Chewy Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

Rich dark chocolate and tart dried cranberries in an easy holiday drop cookie.

If you're a fan of that perfect blend of chewy and crispy, these cranberry chocolate chip cookies are going to be your new favorite. They have a decadent, rich flavor from the dark chocolate, complemented beautifully by bright, tart cranberries.

Why Make These Cookies?

These are a holiday cookie for me, but like my gingersnap cookies, I make them all year. Dark chocolate and cranberry works well past December.

The dark chocolate is rich and a little bitter, which balances the tart, chewy cranberries. Neither one takes over.

They're built on the same method as a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, with dark chocolate and dried cranberries in place of the usual chips.

The butter and sugar ratio gives you a chewy center with crispy edges. A full cup of dried cranberries means fruit in every cookie.

Ingredients for Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• All-Purpose Flour and Salt: Pantry basics for making cookies.
• Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise and stay tender, so make sure your baking soda is fresh.
• Unsalted Butter: Room temperature butter gives you a smooth, creamy dough. I use unsalted for better flavor control, since not all salted butters have the same amount of salt.
• Granulated Sugar & Dark Brown Sugar: This combination gives the cookies a chewy texture. Dark brown sugar adds a richer, molasses-like flavor, but you can substitute light brown sugar if you prefer.
• Vanilla Extract: A must-have for almost any cookie recipe. Use a good pure vanilla extract.
• Eggs: Room temperature eggs mix more evenly into the dough and help with the cookie structure.
• Dark Chocolate Chips: Use dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate chunks to balance the sweetness. If you'd rather, semisweet chocolate chips work here too and give you a slightly sweeter cookie.
• Dried Cranberries: The tartness of the dried cranberries is a nice contrast to the dark chocolate. I used sweetened dried cranberries, but you can use unsweetened if you prefer.

How to Make Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Start by preparing your oven. Place a rack in the center and preheat it to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, then set these dry ingredients aside.

Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and packed dark brown sugar together. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything is well incorporated. Add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until fully blended. Scrape down the sides and briefly mix again.

On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. To avoid a cloud of flour, stir gently with a spatula before starting the mixer, then mix on low until just combined.

Don't overmix, or the cookies can turn out tough. Once the dough comes together, fold in the dark chocolate chips and dried cranberries with a spatula so they're evenly distributed.

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Chilling keeps the cookies from spreading too much and deepens the flavor. If you prefer, scoop the dough into balls before chilling to make baking easier later.

When you're ready to bake, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough with a medium cookie scoop and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving room between each for spreading.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are golden and crisp while the centers stay soft. The cookies keep setting as they cool.

Let them rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

The dough can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Scoop the dough into balls before freezing so baking is easier later. There's no need to thaw. Just add a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.

You can read more about freezing this type of dough in my how to freeze cookie dough post.

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, though they'll probably disappear long before then.

Variations for Extra Flavor

Swap in Semisweet Chocolate: If dark chocolate is too much for you, use semisweet chocolate chips instead. You'll get a slightly sweeter cookie that still holds up against the tart cranberries.

Add a Sprinkle of Flaky Sea Salt: Right after baking, sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the warm cookies for a sweet-and-salty finish.

Try Browning the Butter: For a deeper, nutty flavor, brown the butter before adding it to the sugars. Here's my guide on how to make brown butter if you haven't done it before.

These cranberry chocolate chip cookies are as good on a holiday cookie tray as they are with coffee in January. If you make a batch, leave a star rating below so I know how they turned out.