Craving something sweet, cozy, and a little festive? My recipe for white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies with pecans checks all those boxes. They’re soft and chewy, with just the right balance of tart and sweet from the cranberries and the creamy white chocolate chips. They are my holiday favorite this time of year!
These cookies are like the classic oatmeal cookie, but all dressed up for the holidays. The cranberries add a pop of color and tang, while the sweet white chocolate chips melt into rich, buttery pockets of goodness. And the aroma when they come out of the oven- it's like heaven!
Besides being the perfect holiday cookie, my recipe for white chocolate cranberry cookies with pecans is super versatile. Don't like pecans? Substitute them with walnuts, macadamia nuts, or a nut of your choice. Not fond of white chocolate? Use milk or dark chocolate or even butterscotch chips.
Did I also mention that you won't be needing a stand mixer or electric mixer for my recipe? It's super easy to make these festive cookies!
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Ingredients for White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- All Purpose Flour: All of my home baking is gluten free and my favorite flour to use is the Measure for Measure King Arthur Gluten Free Flour.
- Oats: I use Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking GF Rolled Oats. I highly recommend using quick cooking oats as they create a chewier texture.
- Cinnamon and Vanilla Extract: these flavors add the perfect amount of warmth to this cookie recipe.
- Butter and Egg: I use unsalted butter at room temperature and one large egg. If your butter is straight out of the refrigerator, you can cut it into pieces and place it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or until it becomes slightly soft.
- Light Brown Sugar and Granulated White Sugar: Using slightly more brown sugar than white sugar creates a chewier texture, which I like for this cookie.
- Cranberries: I always look for dried cranberries that have the least amount of added sugars. Unfortunately, fresh cranberries cannot be substituted in this recipe.
- Pecans: Pecans are my nut of choice for these white chocolate cranberry cookies, but walnuts or macadamia nuts are a great substitute. To elevate the flavor of the nuts, dry roast them in a pan for 5 minutes, stirring to make sure they don't burn. You'll know they're done when you can just start to smell the aroma.
- White Chocolate Chips: When I have a white chocolate bar, I roughly chop it up to add to these cookies. For chocolate chips, my favorite super market brand is Guittard, followed by Ghirardelli. Guittard chocolate chips are very smooth and the least acidic in my opinion.
- Other: Baking soda and salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for white chocolate cranberry cookies with pecans
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and stir to fully combine.
- Add the dry ingredients: Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, then stir it into the butter mixture.
- Stir In Add-Ins: Fold in the oats, dried cranberries, nuts, and white chocolate chips. Scoop dough into 2-oz balls (about 2 tablespoon each) and chill cookie dough for at least 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake & Cool: Drop dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet 3-4 inches apart and bake for 8–10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. No need for a wire rack- just cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before enjoying one or two, or more!
Commonly Asked Questions
In my kitchen, weighing flour or oats with a simple kitchen scale is non-negotiable. Dry ingredients can vary greatly in how much space they take up, so using a measuring cup sometimes leads to inconsistent results. This is particularly true with gluten free flours. On the other hand, I use a measuring cup or spoon with wet ingredients or mix-ins, like chocolate chips or cranberries.
Regular oats are thicker than quick oats, creating a rougher and chewier texture in your cookie. I prefer the quick oats (not instant) because they are softer and thinner, creating the ideal oatmeal cookie texture.
Instant oats are great for a quick breakfast, but I don't recommend them for baking. Instead of the chewy texture we look for in oatmeal cookies, instant oats will make cookies have a gummy texture.
To prevent cookies from spreading too much, chill the cookie dough before baking. I find that 10 minutes is the minimum chilling time and 12 hours or overnight is ideal.
To make white chocolate cranberry cookies gluten-free, simply use gluten-free oats and gluten-free flour. I use King Arthur's Gluten Free 1:1 Flour and Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking GF Rolled Oats. Both are available at most supermarkets.
Baking and Storage
- What is the best temperature to bake the cookies? The cookies should be baked at 375°F (190°C). I always set my oven temperature 10 degrees higher, then place the cookies in the oven and turn the temperature down to 375 once I close the oven door. This ensures that my oven is actually 375°F once the baking starts.
- How long should I bake the cookies? The cookies should be baked for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. They will come out soft and chewy in the middle, and crispy on the edges. If they look raw in the middle after 10 minutes, please add an additional 2 minutes.
- Can I freeze these cookies? Yes, you can freeze the cookies unbaked for up to 3 months. Store the cookie dough balls in an airtight ziplock bag. When you are ready, take them straight from the freezer to the oven. Frozen cookies will need an additional 2-4 minutes of baking time. You can also freeze them baked.
Can I reduce the sweetness on cookies?
Although everyone expects cookies to be sweet, most people don’t enjoy them when they’re too sweet. One option to reducing the sweetness level of a cookie is to remove 2 tablespoons from both the white and brown sugar. This will reduce the sweetness without affecting the cookie’s texture. If your cranberries are heavily sweetened, reduce the amount to about ½ cup. The same goes for the white chocolate, which you can reduce it to ½ cup.
Did You Make the Recipe?
I would love to hear your feedback! Please leave a comment and star rating below. You can also pin my recipe on Pinterest or share your creation on Instagram by tagging me @mulberryblvd. Thank you! Tannaz
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened / room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup flour 60 grams- please weigh if possible
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cup quick cooking oats (not instant) 135 grams- please weigh if possible
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup toasted pecans or walnuts chop and dry toast in a pan for 5 minutes for better texture and flavor
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips 4-6 ounces
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Stir to fully mix.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Continue to stir until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir into the butter mixture.
- Add the oats, dried cranberries, toasted nuts, and white chocolate. Stir until fully incorporated.
- Scoop the dough into 2 oz balls, or roughly 2 Tbsp. Place in the refrigerator while you preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Once the oven is preheated, place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes. Enjoy!
