These Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies are the perfect seasonal winter cookie. They are loaded up with tart dried cranberries, bitter-sweet dark chocolate, and crunchy walnuts. Cooked to golden perfection at 350F, these cookies are buttery soft and chewy on the inside with a little crisp edge on the outside. And the best part is that they are made healthier by using lower fat plant-based butter, cutting back on sugar, and swapping all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour.
Why You’ll LOVE These Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Soft and chewy texture. Everyone loves a perfectly soft, chewy cookie. These cookies are deliciously gooey, with a nice golden, crispy exterior that will please everyone.
Perfect for the holidays. These cookies are perfect for the winter holidays. Whip up a batch for Christmas, New Years, or just ’cause. Give them as a gift or set them out for guests or Santa with a tall glass of milk. You (and your guests) won’t regret it!
Delicious flavor blend. Cranberries, chocolate, and walnuts are a hard combo to beat. The tartness of cranberries pairs wonderfully with the smoky sweetness of dark chocolate and satisfying crunch of walnuts. Coconut and turbinado sugar also lend these cookies a hint of buttery caramel. And a pinch of cinnamon wraps up all these flavors together in a delicious bow. I love this flavor combo so much that I use a similar blend for my favorite Cranberry Dark Chocolate Scones and Cranberry White Chocolate Quinoa, which I make on repeat during the winter. There is no such thing as to much cranberry and chocolate.
Quick and easy recipe. 13 ingredients. No chilling required. And just 11-13 minute of baking before these gooey goodies are ready to be enjoyed.
Healthier alternative to other cookies. We began by replacing regular butter with vegan/plant-based butter, which is much lower in total and saturated fat content, but still carries the same delicious buttery flavor. We also cut back on the amount of sugar in these cookies (as compared to similar recipes) and opted for dark chocolate over sweeter white or milk chocolates. Plus we opted for white whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour for a little extra nutrient boost. I wouldn’t say these cookies are a super food, but they are a lighter option than other cookie recipes out there.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.
Beat butter, coconut sugar, and turbinado sugar together in a stand mixer on medium speed. Mix in the egg. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until just incorporated.
With the stand mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture slowly until it is incorporated and the batter has no streaks of flour in it. Fold in the chocolate, cranberries, and walnuts.
Form the batter into balls and space 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. For larger cookies, batter balls should be about 1½” (They’ll spread out to be about 2½”). This recipe yields about 16 to 18 larger cookies.
For slightly doughy cookies, bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a sheet of parchment paper to finish cooling. Enjoy!
How to Store the Cookies
Store these cookies in a ziploc gallon size baggie at room temperature for up to 1 week to retain their freshness. If you refrigerate the cookies, they will last up to 2 weeks, but they will likely loose their soft, chewy texture.
This batter also freezes well. Wrap the batter tightly in plastic wrap and place in a ziploc freezer baggie. Freeze for up to 2 months. When you want to bake the cookies, remove the batter from the freezer and let it thaw for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Roll the batter into balls and cook according to the original directions.
You can also shape the dough before freezing, if desired. Place dough on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Then transfer the frozen dough balls to a ziploc baggie and store for up to 2 months. Thaw for about 15 minutes at room temperature, then cook according to recipe instructions.
Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ c whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt (see note 1)
- â…” c plant-based butter or unsalted butter
- â…“ c coconut sugar
- â…“ c + 2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- â…” c dark chocolate, chopped or chips
- â…” c dried cranberries, chopped
- ½ c walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.
- Beat butter, coconut sugar, and turbinado sugar together in a stand mixer. Mix in the egg. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and blend together briefly.
- With the stand mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture slowly until it is incorporated and there are no streaks of flour. Fold in the chocolate, cranberries, and walnuts.
- Form the batter into balls and space 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. For larger cookies, batter balls should be about 1½" (They'll spread out to be about 2½"). This recipe will yield 16 to 18 larger cookies.
- Bake 11 to 13 minutes, for slightly doughy cookies. Cool on the baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
- You may want to add more salt, if needed, depending on the type of butter used. We use Earth Balance Original spread, which is pretty salty. Therefore, we only add a 1/4 tsp salt.
- Depending on the type of butter used, these cookies can vary in consistency from cakey to soft cookie-like. That’s why we use Earth Balance Original – it gives cookies a consistency closest to real butter.
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