These white chocolate, cranberry, pistachio cookies feature the three traditional Christmas colors all wrapped into one incredibly delicious bite! The cranberries can also be substituted with dried cherries for a delicious variation.
White chocolate, cranberry and pistachio cookies…..the three traditional Christmas colors wrapped into one incredibly delicious bite! These buttery cookies feature white chocolate, sweet-tart cranberries, and slightly salty pistachio nuts.  The flavors work together beautifully to bring you a delightful holiday treat that is a must-add to your Christmas “to bake” list.  (Or use dried cherries in the “off season”).
I published this recipe back in 2013, the year I started this blog. That Christmas I was working on developing a cookie that captured the fun, flavor, and colors of the Christmas holiday.  At the time my 3 year old asked if we could make some popcorn, and as I reached into the cupboard for the popcorn kernels I noticed a bag of pistachios.  Their vibrant green color stood out to me and within a minute I had my Christmasy cookie conceptualized.  And so my kids and I ate some popcorn while I whipped up a batch of these White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies.
They were the first thing my husband noticed when he came home.  Todd claims he doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth.  But he’ll gobble up ice cream, Reese’s Pieces, pies, brownies, and cookies, to name a few.  Kind of like, “I don’t really crave sweets…except for this and that…and that…and this…..”  Yes dear, whatever you say, LOL :)
And so I made a batch of these cookies and no sooner did I exit the kitchen and walk back in again than several cookies were mysteriously missing.  And then of course came that all-to-predictable comment, “Now you know I don’t really crave sweets…but these you can make any time!”  I just smiled.
These cookies have gone viral over the years and have remained both a reader and a family favorite ever since that December back in 2013.
White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies Recipe
Let’s get started!
First cream the softened butter and the sugars. Â Beat for several minutes until fluffy and pale – this step is important to achieving the perfect texture.
Add the egg and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl sift the flour and baking soda. Â If you’re using unsalted pistachios, add 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Using a wooden spoon, carefully stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture, just until combined.
Stir in the white chocolate chips, dried cranberries (or cherries) and pistachio nuts.
Drop heaping spoonfuls of the batter onto the greased cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they just begin to turn golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
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For more delicious Christmas goodies be sure to try our:
- Kokosmakronen (German Coconut Macaroons)
- Zimtsterne(German Cinnamon Star Cookies)
- Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies)
- Christmas Pudding (Figgy Pudding)
- Pfeffernüsse (German Iced Spiced Cookies)
- Mince Pies (English Mincemeat Pie)
- Lebkuchen (Nürnberger Elisenlebkuchen)
- Stollen (German Christmas Bread)
- Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)
- Springerle (German Embossed Cookies)
- Printen (Aachener Gingerbread)
- Pandoro (Verona Christmas Bread)
- Speculoos (Gingerbread Shortcrust Cookies)
- Bethmännchen (Marzipan Cookies)
- Heidesand (Browned Butter Shortbread Cookies)
- Marzipan (or Almond Paste)
White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter , softened at room temperature
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon quality pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (note: the video mistakenly says baking powder)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped shelled pistachio nuts
- 1 cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries)
- Note: If using unsalted nuts add 1/4 teaspoon salt to the flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a cookie sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy and pale in color, 3-5 minutes. This step is important for ensuring soft, chewy cookies. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a wooden spoon, carefully stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture, just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and pistachio nuts.
- Drop heaping spoonfuls of the batter onto the greased cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until they just begin to turn golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet December 13, 2013
Sue says
I made these for Christmas last year and they were a huge favorite of everyone who tried them. Making them again this year. I did freeze them last year. Put them in freezer bags and I think the last batch was about one month old. They were still just as delicious as the day I made them. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s very helpful to know, thanks so much for sharing, Sue, and I’m so glad you like them!
