Soft and Chewy Cranberry Walnut Cookie Recipe

These soft and chewy cranberry walnut cookies are absolutely delicious!  They have the perfect cookie texture--soft in the middle, with a chewy exterior and just enough crispness at the lightly browned edges.  And since they're drop cookies, they're incredibly fast and easy to make.

Walnuts and cranberries are perfect for Christmas baking.  The bright flavor of the dried cranberries adds lovely contrast to the richness of the crunchy walnuts and buttery cookie dough.  It's the perfect cookie for a holiday cookie exchange or your Christmas cookie trays this holiday season.

If you prefer a cakey-type, soft and tender cookie, try my soft cranberry cookie recipe made with fresh cranberries, too!  

I was recently sent some absolutely luscious dried cranberries and walnuts from my friends at Walnut Tree Gifts for my Christmas baking.  I have all sorts of ideas for using these gorgeous fruits and nuts, so keep coming back to the blog for more recipes!

Cranberry Walnut Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened (that's 2 sticks, or 226 grams)
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

This drop cookie recipe comes together quickly with the classic cookie-making method.  Cream the softened butter (I used unsalted butter), white sugar, and light brown sugar together.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well to combine.  Combine the dry ingredients (except for the dried cranberries and walnuts), and add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix just until a thick cookie dough forms.  Add the cranberries and walnuts and mix to distribute them evenly through the cookie dough.

I made my cookie dough in a stand mixer (my trusty Kitchenaid), but this is a cookie recipe you can definitely make with a hand mixer, too.

Use a cookie scoop to spoon out the cookie dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  You don't have to use a scoop, but it does make it fast and easy to make perfectly sized and even cookie dough balls.  I definitely think it's a tool worth having in my kitchen.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit in a conventional oven, or 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a convection oven, for 9-11 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.

When room temperature, store the cookies in an airtight container (I used a ziplock bag).

Variations on These Cranberry Walnut Cookies:

Here are some ideas for tweaking the flavor profile and customizing these already amazing cookies.  Have fun!

• White chocolate chips pair really well with tangy cranberries.  Add a cup of white chocolate chips to the batter at the same time you add the walnuts and cranberries.
• I think this cookie would be spectacular turned into oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies!  I'm definitely adding a cup of rolled oats to the cookie dough the next time I bake these.
• Add more depth of flavor by toasting the walnuts before adding them to the cookie dough.
• Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with some flakes of sea salt.  This is particularly amazing when you do the first variation in the list with the added white chocolate!

The perfect treat for your Christmas cookie exchange!  What are you waiting for?  Oh yeah--maybe the printable recipe?

Printable Version of the Cranberry Walnut Cookie Recipe:

Want a one page, printable, PDF version of this walnut cranberry cookie recipe?  Just click on the image below to print the PDF or download it to your device.

 

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