Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

October 14, 2022
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These Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are deliciously sweet with creamy white chocolate chunks and tangy dried cranberries. They’ve got a thick, soft and chewy centre with a lightly crisp exterior. They’re the perfect treat for the holiday season!

Christmas will be upon us before we know it and I couldn’t wait any longer to release this deliciously festive recipe! These Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies are brilliant to bring to parties, into the office and to give as gifts. They’re easy to make and are incredibly moreish.

The base of these cookies is kept thick with a soft and chewy centre and lightly crisp exterior. The tangy dried cranberries cut through the sweetness of the white chocolate and give these cookies a festive vibe so not only do they taste fab but they look pretty cute too.

Quick links:

Cranberry and white chocolate cookies in a baking tin surrounded by chunks of vegan white chocolate and juicy, tangy red cranberries

Why you’ll love these Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Easy to make and one bowl. We make these cookies in one bowl. First beat the dairy free butter, sugar, syrup and vanilla together. Then add the dry ingredients and stir together before finally adding the vegan white chocolate and cranberries.

Festive and different. We’re a fan of a classic chocolate chip cookies (who isn’t?!) but sometimes it’s nice to have something a little bit different – these cookies are just that and will go down a treat in the festive season.

Deliciously thick and chewy. We freeze the dough for 20 minutes before baking as this results in a thicker cookie which I think suits this recipe. We also use brown sugar (as we do in most of our cookie recipes) to give that soft and chewy texture that we all love from a bakery-style cookie!

Freezer friendly. One of the great things about these cookies is you can store the cookie dough balls in the freezer and cook from frozen as and when you fancy a cookie or two! You just need to add a few more minutes to the cooking time if you’re cooking them from completely frozen rather than part-frozen.

Vegan white chocolate and cranberry cookies on a cooling rack

How to make these Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

Gather together your ingredients – you can choose to use either chunks of white chocolate or white chocolate chips.

First beat together the dairy free butter, sugar, golden syrup and vanilla until light and creamy.

Sugar, syrup and cubes of butter in a mixing bowl Creamed vegan butter and sugar in a mixing bowl

Then add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt and stir briefly until just combined.

Creamed butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with flour on top Vegan cookie dough being mixed in a large bowl

Finally add the white chocolate and cranberries and stir through.

Dried cranberries and vegan white chocolate chunks added to a bowl of cookie dough ready to be mixed in Vegan white chocolate and cranberry cookie dough in a large mixing bowl

Divide into 10 cookie dough balls and freeze for 20 minutes. Bake at 175°C (fan) for 10 minutes until lightly golden.

Balls of cookie dough about to be placed in the freezer to chill Balls of cookie dough on a lined baking tray ready to be baked

Top tips

  1. Beating the wet ingredients: At the first step you want to beat the wet ingredients together (butter, sugar, syrup, vanilla) until they are light and creamy. You may want to use a food processor or mixer for this, or at least give it a good go with the wooden spoon!

  2. Mixing in the rest of the ingredients: Use a light touch when adding in the rest of the ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate and cranberries) – mix just enough to combine, don’t beat the mixture at this stage.

  3. Freeze before baking: Freeze the cookie dough balls for 20 minutes for baking to give a nice thick cookie – don’t skip this step otherwise your cookies will likely spread on the tray and go crispy around the edges.

  4. Cooling: Leave the cookies to cool on the tray for 30 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. The chocolate will remain warm and melted for quite a while after baking so you want to give the cookies time to firm up a little before attempting to move them. Feel free to enjoy one warm, the melty chocolate makes them extra yummy!

  5. Storing: Store the cookies in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge if you prefer them firmer.

  6. You can make 1/2 a batch: If you don’t want to cook off a full batch of cookies you can store any remaining dough balls in an air tight zip lock bag in the freezer ready to cook at a later date.

Cranberry and white chocolate cookies on a pretty pink vintage plate

FAQs

  1. Can I use vegan milk or dark chocolate instead of white chocolate? Of course! Feel free to switch up the chocolate using a 1:1 ratio.

