These white chocolate cranberry pecan cookies are soft, thick, chewy, and loaded with sweet white chocolate chips, tart dried cranberries, and crunchy pecans in every single bite.
These are the perfect cookies for holiday baking, cookie exchanges, family gatherings, or, honestly, anytime you’re craving an easy homemade cookie recipe.
If you love cranberry desserts as much as I do, make sure to also check out my cranberry pecan oatmeal cookies and cranberry walnut chocolate chunk cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Thick and chewy texture
- Easy cookie recipe with simple ingredients
- Loaded with white chocolate, cranberries, and pecans
- Perfect for holidays and cookie trays
- Freezer-friendly
- Great make-ahead dessert recipe
Key Ingredients
This is a basic cookie dough combined with a wonderful blend of mix-ins. You can find the full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Dried Cranberries: Bring a sweet-tart flavor that cuts through the richness of the butter and chocolate.
- White Chocolate Chips: Add creamy sweetness and pair perfectly with the tart cranberries.
- Pecans: Give the cookies a crunch and a buttery, nutty flavor, adding extra texture and richness.
Variations
- Add Orange: Orange zest in the dough adds a bright, citrus note.
- Swap Out the Nuts: Try walnuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts.
- Swap the Chocolate: Try dark chocolate in place of white chocolate for a deeper flavor.
- Sea Salt: Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top before baking.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies
Below is a brief overview of the cookie-baking process. You’ll find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Step 1: Beat the wet ingredients until smooth, adding the eggs last, one at a time.
- Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients and gradually mix them into the wet until just combined.
- Step 3: Fold in the mix-ins.
- Step 4: Drop dough rounds onto a prepared cookie sheet with a cookie scoop, then bake until the edges are lightly golden.
- Step 5: Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Room temperature butter and eggs help create a smoother cookie dough and softer texture.
- Mix the dough until just combined. Overmixing makes the cookies tough.
- Use a folding motion when adding the mix-ins to avoid overmixing the dough.
- The cookies will look underdone in the center when you remove them. That’s okay! They’ll continue baking as they cool on the cookie sheet.
White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies FAQs
Overbaking is usually the reason. Remove the cookies from the oven when the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to set as they cool. In addition, overmixing the dough can cause tough cookies.
Unless a recipe specifically states otherwise, you don’t have to chill cookie dough. However, many people do it to create taller, fluffier cookies.
I don’t recommend it. Dried cranberries are sweeter, making them perfect for the recipe. Fresh cranberries also contain more moisture, which can change the cookies’ texture.
These cookies will stay fresh and soft for up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Store the cookies with a slice of white bread in the container. The moisture from the bread will help keep the cookies soft.
Absolutely. Store baked cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough and bake fresh cookies whenever you want.
These are a Great Dessert with Mains Like:
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White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 egg
- 2 cups dried cranberries, I used Craisins
- 2 cups white chocolate chips
- 2 cups pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla together until combined.
- Add egg and mix until incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture. Beat until combined.
- Stir in white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and pecans.
- Drop by rounded 1 ½ teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheet. (I used a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop)
- Bake for 8 – 9 minutes or until edges start to brown.
- Remove from oven. Let sit on baking sheet for a couple minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Room temperature butter and eggs help create a smoother cookie dough and softer texture.
- Mix the dough until just combined. Overmixing makes the cookies tough.
- Use a folding motion when adding the mix-ins to avoid overmixing the dough.
- The cookies will look underdone in the center when you remove them. That’s okay! They’ll continue baking as they cool on the cookie sheet.
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest:
Enjoy, Terri
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