Fresh cranberries in a cookie? Yes indeed! There’s something about these cookies that makes them an instant family favorite. In fact, they have become legendary in my family, thanks to my sister Bethany who loves to bake them.
While they are quite simple to make, the white chocolate and tangy cranberries make an unforgettable combination that will have you baking them again and again. And don’t expect these cookies to sit around in your cookie tin–once your family gets a sniff, they will be gone as soon as they’re cool enough to touch! (My husband admitted to consuming five cookies in one sitting the last time I made them!)
Method
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. You will need to bake these cookies in several batches, so it is helpful to have at least two baking sheets. Lightly butter the sheets and set them aside. While these are buttery drop cookies, the fresh berries tend to stick to the pans, so that’s why I recommend buttering them. Alternatively, you may line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Brown sugar makes these cookies soft, and lends a subtle depth of flavor. You may find it easier to use an electric mixer to make the dough, but if your butter is soft enough, a wooden spoon works just fine.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and stir well to combine.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, sift together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Add them to the creamed mixture, and mix thoroughly. Fold in the white chocolate chips and cranberries.
Using Fresh Berries in Cookie Dough
For this recipe, I use lingonberries, or lowbush cranberries, as they are commonly called in Alaska. This is a smaller cousin of the cranberry, which tastes very similar. (They are more intensely tart, if you ask me.) These berries grow wild in Alaska, Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and parts of Northern Europe.
Lingonberries are ideal to use in this recipe because they are small and firm. If you cannot get lingonberries where you live, you may substitute regular (fresh) cranberries. Since those are bigger and tend to be less juicy, you may wish to chop them coarsely before adding them to the cookie dough.
When folding berries into cookie dough, you must work quickly and gently, or the berries will burst. Then you will have pink-streaked cookies and flat, chewy berries instead of whole, juicy ones. I like to use frozen berries, so they don’t burst or squish as easily. If you have trouble incorporating the berries into the cookie dough, err on the side of less mixing. You can always press stray berries into the top and sides of each cookie after you form them on your baking sheet.
Baking the Cookies
Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the buttered baking sheets, spacing them 2″ apart. Press any stray berries and white chocolate chips into the cookie dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned.
Let the baked cookies rest on the pans for 2 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will be fragile at first, so letting them rest on the pans for a few minutes gives them a chance to firm up.
These cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They also freeze well, and may be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Enjoy!
Cranberry + White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-3/4 cups flour unbleached
- 1-1/2 cups quick oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup lingonberries or cranberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two baking sheets and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix well.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir into creamed mixture until thoroughly combined. Dough will be stiff.
- Fold in white chocolate and cranberries. Do not overmix, or the berries will burst and turn the dough pink.
- Drop cookies by tablespoon onto buttered sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Cool on sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
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