  2. Can I add nuts? Yes absolutely! Pistachios or roughly chopped pecans would be good options.

  3. Can I make this dough in advance? Yes you can make this dough the day before you want to cook it – just place the dough balls in the refrigerator overnight instead of in the freezer for 20 minutes. You may need to increase the baking time by a minute or two – you’re aiming for the cookies to be lightly golden.

  4. Can I adjust the batch size? I recommend making a full batch as per the recipe but you can store 1/2 of the batch of cookie dough balls in the freezer for baking at another time. You can also double the recipe but you’ll likely need to bake the cookies in batches so they’ve got enough space on the baking trays to cook and spread a little without joining together.

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A stack of freshly baked cookies studded with vegan white chocolate pieces and tangy red cranberries

A cranberry and white chocolate cookie broken open to display a soft and chewy centre

Loved these Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies? Here are some more amazing cookies to try

I hope you LOVE this recipe for Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies! Share this recipe with someone you think will enjoy it and don’t forget to tag @aveganvisit on social media when you try out the recipe – I absolutely love seeing your re-creations! Enjoy 🙂 x

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The Video Recipe:

The Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies Recipe:

A stack of freshly baked cookies studded with vegan white chocolate pieces and tangy red cranberries

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

These Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are deliciously sweet with creamy white chocolate chunks and tangy dried cranberries. They’ve got a thick, soft and chewy centre with a lightly crisp exterior. They’re the perfect treat for the holiday season!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Sweet Treat
Cuisine: American, British
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Serves: 10
Calories: 272kcal
Author: Tara

Ingredients
  

  • 120 g dairy free butter (cold* (unsalted, cut into cubes))
  • 95 g soft light brown sugar
  • 20 g golden syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 180 g plain flour
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 100 g vegan white chocolate (broken into chunks)
  • 75 g dried cranberries

Instructions
 

  • Beat the butter, sugar, golden syrup and vanilla in a bowl until it is creamy and fully combined. As the butter will be quite solid you may find it easier to use a food processor or mixer to beat the mix at this stage.
    120 g dairy free butter, 95 g soft light brown sugar, 20 g golden syrup, 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Gently stir in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt until just combined. Don’t over mix.
    180 g plain flour, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1/4 tsp salt
  • Add the chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Stir to combine.
    100 g vegan white chocolate, 75 g dried cranberries
  • Use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop to scoop out 10 cookies. Roll them into balls and place them in a freezer-proof dish. Don’t flatten the balls, you want to leave them as tall as possible for a nice chunky cookie.
  • Freeze the cookie dough balls for 20 minutes (this will help achieve a thicker cookie which suits this recipe).
  • Whilst the cookie dough balls are in the freezer, preheat the oven to 175°C fan (195°C conventional / 385°F / gas mark 5) and line two large trays with non-stick baking paper. Don’t pre-heat the trays.
  • Place the cookie dough balls on the lined trays with plenty of space in between them.**
  • Bake for 10-11 mins until the cookies are just starting to go a light golden colour. Don’t over-bake.
  • Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes on the tray first before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Video

Notes

Vegan / Dairy Free / Egg Free
Recipe inspired by:  UK/USA
* Use the block kind of dairy free butter not the spreadable margarine kind.
** If you don’t have enough space on the baking trays or in the oven to bake all of the cookies in one hit, place the spare dough balls in the fridge to keep them cold whilst you bake the first batch.
You can also freeze the dough at this stage if you only want to make 1/2 a batch of these cookies - just place the dough balls in an airtight container or a sealed bag. If baking the cookies from frozen you’ll need to add a few more minutes to the baking time.
Please check the allergens on the ingredients you purchase before use. The allergen information provided in this recipe is intended as a guide only and is based on the specific ingredients and brands used at the time of creating the recipe, therefore we cannot guarantee that the same will apply to the ingredients you use.
Prep time excludes any inactive time.
We highly recommend you use the metric and 1x options on this recipe card for the best results. Please note that this recipe has not been tested using US measurements or increasing ingredient quantities to 2x or 3x, therefore results may vary.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Net Carbohydrates: 34g
Have you tried this recipe?Tag @aveganvisit on Instagram or hashtag it #aveganvisit!

Tara

Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.