Thick, chewy white chocolate chip cookies flavored with orange zest and studded with cranberries?! These Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies are PERFECT for the season and my new fave.

A stack of three Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies with a bite out of the top one.

Table of Contents

The Story Behind the Recipe

Last year, I shared a recipe for Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies which is basically a Christmas-ified version of classic chocolate chip cookies. They were super fun and I really liked having an excuse to put a year-round classic like chocolate chip cookies on my Christmas cookie platter.

So this year, I thought I’d set out to make another chocolate chip cookie that’s gotten into the Christmas spirit!

I wanted an cranberry orange cookie flavor flavor profile, and white chocolate goes perfectly. So I revisited my oldie-but-goodie recipe for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, making them a bit thicker and chewier, with a generous amount of orange zest + dried cranberries. It was love at first bite!

A green plate with Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies and two cookies plus a glass of milk in the background

Why You’ll Love These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

  • No chilling required – The dough comes together quickly and they’re in the oven in no time.
  • Brown sugar chewy perfection – These cranberry white chocolate chip cookies have the perfect consistency. They’re crisp around the edges, chewy and soft in the middle.
  • Super easy – Just about as easy as classic chocolate chip cookies! Just mix, drop, and bake.
  • Perfect for the holidays – With cranberry, orange flavors, and white chocolate these cookies are super Christmassy!
  • Sturdy and portable – Perfect for mailing care packages or for a Christmas cookie exchange.
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Butter – You’ll want unsalted butter. Make sure it’s room temp so it’s soft enough to be able to beat and mix with the sugars.
  • Brown sugar – I like to use dark brown sugar in these cookies.
  • Granulated sugar – Your standard white sugar.
  • Orange zest – Zested from around two medium-size oranges. I usually just grab a couple of navel oranges.
  • Eggs
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • Flour – All-purpose.
  • Baking soda
  • Salt – I like to use fine-grain sea salt in my baked goods.
  • White chocolate chips
  • Dried cranberries – If you prefer, you can swap in dried cherries, but you may want to chop them up a bit first (I personally find them a bit large for cookies)
Top view of a pile of Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies on a metal baking sheet

How to Make Them

  1. Using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until it’s pale and fluffy, then add the sugars and orange zest. Mix until well-combined.
  2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating them in each time.
  3. Mix in the vanilla extract.
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
  5. Mix until it forms a dough, then stir in the white chocolate chips and cranberries.
  6. Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake until golden-edged.
  7. Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Jump to the full, printable recipe

Creaming the butter for Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adding the sugars and orange zest for Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wet ingredients creamed tighter for Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dough for Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies after flour is added
White chocolate chips and cranberries stirred into Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookie dough balls dropped onto a parchment lined cookie sheet
Cookie sheet with freshly baked Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tips for Success

  • For perfectly round chocolate chip cookies, invert a drinking glass over the freshly baked cookie (still on the cookie sheet) and move it in a circular motion around the cookie. This will help rein in any odd edges for a round shape.
  • Top with extra white chocolate chips and cranberries for a prettier look that tells everyone exactly what’s in these delicious cranberry white chocolate chip cookies!

Freezer-Friendly Christmas Cookies

To freeze baked cookies, cool completely then transfer to a freezer-safe container with airtight lid or a freezer bag. They’ll keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes and you’re good to go!

To freeze and bake later, scoop balls of dough onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag and label. They keep for up to 3 months. To bake, simply pull a few out, line on your baking sheet, and bake for a minute or two extra.

Close up of Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies, one with a bite out of it showing the soft and chewy interior

I hope these Orange White Chocolate Cranberry Chocolate Chip cookies are as big a hit with your family as they are with mine! They’re chewy and holiday-coded and perfect for cookie platters. We love ’em!

If you make these, I’d love your star rating! It’s super helpful for other readers (and helps my small business grow).

White chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookies | Kitchen Treaty
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Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 36 cookies
No ordinary chocolate chip cookies, these orange cranberry white chocolate chip cookies are a little more elegant and a lot more festive. Thick and chewy with soft centers, a hint of orange, creamy white chocolate, and chewy dried cranberries.
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
  • 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest (from about 2 medium oranges [I use navel])
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (420g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (8g)
  • 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (7g)
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips (12 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes (or use a large bowl and a hand mixer).
  • Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and orange zest. Continue beating on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, continuing to beat each time until well-incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
  • In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  • With the mixer on low speed, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until the ingredients are incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.
  • Scoop 2-tablespoon-size balls (I use a #30 cookie scoop) onto a baking sheet, spaced at least a couple of inches apart.
  • Bake for about 10 minutes, until edges of cookie begin to turn golden. Remove cookies from the oven and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes on the cookie sheet so the cookie can start to set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Cookies stay fresh when kept in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 – 4 days, or can be frozen for up to two months.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 189kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 150mg, Potassium: 55mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 175IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg

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