Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ slightly crisp bottom, soft inside with a delicious blend of semi sweet chocolate and tangy dried cranberries.

I was literally like a kid turned loose in the candy store today on the hunt for baking supplies for a virtual cookie swap I was invited to join. A virtual cookie swap is collection of cookie recipes from some amazing bloggers. What’s not to like, right? I was flattered that a non-baker like myself would be asked so I jumped ~ with both feet and accepted ~ then stressed because the cookie bar was set high!

I almost wore out the tile floor in the baking aisle of the local grocery store, but finally decided on Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ a classic, with a twist. One bite of the raw dough convinced me I made the right decision.

You all know I don’t normally (or even abnormally) bake. I have a few desserts here on the blog, but they’re semi-homemade, to coin the Food Network’s Sandra Lee. Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies are actually from scratch and are so good I’m almost at a loss to describe them. Of course, my mouth is full of cookies right now, so that may be part of the problem.

For a while I was fixated on a cookie recipe that called for Nutella. So I bought a really large jar of Nutella. . .and worked my way through it, sometimes slathering it on a graham cracker like a 5-year-old; other times just licking it straight off a teaspoon, like. . .well, I’m not quite sure. Any-hoo, Nutella is my kryptonite. Moving on. . .

Then this morning as my husband was toasting a cinnamon raisin English muffin ~ the smell alone got me out of bed and downstairs for some waiting coffee ~ we started talking about how the English muffin people should make blueberry English muffins or wait, how about cranberry?

One thought led to the next and I was reminded that one of my favorite flavors (in addition to Pumpkin Spice but that’s so yesterday) is cranberry. I add them to a lot of recipes in the fall and winter and who doesn’t love fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, so Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies were born, er baked.The recipe is super simple and I’ll tell you from experience, Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies go really well both with a large glass of milk or a large cup of coffee but if you get an urge to dunk them in wine, no one will judge you. Either way, even if you’re like me and don’t normally bake, it’s the holiday season which magically brings out the baker in all of us.

This recipe is a collection is ideas starting with the back of the Nestles Toll House chocolate chip bag as well as Pinterest, the place where other great ideas come from. Thankfully, our local YMCA was having a bake sale; the only thing that prevented me from devouring every last one.

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup of butter, room temp
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of pecans, rough chopped

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) in a small bowl. 

In a medium bowl cream together the butter, sugars and vanilla using a mixer then fold in the egg. Gradually add the flour mixture then stir in the chocolate chips, cranberries and pecans by hand.

Using a teaspoon or melon baller, scoop the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° 9-11 minutes until they’re lightly brown on the edges. This is me waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven.

Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheet 2 (timed) minutes then remove to a cooling rack. This crisps up the bottom of the cookies perfectly while maintaining a soft center.

Enjoy!

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Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Classic chocoloate chip cookies + cranberries and pecans. A holiday favorite!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry chocoloate chip cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: A Gouda Life

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• 3/4 cup butter room temp
• 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup owhite sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of pecans rough chopped

Instructions

• In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
• In a separte medium size bowl using a mixer cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla.
• Fold in the egg then gradually add the flour mixture.
• Stir in the chocolate chips, cranberries and pecans by hand.
• Using a teaspoon or melon baller, scoop the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake at 350° 9-11 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheet 2 (timed) minutes then remove to a cooling rack.