White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies (Gluten & Dairy-free )
- James Neale
- Oct 30, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 10
White chocolate and cranberries are a perfect flavour combination. And what better way to combine these two flavours than merging them into a soft, chewy and incredible moreish gluten-free cookie. But do you want to know what makes these cookies even better? They use vegan white chocolate chips meaning that those on diary-free diets no longer have to miss out. Plus, this cookie dough can be baked from frozen allowing you to have a secret stash of freshly bake cookies whenever the craving's kick in.
Ingredients you'll need
I always recommend using the best quality ingredients and sustainably sourced when possible. Also, if this is your first time cooking gluten-free for someone with Coeliac disease, I always recommend checking the ingredients label before using because Gluten can sneak into recipes when you least expect it. Below is each ingredient you will need:
• Gluten-free flour - I tend to always cook with the gluten-free plain flour blend from Doves Farm FREEE foods. A blend which contains rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, maize flour and buckwheat flour.
• Xanthan gum - I use xanthan gum to replace the elasticity that gluten provides in normal cookies. You can omit it from the recipe if your gluten-free flour blend already contains it or if xanthan gum doesn't work for your diet.
• Bicarbonate of soda - Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will release gas when combined with liquid to help create light and airy cookies. Just remember to space the cookies out as the bicarbonate of soda will cause them to spread.
• Salt - Never be afraid of adding salt to your baked goods as salt helps enhance flavour, plus our bodies need small quantities of salt to survive.
• Vegan unsalted block butter - You need a fat that will stay solid when cool which is why I use a vegan block butter in this recipe instead of oil. Thankfully, there are plenty of dairy-free and vegan unsalted block butters available to buy from most major supermarkets these days.
• Brown sugar - Brown sugar will provide a nice hint of molasses flavour creating an extra depth of flavour in these cookies. You can alternatively use white granulated sugar however this switch will cause the cookie to cook a little faster and will taste sweeter.
• White sugar - White granulated sugar blends perfectly with brown sugar in this recipe. Plus, the white sugar will help keep the cookies a little lighter in colour than just using brown sugar.
• Eggs - Any UK medium or US large eggs will do. For those on a budget the egg quality won't impact the flavour and for those who can, I suggest getting free-range organic eggs to know that your eggs have come from a happy place. But gluten-free eating is expensive so don't buy them if you can't afford them.
• Vanilla extract - Use a good quality vanilla extra in this recipe. Make sure it isn't a vanilla flavouring or essence as this will be too strong in flavour for this recipe.
• Vegan cream cheese - This is the secret ingredient in making this cookies chewy and soft, giving it that traditional bakery cookie feel.
• Vegan white chocolate chips - I like the brand Moo Free white chocolate chips but any dairy-free white chocolate chips will work. Alternatively, you could break up a bar of vegan white chocolate into rough chunks.
• Dried cranberries - Dried cranberries are best in this recipe as they provided a crewy texture. Avoid freeze dried cranberries as this will be too crunchy for the cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
I want to make sure everyone can cook great gluten-free cookies at how so I've put together a few frequently ask questions below. However, if you don't see the answer to a particular question you have. Feel free to send me a direct message or leave your question in the comments section below, I try my best to answer every question.
Do I have to use dried berries? Can't I use frozen or freeze dried?
Yes you have to use dried berries in this recipe. Frozen will be too wet for the cookies meaning the balance between wet and dry ingredients will be off. And freeze dried berries while delicious and full of flavour will be too hard for the chewy texture wanted in this recipe.
Can I use a different berry instead?
This recipe use cranberries as the combination of cranberry and white chocolate is a classic. However, any dried berry will do. Dried strawberries work exceptionally well.
Can I make these cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies gluten-free?
Every recipe on my website it gluten-free. As someone living with cealiac disease and who has a passion for cooking. I make sure to test all my recipes using gluten-free ingredients. However, check the labels of all store bought ingredients as gluten can sneak into food during the factory production process.
Can I make this cranberry and white chocolate chip cookie recipe dairy-free?
Unlike classic cranberry and white chocolate chips cookies these cookies are a 100% dairy-free. Just a few simple swaps of vegan block butter and dairy-free white chocolate chips make these delicious cookies suitable for those on a dairy-free diet.
Can I make these cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies vegan?
Sadly not, due to using egg in this recipe you can't make these dairy-free white chocolate and cranberry cookies vegan.
How do I store these cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies?
To keep them fresh, I recommend storing the cooked gluten and dairy-free cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies in an air-tight container for up to three days. You can keep the raw cookie dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking which helps it mature in flavour.
Can I freeze these cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies?
You can freeze the raw cranberry and white chocolate chip cookie dough for up to a month. You can the dough straight out of the freezer and then put them into a pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes. You can also freeze the frozen cookies for up to three months. Defrost them overnight before eating. Or alternatively, pop in the microwave on the defrost setting for 1 minute.
Recipe
Here's my recipe for these delicious cranberry and white chocolate chip cookies that are 100% gluten and dairy-free!
Serving: Approximately 20 cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 12-14 minutes
Ingredients
285g plain gluten-free flour
½ tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
170g vegan unsalted block butter, melted
200g brown sugar
85g white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
60g vegan cream cheese
150g vegan white chocolate chips
100g dried cranberries
Method
Preheat the oven to 190ºc (350ºf) and line two baking trays with grease-proof paper or a silicon baking mat.
In a medium bowl, weigh and mix the dry ingredients together; gluten-free plain flour, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, and salt.
Mix the brown sugar and the melted vegan block butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low until light and fluffy.
Next, add the 2 tsp of vanilla extra, egg yolks and cream cheese into the creamed sugar. Mix on low speed until creamy and combined.
Next, pour the dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl and mix into the wet ingredients on low until there are no more dry spots. You might need to use a spatula towards the end of mixing to ensure the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, but don't over-mix.
Fold in the white chocolate and dried cranberries.
Place into an airtight container before putting it in the fridge for two hours.
Lift the cookie dough out of the fridge and work quickly. Scope out 2 oz of cookie with an ice cream scope.
Then place evenly space out on the baking tray.
When the cookies are ready to bake. Place the baking tray in the oven for 11-14 minutes. Less time for softer cookies and longer for crunchy cookies.
Lift the cookies out of the oven when the edges are crisp. Don't worry if the cookies still look soft in the centre. They will harden as they cool.
Allow to cool on the tray for five minutes before moving onto a wire rack.
For more gluten and dairy-free cookie recipes, visit proudlyglutenfree.com
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