White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

These sweet and tangy cookies are perfect for the holiday season. The original recipe calls for candied cherries, but I substituted cranberries since they are equal in tartness, yet a bit more festive for this time of year. What a harmonious balance to the creamy white chocolate. It’s a good thing Santa doesn’t visit our house because I wouldn’t want to have to share!

Ingredients:

1 stick salted butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks or chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries

*1 cup chopped macadamia nuts (I omitted them because of a guests’ peanut allergy)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 1 or more cookie sheets.

2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and both sugars in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined. Set aside.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add the milk to the butter mixture and then the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. (The batter should be stiff.)

4. Combine the *nuts, dried cranberries and white chocolate in another bowl. Add the mixture to the batter, stirring until just blended. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy.