These White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies have got it all: tons of white chocolate, juicy cranberries, chopped toasted pecans, flaked coconut, old fashioned oats, oh my! They are thick and chewy and slightly crisp on the edges with a tender center. They are based on these Texas Cowboy Cookies, one of the most popular recipes on my blog!
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 and 1/4 cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 and 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 and 1/4 cups dried cranberries
more white chocolate chips, to top cookies (optional)
more dried cranberries (soaked), to top cookies (optional)
Instructions
If you want to toast your pecans (you do! you do!) chop them up and throw them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Don't let them burn! Remove from heat and let cool while you make the dough.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.
Add both sugars and beat well, scraping sides and bottom.
Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.
Add the flour but don't mix it in. Add the salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the flour and use a small spoon to blend it with the flour a bit. Then mix in the flour, but stop before it's fully incorporated. There should still be white streaks.
Add the oats, pecans, coconut flakes, 1 and 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, and 1 and 1/4 cups dried cranberries to the bowl. Mix in gently, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom. Don't over mix, it will make your dough tough.
Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to 24 hours.*
If you want extra pretty cookies that have bright red cranberries on top (like the photos), microwave a small bowl of water until it is very hot, then add about a cup of dried cranberries. Let sit on the counter while your dough chills, at least an hour. This rehydrates the cranberries, making them plump and colorful.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a couple baking sheets with a silpat or parchment paper.
Use a large cookie scoop to shape the cookie dough. They should be about the size of a golf ball, or 2 inches across. Leave at least a couple inches in between each ball of dough.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are golden on the edges and they are not too shiny in the middle. (A little shine is okay.)
Drain the cranberries that you have soaking.
Immediately after the cookies come out of the oven, press white chocolate chips and the plump red cranberries into the top of each cookie.
Let them set up on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. But remember that it's mandatory to eat at least one of these while they are warm! They are great dipped in milk.
Recipe Notes
*If you are in a big hurry like I always am (who's not in a hurry to eat cookies?) do my cheat-chill: Shape the dough onto pans as described above and toss in the freezer for 30 minutes. Then bake as directed. Or you could put the shaped dough into ziplock bags, freeze, and have cookies ready to be baked at a moments notice! Just add a few minutes to the bake time. (I always have cookies in my freezer. Always.)