Name: Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 19 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter (room temperature); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed); 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (plus ¼ cup to garnish); 1 cup mini chocolate chips (plus ¼ cup to garnish ); 1/2 cup chopped pecans (plus ½ cup to garnish); Flaky salt to garnish

These Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft, chewy cookies loaded with sweetened dried cranberries, mini chocolate chips, and crunchy pecans. They're easy to make with no chilling required and bake in just 9 minutes.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 9

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These Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies are soft and chewy with sweet and tart dried cranberries, mini chocolate chips, and crunchy pecans in every bite. They’re easy to make, require no chilling, and bake in just 9 minutes! Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for the perfect finishing touch.

These cookies are especially pretty for Christmas cookie trays with their pops of red cranberries and chocolate chips. You can even press a few extra cranberries, chocolate chips, and pecans into the tops right after baking to make them look even tastier.

And the best part? You don’t have to chill the cookie dough. Just mix, scoop, and bake!

Why You’ll Love This Cookie Recipe

No chilling required! Scoop and bake those cookies.
Sweet and tart. The dried cranberries balance the sweetness of the chocolate chips.
Perfect for the holidays!

Ingredient Notes

Overhead view of ingredients for cranberry chocolate chip cookies, including dried cranberries, pecans, flour, baking soda, chocolate chips, egg, butter, vanilla, salt, and both sugars.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.

Butter – Use room temperature butter so it creams up easily with the sugars. You can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you’re using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt you add to the cookie dough to 1/4 teaspoon.

Light brown sugar – The brown sugar adds moisture and a slight caramel flavor to the cookies. Dark brown sugar will work in this cookie recipe as well.

All-purpose flour – Be sure to fluff your flour by scooping it and sprinkling it back into the canister several times before the final measuring. Level the flour out with the back of a butter knife.

Baking soda – The leavening agent that helps the cookies spread and brown as they bake.

Sweetened dried cranberries – Also known as craisins. Yum! You can also get the ones with less sugar if you prefer.

Mini chocolate chips – These are almost always semi-sweet. You can use regular chocolate chips if you prefer.

Substitutions and Variations

Swap the mini chocolate chips for white chocolate chips to make cranberry white chocolate cookies.
Substitute the pecans for walnuts or leave the nuts out completely.
For a cookie that’s less sweet, use dark chocolate chips instead of mini chocolate chips.
For a sweeter cookie, use milk chocolate chips instead of the mini chcoolate chips.
Add freshly grated orange zest or a tasty orange and cranberry combination.
Swap the dried cranberries for any dried fruit using the same measurement.

NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations

How to Make Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

A glass bowl containing a stick of butter, white sugar, and brown sugar, with smaller bowls of flour, baking soda, and chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies nearby.

Step 1: Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamed.

A raw egg and liquid extract added to a bowl of creamed butter and sugar for cranberry chocolate chip cookies.

Step 2: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until the egg is incorporated.

A glass mixing bowl containing cranberry chocolate chip cookie dough, a mound of flour, and a spoonful of white powder, surrounded by small bowls of cranberries and chocolate chips.

Step 3: Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined. Overmixing the mixture will give you dry cookies.

A glass bowl filled with cranberry chocolate chip cookie dough containing pecans.

Step 4: Fold in the cranberries, mini chocolate chips, and chopped pecans until evenly distributed.

Cranberry chocolate chip cookie dough balls with dried fruit and nuts arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with a glass bowl of dough nearby.

Step 5: Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough and place it 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

A baking sheet lined with parchment paper holds twelve cranberry chocolate chip cookies, with one cookie showing a bite mark.

Step 6: Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 9 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Immediately press in extra dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and pecans. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and let cool for 10 minutes.

A hand holding a partially bitten cranberry chocolate chip cookie topped with pecans, with more cookies in the background.

Tips for the Best Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Use room temperature butter! Softened butter creams more easily with the sugars.
Don’t overmix the dough. Once you incorporate the dry ingredients. stop mixing.
Use sweetened dried cranberries. They provide the chewy texture and sweet-tart flavor.
Use a cookie scoop. This helps keep the cookies close to the same size so they bake evenly.
Leave room between the cookies! This allows for spreading of the cookies.
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to the wire rack or paper towel to finish cooling.

How to Store and Freeze

Once the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 to 5 days.

To freeze the cookie dough to bake later, scoop the dough and place it close together on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pop in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours until frozen, and place in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake the cookie dough from frozen at 350 degrees F until the edges turn brown and the tops of the cookies become a dull pale brown color. It will take longer than 9 minutes since they’re frozen.

To freeze baked cookies, let them cool completely and then place them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.