It's that time of year again— the holiday baking season has officially arrived!
Christmas is just around the corner, and if you’re like us, then you’re thinking about all of your favorite Christmas Cookie Exchange recipes for that yearly Christmas cookie exchange.
If you haven't decided your recipe yet, consider making something unique: Slice and bake Cranberry Christmas cookies!
These delicious shortbread cookie treats are perfect for any holiday occasion – from a friendly get-together to an office party - and they make great gifts too.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to make these flavorful little slices of festive joy.
Cranberry Christmas cookies are a delightful blend of shortbread cookie packed with the tart flavor of dried cranberries, making them a standout choice for your holiday baking.
The buttery shortbread cookie dough provides a perfect base for the slightly tart, dried cranberries.
Some versions also feature white chocolate or nuts, adding an extra layer of creamy sweetness or crunch that complements the cranberries.
The festive red color of the cranberries adds a visually appealing pop of color, making these cookies as beautiful to look at as they are delicious to eat.
Plus, their unique flavor profile offers a refreshing change from the traditional Christmas Cherry Blossom or sugar cookies typically found during the holidays.
So, for a tasty twist on Christmas cookies that your friends and family will love, consider baking a batch of these slice and bake Cranberry Christmas cookies this holiday season.
Recipe Prep
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside until needed.
- Chop the dried cranberries and set aside.
Cranberry Christmas Cookie Ingredients
Below is a quick look at the ingredients and directions. You can find the entire ingredient amounts and step by step directions in the recipe card below. P. S. You can also save your favorite recipes to your personal recipe box! ⬇️
👇See the step by step directions below!
List the recipe ingredients without amounts and note about them
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- Ghirardelli white chocolate chips or melting chocolate wafers
Step by Step Directions
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter, granulated sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy.
- Step 2: Slowly on low beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture ⅓ at a time. Beat until combined or your mixer starts to strain. If the mixer strains switch to a wooden spoon.
- Step 3: Add the dried cranberries to the bowl and using a wooden spoon fold the dried cranberries into the cookie batter until evenly mixed in. Don't use a beater or the cranberry pieces will break apart.
- Step 4: Turn the cranberry cookie dough out onto a piece of parchment or wax paper.
- Step 5: Divide the dough into two equal halves. Shape each half into a log about 1 ½ inched thick and 11 inches long.
- Step 6: Tightly wrap each log in plastic wrap and gently place the soft cookie dough log on a cookie sheet. The soft dough is fragile. If the log gets out of shape gently roll it back and forth until the surface is smooth again.
- Step 7: Refrigerate the cookie dough for at a minimum of 2 hours. Overnight chilling is best for slice and bake cookies.
Baking the cookies
- Step 8: Preheat the oven to 350 F. degrees.
- Step 9: Line each baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 10: Remove one log of the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Leave the second log of dough in the refrigerator so it doesn't soften while your working with the first log of cookie dough.
- Step 11: Unwrap the cookie dough and slice the cookies into ¼ inch slices.
Arrange the sliced cookies on a parchment lined the baking sheet one inch apart.
- Step 12: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven 9 to 11 minutes or just until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- Step 13: Cool the cookies on the baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
This recipe will make about 88 two inch cookies.
Decorating with white chocolate
Cookies must be complexly cooled before you dip them into the warm melted white chocolate.
I used Ghirardelli white chocolate wafers. This brand of melting chocolate is high quality, costs a little more than other brands but has the best flavor. You could also use white chocolate chips.
- Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave at 20, 10, and 5 second increments. Once the chocolate is almost completely melted with just a few lumps stir until the lumps melt.
- Hold a cookie by the edge and dip half way into the white chocolate.
- Place the cookies on a wire cooling rack or arrange the cookies on a cold baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Allow the white chocolate to harden before storing or serving.
You can also drizzle the melted chocolate over each cookie top for a pretty presentation.
Optional Decorations
- White Sparkling sugar would add a festive sparkle to these cookies.
- These cranberry cookies are delicious right out of the oven. Dipping them in white chocolate is optional.
Freezing the cookie dough
This cranberry cookie dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer until ready to bake.
Wrap the well chilled cookie dough logs in a triple layer of plastic wrap. Place the dough logs on a small baking sheet so the soft dough holds its shape and freeze.
Once the dough is frozen remove the baking sheet and place the logs of dough in a freezer bag.
Store the cookie dough logs in an area of the freezer where it will not get squashed by other frozen foods.
Cookie dough may be kept frozen for up to six months.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Recipe FAQS
The best way to store cookies to keep them fresh is to store them in a very airtight container. Cookie tins are cute for gift giving but they are not airtight so cookies will go stale quicker in them.
