you are ready to bake, add an extra 1-2 minutes to the cooking time. Enjoy!
The Novice says
These look super! What is it about white chocolate and cranberries that they go so well together?! I love milk chocolate, but nothing goes better with cranberries than white choc.
Gabriela says
Hi Christina! I baked the cookies and they were too buttery. I don't know what could have happened.
Christina Lane says
Too buttery sounds like a good thing, no? Or do you mean they spread too much? If they spread too much, it's the baking pan and surface that you baked them on (did you use parchment or a silicone mat?)