White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Cookies
These white chocolate macadamia cranberry cookies are perfect for the holiday season! But this is also a delicious cookie recipe for any time of year. It’s the perfect combination of tart dried cranberries, sweet white chocolate chips, and crunchy macadamia nuts.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There’s so much to love about this cookie recipe. With tart cranberries paired with the sweetness of the white chocolate, this is one of the best cookies to add to holiday cookie trays or to bring to a holiday cookie exchange.
Every year we love to fill up decorative boxes or tins with Christmas cookies and candies to share with neighbors and friends. We have several favorite cookies we always include, like chocolate star cookies, thumbprint cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, and Christmas sugar cookies. We also usually include a few homemade candies like this easy fudge, pretzel hugs, and chocolate-dipped pretzels.
This year I think we’re going to add these white chocolate cranberry cookies because they’re just so good! And they look so festive, with the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
Also, these cookies are soft and chewy in the middle, which is my favorite cookie texture! So, so good!
Another things to love about them is that they can be made ahead—the dough can be made ahead and then kept in the refrigerator for a few days, or you can even freeze it for a few months. This is so handy and can save so much time, especially during the busyness of the holidays! (Read more in the note at the bottom of the post about making them ahead.)
White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Cookies Tips
- If you use unsalted butter instead of the salted butter called for in the recipe, increase the salt to ½ teaspoon.
- You can also turn these into regular white chocolate macadamia nut cookies by simply leaving out the cranberries.
- Be sure to leave enough time to chill the dough before baking. That will make all the difference in how well these cookies turn out! The dough should be chilled for at least two hours, but they can also be made ahead and chilled in the refrigerator for up to a few days before baking.
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Supplies Needed for This Recipe
- Large bowl
- Whisk
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Glass measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Wire cooling rack
White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Cookies Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is used in this recipe.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch makes the cookies softer in the center, increases chewiness, and keeps them from spreading too much.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: These are the two leavening agents in this recipe.
- Salt: I love using this sea salt in all of my recipes.
- Salted Butter: This recipe calls for salted butter, but you can also use unsalted butter and just increase the salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar makes up the primary sweetener in this recipe.
- White Sugar: White granulated sugar adds the perfect complement to the brown sugar.
- Eggs: You’ll need two large eggs—a whole egg and a large egg yolk, both at room temperature.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: You can use store-bought, or homemade vanilla extract.
- White Chocolate Chips: These pair perfectly with macadamia nuts and cranberries.
- Macadamia Nuts: Use salted dry roasted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped, for this recipe.
- Dried Cranberries: Using dried cranberries means you can make this recipe any time of year, even when cranberries aren’t in season!
How to Make White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Cookies
1. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl (a.).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together till light and creamy, at least 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl at least 2 times during this time (b.).
3. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and cream together another 2 minutes (c.). Add the dry ingredients and mix till just combined (d.). Add the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and dried cranberries, and mix until just combined (steps e. and f.).
4. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.
5. About 20 minutes before ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Scoop the dough into about 1 ½ -2 tablespoon-sized balls and bake for about 12-14 minutes. The edges should be browning but the center will look soft and under-baked still.
7. Let cool on the cookie sheets for 5-7 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storage Tips
Keep white chocolate macadamia cranberry cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Make Ahead Instructions
- Make the dough and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If making ahead and storing in the refrigerator for a few days, be sure to remove dough and allow to warm to room temperature for about 20 minutes before shaping and baking.
- You can make the cookies and then freeze the baked and cooled cookies in a plastic zipper bag for up to 3 months.
- Or, you can make the recipe and form the dough into balls and freeze on a cookie sheet. Remove the cookie dough balls from the cookie sheet after they’ve frozen, and put them in a plastic zipper bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. They don’t need to be thawed before baking, but you’ll need to add an extra minute or two to the cooking time. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the frozen dough balls on the parchment paper and bake as usual.
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
- Chocolate Star Cookies
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!
White Chocolate Macadamia Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups flour 315 g
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) salted butter room temperature *see note
- 1 cup packed brown sugar 225g
- ½ cup white sugar 104 g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups white chocolate chips 210 g
- 1 cup macadamia nuts salted, roughly chopped (120 g)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until light and creamy, at least 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl at least 2 times during this time.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and cream together another 2 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and dried cranberries, and mix until just combined.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- About 20 minutes before ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into about 1 ½ -2 tablespoon-sized balls and bake for about 12-14 minutes. The edges should be browning but the center will look soft and under-baked still.
- Let cool on the cookie sheets for 5-7 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Make the dough and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If making ahead and storing in the refrigerator for a few days, be sure to remove dough and allow to warm to room temperature for about 20 minutes before shaping and baking.
- You can make the cookies and then freeze the baked and cooled cookies in a plastic zipper bag for up to 3 months.
- Or, you can make the recipe and form the dough into balls and freeze on a cookie sheet. Remove the cookie dough balls from the cookie sheet after they’ve frozen, and put them in a plastic zipper bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. They don’t need to be thawed before baking, but you’ll need to add an extra minute or two to the cooking time. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the frozen dough balls on the parchment paper and bake as usual.