Mixing the cookie dough and baking the cookies takes less than 30 minutes. But because the cookie dough needs to be refrigerated before slicing you will need another hour or two when making the Christmas cookies.
These cookies bake in 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake or the cookies will be crisp instead of tender. As soon as the edges start to turn golden brown they are done.
📌Pro Cookie Making Tips
- Fresh cranberries would not well with this recipe.
- Use room temperature butter. How to tell if the butter is soft enough? When beating the butter if you can see small lumps of butter after a minute of beating the butter is not soft enough yet. Set the bowl aside for 30 minutes and try again.
- Do not over mix the dough or the cookies with be tough.
- Using parchment paper or a silicon baking mat will allow the cookies to bake evenly.
- The cookie dough should be cold when baking or the warm dough will spread instead or holding its shape. Keep the dough refrigerated before slicing and baking.
Helpful Tools
- Mixing bowls and measuring spoons
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Wooden spoon
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
- Thin metal spatula
- Wire cooling racks
Bake It!
White chocolate dipped Cranberry Christmas Cookies are such a festive and delicious treat.
These cookies have an amazing balance of tart, sweet, and creamy flavors that will leave you wanting more.
Not only are they tasty, but these slice and bake cookies come together in no time with easy ingredients.
With this recipe, creating the perfect holiday dessert is hassle-free - all you need is cookie dough, white chocolate, and dried cranberries.
So what are you waiting for? Get baking today and try out this yummy recipe for yourself!
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Check out some of my other favorite Christmas cookie recipes below.
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Have you tried the recipe? Leave a star rating in the recipe card below to let me know how the recipe turn out.
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Cranberry Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dried cranberries (finely chopped)
- Ghirardelli white chocolate chips or melting chocolate wafers.
Instructions
Recipe Prep
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside until needed.
- Chop the dried cranberries and set aside.
Make the cookie dough
- In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter, granulated sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy.
- Slowly on low beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture ⅓ at a time. Beat until combined or your mixer starts to strain. If the mixer strains switch to a wooden spoon.
- Add the dried cranberries to the bowl and using a wooden spoon fold the dried cranberries into the cookie batter until evenly mixed in. Don't use a beater or the cranberry pieces will break apart.
- Turn the cranberry cookie dough out onto a piece of parchment and divide the dough into two equal halves.
- Shape each half into a log about 1 ½ inched thick and 11 inches long.
- Tightly wrap each log in plastic wrap and gently place the soft cookie dough log on a cookie sheet. The soft dough is fragile. If the log gets out of shape gently roll it back and forth until the surface is smooth again.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for at a minimum of 2 hours. Overnight chilling is best for slice and bake cookies.
Baking the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. degrees.
- Line each baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove one log of the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Leave the second log of dough in the refrigerator so it doesn't soften while your working with the first log of cookie dough.
- Unwrap the cookie dough and slice the cookies into ¼ inch slices. Arrange the sliced cookies on a parchment lined the baking sheet one inch apart.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven 9 to 11 minutes or just until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Decorating with white chocolate
- Cookies must be complexly cooled before you dip them into the warm melted white chocolate.
- Melt the white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave at 20, 10, and 5 second increments. Once the chocolate is almost completely melted with just a few lumps stir until the lumps melt.
- Hold a cookie by the edge and dip half way into the white chocolate.
- Place the cookies on a wire cooling rack or arrange the cookies on a cold baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Allow the white chocolate to harden before storing or serving.
- Makes about 88 two inch cookies.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Fresh cranberries would not well with this recipe.
- Use room temperature butter. How to tell if the butter is soft enough? When beating the butter if you can see small lumps of butter after a minute of beating the butter is not soft enough yet. Set the bowl aside for 30 minutes and try again.
- Do not over mix the dough or the cookies with be tough.
- Using parchment paper or a silicon baking mat will allow the cookies to bake evenly.
- The cookie dough should be cold when baking or the warm dough will spread instead or holding its shape. Keep the dough refrigerated before slicing and baking.
Erin @ Cracker Crumb Life
I love cranberry anything! I am not the greatest baker but I am going to give it a go. Lol.
Joanne
These sound perfect for the holidays!
Carol
I love dried cranberries and the addition of white chocolate makes the cookies even more special!
sara
do you measure out the cranberries after you chop them or before please
Arlene Mobley
Measure the dried cranberries before chopping.
sara
Thank you!
Arlene Mobley
Sara you are very welcome. Enjoy the cookies!
Diane D.
Just clarifying: Your recipe says 3/3 cup of sugar. What did you really mean?
Arlene Mobley
Hi Diane
That should be 3/4 cup. Thanks for catching that!