Fresh Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies With Cashews

This delicious fresh cranberry white chocolate chip cookie is packed with flavor. The subtle crunch of the cashews adds to the textural element of these sweet, buttery white chocolate cranberry cookies. Made with entirely oat flour, they melt in your mouth with bits of tang and creamy white chocolate, making the best combination of flavors for a delightful cookie this Thanksgiving season. 

I love how easy this cookie recipe came together. But I warn you ahead of time that chilling the dough is imperative to have great cookies vs. puddles of crispy cookie mess. I learned the hard way with my first batch. The oat flour has less gluten than traditional whole wheat or white flour, but I chose to invent this homemade cookie with oat flour as its base because of the flavor. If you’ve never baked with oat flour, I encourage you to try it. The nutty flavor it lends to baking can be quite a pleasant treat. 

​Try my triple chocolate chip cookies if you love baking with oat flour. They are delicious!

Why You Will Love This White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookie Recipe

​Flavor. Is there any other reason to make cookies other than they are super yummy? I have to brag: This is one delightful combination of sweet, tangy, buttery goodness. 

​Large Batch. Nothing is worse than baking a cookie that takes the extra chill time only to discover that it is all eaten within one day. This large batch of cookies makes 36! That’s three whole dozen of delicious cookies. 

​Healthier Ingredients. The use of oat flour means more fiber and whole-grain goodness than white flour. Plus, the cashews bring healthy fats and protein. 

Let’s Get Started Making These White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

You are going to need two bowls. I know you home cooks are groaning, not more dishes. But this is one time when it is necessary; believe me, I am all about shortcuts if they work. You will also need a small food chopper, or you can be silly like me and cut the cranberries by hand. First, wash your fresh cranberries and go through them for any that aren’t good. Buying fresh cranberries usually means there are a few that are getting squishy. We don’t want those, although you can still use them for sauce making. You also want to remove any bits of stem from the berries before cutting them up. 

Cut up one whole cup of the bright red festive berries and set aside. You can also measure out the unsalted cashews and chop them in half or break them with a meat mallet in a baggie. I prefer chopping as it leaves them in larger pieces, which is what we are going for without having just whole cashews, which is a bit much in the cookie dough. 

Next, measure the dry ingredients minus the sugars in the first mixing bowl, stir them together, and set aside. You want to add the softened butter and white and brown sugar in a separate bowl. Cream these ingredients together nice and smooth before adding the egg and vanilla. Mix that up until no more lumps remain.

Then, blend the dry ingredients into the wet. Yes, it is very soft cookie dough. Don’t forget we will be chilling the dough, allowing the butter to harden back up and keep the cookies from making a mess on the cookie sheet. 

Now, we can mix in the sweet white chocolate chips, fresh cranberry pieces, and broken cashews. Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for a least one hour. Longer is better to firm up the butter. I left mine for two hours before baking. 

Preheat the oven to 350F and put parchment paper on your baking sheet. These cookies are very rich with butter and will spread, but they should be okay if the dough is firm enough.  You can tell that it is when you take a scoop. Remember how soft it was before chilling? It should be firm enough now to form small pucks of dough. Scoop on a teaspoon and press the topside flat into the bowl of the spoon. Don’t squish the life out of the dough; it must still be roughly 1/4 inch thick or thick enough to bake nicely. If you wish to use a cookie scoop, that’s fine too. Just make the scoops about one inch in size. 

Space cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet to allow them to spread some. About one inch on either side should be enough. Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. This time will primarily rely on how big your cookie dough pucks are and on your own oven. Check for doneness before removing the cookies from the oven. They should get nice golden brown crispy edges and look drier on top. You will be able to tell if they are too wet because the dough will be golden in some spots and not in others. If they look like they need another minute, be sure to let them bake more. 

When fully baked, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies sit for a minute to cool slightly before attempting to lift them. Oat flour may taste great, but it’s not overly strong to hold the mix-ins. After a minute or two, you should be okay lifting the cookies off carefully and transferring them to a wire rack to cool. 

This delicious cookie recipe makes 36 good-sized drop cookies the best flavor combo. They make a great addition to holiday cookie trays. 