Mary Mays says
I made these along with 2 other batches of cookies. Eventhough it is September, I thought I’d try them! I was getting tired of the same old chocolate chip and the sane old oatmeal raisin cookie recipes. I was pleasantly surprised! This cookie and tge 2 others I made are absolutely 💯 % delucious.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you, Mary, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Melissa says
Amazing, will be my cookies I bake each year. Simple to make too, thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Melissa, I’m happy to hear that and appreciate the feedback!
Denise Fischer says
Made these for holiday treat this year and my whole family thought they were AWESOME! Love em! and thank you for this recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
AWESOME, Denise! We love these, too, and I’m thrilled your family enjoyed them as much as we do, thank you!
JODETTE says
Making these for my cookie exchange this year!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Jodette, I’m confident they’ll be a hit! Let us know how it goes!
Margaret McCallo says
I make a very similar cookie with pecans instead of pistacho. I have found they are excellent to freeze. They will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months and is sometimes helpful to be able to prepare these ahead of time.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s great to know, thanks for the tip, Margaret!
Courtney Cogswell says
I absolutely love this recipe and I’ve been using it for the last month or so as a base for lots of cookie experiments… cherry/semisweet chocolate/pistachio and cinnamon/white chocolate/pecan are two of my favorites. I’m getting ready to try a turtle version with caramel bits, chocolate chips and pecans. However, your original recipe with cranberries, white chocolate and pistachios is just outstanding! I’m so glad I found you on pinterest :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Courtney, thanks for sharing! Those sound like some awesome combinations – feel free to send a few batches my way :) Thanks again and I’m thrilled you found my blog! Best, Kimberly
jessica says
can i freeze these? any tips?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tried freezing these but that should work just fine – either freezing the raw cookie dough in plastic wrap or the baked cookies in an airtight container.
Anonymous says
These are great. Mine didn’t flatten out like yours – they seem more like candy than cookie. So many chunks, not much dough. I made them smaller than recommended but that seemed ok since they are very rich. They also took about 12 min to bake/become brown.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, these are chunky cookies. Thanks for the feedback and so glad you enjoyed them.
Debbie says
Do you store these at room temperature?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi, Debbie! Yes, I normally store all cookies at room temperature.
Marga says
Wonderful cookies. I added a bit of grated orange peel and they turned out great!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Marga, I’m happy you enjoyed them!
Anonymous says
Wow, great idea, Marga!
Anonymous says
I baked these today but they turned out flat what am i doing wrong :*( yours looks delicious
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Sorry to hear that! There are many reasons why cookies turn out flat. Some of the most common reasons are that the butter is too warm when it’s added to the batter (refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes before baking will solve that problem), the baking soda or baking powder is too old, the oven temperature is off, and they can also turn out flat if you grease the cookie sheet (using parchment paper or a silicone mat is best). If you google that question, “why did my cookies turn out flat?” you’ll find additional reasons. Hopefully one of these items solves the problem and you end up with those perfectly chewy cookies!
Anne says
I was going to make these for Christmas, but I ran out of time. I finally got around making these today am I am so happy I did! They turned out wonderfully! Thanks for the recipe :-)
The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Anne! Thanks so much for the feedback! While these cookies do feature the “Christmas colors”, they’re definitely not limited just to Christmas time and I’ll definitely be making and enjoying these throughout the year, too!
Denise Davis says
I made these delicious cookies tonight. I rate them 5 stars.very good.
Now all I have to do is enjoy them.
Denise
The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Denise, and thank you so much for the generous rating! We really enjoyed them, too. I love pistachios and am glad I found another way to utilize them. More experimenting to come…
Caroline | Taste Love & Nourish says
These look like perfection! Pinning now to make this week. So festive!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Caroline, and thank you for visiting!
Jan says
These are awesome thank you for sharing
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Jan!
Tori says
These looks delish!!! Such ingenuity! :) haha. . . I have a family member who “doesn’t really have a sweet tooth” either so I understand those kinda comments lol ;)
The Daring Gourmet says
Haha, yes we all know “those kinds” of people ;) The frustrating part of it is that he can eat whatever he wants whenever he wants and not gain a pound! Grrrr! Thanks for the compliment, Tori :)