We love everything about these cookies! They have the perfect texture and thickness and are filled with an amazing combination of cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate. These disappear quickly every time we make them!
What we love about these Cranberry Walnut Cookies
I’ll confess. I sometimes double this recipe and make chocolate chip cookies for my kids and these Cranberry and Walnut cookies for my husband and I just so we can eat them. They are my favorite cookies! There’s something about the cranberry, walnut, white chocolate combination that is so perfectly balanced and delicious.
I love the texture of the cookies as well, slightly crispy on the outside, more soft and chewy on the inside. They are thick, sweet, and with just a little crunch from the walnuts. I have made these so many times for family and friends and they are beautiful for a holiday cookie plate.
What you need to make these Cranberry Walnut White Chocolate Cookies
You will need the following ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Dried cranberries
- Walnuts
- White chocolate chips
Walnut Cranberry Cookies Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- Don’t have walnuts or don’t like them? Pecans, almonds, or macadamia nuts are good options for a substitute. Pistachios could be a great seasonal choice as well.
- Chocolate chips could be used in place of white chocolate chips.
- Another dried fruit like cherries, raisins, or currants could possibly substitute.
- If you don’t like dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, or walnuts and choose to omit them, I would keep the volume of the add-ins at 3 cups, so increase the amount of the other two ingredients accordingly.
- I have not tried making these dairy-free, gluten-free, or egg-free, but gluten-free flour, dairy-free butter, or an egg substitute may be possible, I just can’t guarantee the results.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2. In a separate large bowl with an electric mixer, or with a stand mixer, beat together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter for 2-3 minutes until more light and fluffy. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and blend until thoroughly mixed in.
Step 3. Mix the dry ingredients into the dough just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Do not over-mix.
Step 4. Mix in the cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate chips just until evenly distributed. The dough will be stiff.
Step 5. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop dough onto the prepared cookie sheet and space about 2 inches apart.
Step 6. Bake cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 2-5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips
- I recommend keeping parchment paper on hand, it is especially helpful when baking cookies. Lining your pan with parchment paper helps prevent cookies from spreading when baking which in turn helps prevent your cookies from becoming too thin and crispy. The cookies won’t stick to your pan and pans are much easier to clean up. Also, the parchment paper creates a thin layer between the cookies and the pan which helps promote even browning and prevents hot spots on your pan that may cause cookies to burn.
- I love using a cookie scoop when making cookies so that the cookies are a uniform size and shape. I use a medium cookie scoop for this recipe, which makes a scoop of about 2 tablespoons. I really like the one from Pampered Chef or this scoop from Amazon works great as well.
- Also, I love my USA pan baking sheets, they cook so evenly, are high quality, and long-lasting.
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Frequently Asked Questions
| Can the cookie dough be made in advance? |
| The USDA says that cookie dough is safe in the fridge for 2-4 days. I have had a lot of success making this dough the day before, covering the dough in the fridge, and cooking the cookies the next day if I didn’t have time to bake them the day I made the dough. Before baking, keep the dough out at room temperature for about 30 minutes or the dough will be hard to scoop. |
| How do I store Cranberry and Walnut cookies? |
| a. Store cookies in an air-tight container. I use a Tupperware container and use parchment paper to separate the layers when stacking so they don’t stick together. For best quality, store cookies at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, and in the freezer for 3 months. b. You can also freeze cookie dough. Scoop them into 2 tablespoons portions and place them individually on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen, they can be frozen in a sealed bag or container for up to 2 months. To thaw, set them on a cookie sheet ready to bake and let them sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes while the oven preheats. I recommend cooking them at a lower temperature, 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then baking them for a little longer, 10-12 minutes, keeping an eye on them. |
Cranberry and Walnut Cookies
15
minutes40
minutes30-36
cookies55
minutesWe love everything about these cookies! They have the perfect texture and thickness and are filled with an amazing combination of cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate. These disappear quickly every time we make them!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups 2 1/2 all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 1 baking soda
3/4 teaspoon 3/4 salt
3/4 cup 3/4 granulated sugar
3/4 cup 3/4 brown sugar, packed
1 cup 1 butter (2 sticks), softened
1 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon 1 vanilla
1 cup 1 dried cranberries
1 cup 1 chopped walnuts
1 cup 1 white chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer, at medium speed, beat together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat again until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix at low speed just until combined, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the mixture to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Stir in the cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate chips. The dough will be stiff.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet and space the dough 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are just turning golden brown. Leave on the cookie sheet to cool for 2-5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Notes
- To make your cookies in the best circular shape, right when you pull them from the oven, put a glass cup or a 2.5 to 3-inch circle cookie cutter around a cookie and move it around in a circular shape to help nudge the edges to make a more perfect circle.
- Another tip to make cookies look even better is right when the cookies are out of the oven place a few white chocolate chips, craisins, or walnuts on the top of the cookie in places where you don’t see any of the mix-ins.
- I recommend lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper for even browning, to prevent spreading and sticking, and to help with clean up. For more information, read the tip above.
- To measure your flour, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level off the top using a knife or straight-edged utensil for best results.
- It takes 30 minutes to 1 hour for butter to come to room temperature. I recommend just placing the butter on the counter to soften before making the cookies instead of softening the butter in the microwave, where the butter can melt. Melted butter in this recipe can cause cookies to flatten more and turn out slightly more dense.
Cranberry and white chocolate is my favorite combo! Love this recipe!
Thank you! Me too! These are a huge favorite here! Thanks for the great feedback!
I love cookies with walnuts and white chocolate – the cranberries took it over the top – delicious!