Ingredients:

Oat Flour: This lower gluten flour has a great nutty flavor and crumbly texture that melts in your mouth.

Baking Soda: Gives the cookies a beautiful golden brown color when baked as well as reacts to help with the rise. 

Salt: Makes all the flavors of the cookie more pronounced.

Salted Butter: The butter gives the cookie dough a distinct butter flavor while also adding to its soft texture.

Brown Sugar: Helps to brown the cookies as well as sweeten them. Using brown sugar also creates a nice caramel note to the cookie’s base.

White Sugar: Sweetens the cookies while helping to stabilize the dough.

Eggs: Add much-needed moisture as well as richness and color.

Vanilla Extract: Balances the flavor from the white chocolate chips and sugars while lending the distinct yet subtle vanilla essence. 

Fresh Cranberries: These bring a vibrant tang to each mouthful of cookie. This seasonal fruit is also rich in antioxidants, adding to the cookie’s wholesome nature.

Unsalted Cashews: These nuts are softer than others, lending a pleasant textural component to the finished baked good.

White Chocolate Chips: Creamy sweet, with a distinct flavor, they pair beautifully with the cashew and cranberry.

Substitutions And Add-Ins For The Baked Cookies

Oat Flour: You can use all purpose flour if you prefer. The finished cookie will have a different flavor profile but still be acceptable.

​Baking Soda: This should remain the same as the recipe has not been tested.

Salt: *See above

​Salted Butter: You can use unsalted or even margarine.

Brown Sugar: Can be replaced with a coconut sugar which also will lend a nice caramel flavor to the cookie  base.

White Sugar: Should remain the same.

Eggs: *Ditto

Vanilla Extract: This can be omitted or replaced with an almond extract.

Fresh Cranberries: Frozen cranberries will have too much moisture. If you can’t find fresh cranberries, it’s better to omit them altogether. Alternatively, try adding tart dried cranberries to the cookie dough.

Unsalted Cashews: Can be switched out for macadamia nuts.

White Chocolate Chips: You can switch to white chocolate chunks or white chocolate morsels.

​Expert Tips, Serving And Storing Suggestions For The Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tip #1: Ingredient Preparation: When prepping your fresh cranberries, take your time to wash and inspect them thoroughly. Remove any soft or squishy berries and bits of stems to ensure your cookies’ best flavor and texture. This attention to detail prevents undesirable textures and flavors from affecting the final product. Additionally, chopping your cashews to the desired size enhances the overall eating experience, ensuring the nuts are well-distributed without overwhelming bites.

Tip #2: Chill for Better Results: Chilling the dough is essential for achieving the perfect cookie texture. Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or longer if possible) firms up the butter, resulting in cookies that maintain their shape during baking. This prevents excessive spreading and helps the flavors meld together, leading to a richer taste. Don’t skip this step, as it makes a noticeable difference in the final outcome.

Tip #3: Baking Techniques: Pay close attention to the baking time and cookie doneness. The cookies should have a golden brown base and a slightly drier appearance on top. If your dough appears unevenly colored or wet in spots, it likely needs more time in the oven. To ensure even baking, use uniform scoops for your dough pucks and space them adequately on the baking sheet (about an inch apart) to allow for spreading. After removing them from the oven, let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This helps them set properly and reduces the risk of breaking.

It’s a treat to serve these cookies warm with a tall glass of milk fresh from the oven. Or let them cool and serve them as part of a delicious after-school or work snack with your favorite hot drink. Anyway, you cut it, these delectable cookies are hard to resist.

The cookies are more brittle and need careful handling when stored in a container. Be sure to let them cool completely before transferring them to your cookie storage container. Cover tightly, as added moisture from the air will increase their crumbliness. 

I don’t recommend freezing these cookies, as the berries will again absorb moisture in the form of ice crystals, which will wreck the cookies when they thaw. 

If you’ve baked up a big batch of these tasty seasonal treats, I would love to know how they turned out for you. What was your favorite aspect: the fresh cranberries, cashew crunch, or creamy white chocolate chips? Please rate and leave a comment below, as your feedback helps others learn more about the recipe.