Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies

by Erin

Sugar and spice and everything nice in these festive cranberry chocolate chunk cookies made with brown butter!

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies 2


We need to sit down and have a serious discussion. These cookies? Yea you need to make them, like right now. Don’t make excuses, just go to the store to buy any ingredients you don’t already have on hand and get your oven ready. Why am I so demanding? Because the holidays are just starting to creep up on us and I already think I found my favorite cookie of the season.

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies 3

These cookies use fresh cranberries whereas usually cookie recipes use dried fruits. I have only made cookies two other times with fresh fruit (another with cranberries and one with blueberries) and they nearly caused the same reaction as these did. There must be some strange magic that happens when fresh fruit is used or my weakness for fruity desserts is showing. Yes, this peanut-butter-loving-fiend would have a difficult time deciding between a fruit or peanut butter dessert.

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Brown Butter Cookies 1

In addition to the cranberries there is browned butter, dark chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg. I think those last two spices were the real kicker, adding an especially festive feel to these cookies and making them smell irresistible while baking. Of course you can never go wrong with browned butter either. Just be warned, the dough does need to be chilled which is why you need to whip them up asap!

One year ago: Sweet Potato Pie Oat Bars

Three years ago: Secret Ingredient Sugar Cookies

CRANBERRY CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWN BUTTER COOKIES

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, washed and dried

Directions:

  1. Heat butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, when butter turns to an amber/light brown color, remove from heat immediately (should be able to smell the caramel flavor of the butter). Pour immediately into a small bowl and set aside to cool.
  2. Once butter has cooled, place in the large bowl of an electric mixer with sugars; beat on high speed until well combined. Add egg and vanilla, mix on medium speed until well mixed.
  3. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt; slowly add to wet ingredients with mixer on low speed; do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chunks and cranberries.
  4. Chill dough for 24 hours for best results (minimum of 2 hours) before baking.
  5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees, line baking sheets with parchment paper, and let dough sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.
  6. Scoop cookie dough with a medium cookie dough scoop onto prepared baking sheets.
  7. Bake 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown and cranberries have popped.
  8. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Source: Adapted slightly from Keep It Sweet Desserts.

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21 comments

Holly December 21, 2013 - 9:29 am

These did not come out for me at all. The dough was so hard and crumbly, there was no may I could scoop it into cookies. I ended up placing the chunks in a 13×9 and trying to make a bar cookie. It’s too bad, because they aste amazing, but I can’t use them for my cookie trays as they’re a mess. :(

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CB November 25, 2013 - 10:40 am

Hmmm, OK. Thank you!

I may have been holding a baby with one arm and measuring flour with another…. Potentially “overfloured” for sure.

Will also remake with a larger egg and see what happens. Will report back.

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CB November 25, 2013 - 10:21 am

I made these yesterday – allowed about 6-8 hours in the refrigerator – and they were amazing. So thankful for this recipe!

However, my dough was very crumbly and didn’t hold together. I’m not sure how to add some additional moisture? It didn’t seem right that I had to kind of cobble together the dough to form cookies….

Maybe my egg was smaller than yours? What can I add or was that how it was supposed to be?

I do not want to mess with the flavor because it is just right :)

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spiffycookie November 25, 2013 - 10:24 am

My dough was not crumbly. I always use large eggs, so if you used a smaller one, that could’ve been the issue. Also, depending on you how measure your flour that can cause it to be crumbly. spoon the flour into the cup and then level with a knife. Glad you liked them, but hope they turn out better next time!

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Jo Anne Konecki November 22, 2013 - 9:16 pm

Another winner, Erin! Great cookies. Because we love orange in our family… with chocolate, with cranberries, with anything… I switched it up a tad. Eliminated cinnamon and nutmeg, added the zest of an orange and just a dribble of orange extract. A wonderful flavor blend. (actually, is reminiscent of the orange-cranberry nut bread I make.) I am thinking when I next make them, I will use some walnuts… either with or without the chocolate. While Kristin loves the dark chocolate, Alison loves the nuts… so I will have some of each for my girls. I guess the point is, any way you crumble them, darn good cookies!

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spiffycookie November 25, 2013 - 8:49 am

Yay thanks! The addition of orange is definitely a great idea. And walnuts, you can never go wrong there.

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amy @ fearless homemaker November 20, 2013 - 3:02 pm

OOh, these sound amazing and your pictures turned out SO gorgeous. Love!!

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spiffycookie November 20, 2013 - 3:07 pm

Thank you! I actually got out of bed to reshoot those photos cause I was thinking about how they could’ve looked better. Glad it paid off.

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Colleen, The Smart Cookie Cook November 20, 2013 - 10:55 am

I’m not a huge cranberry fan, but when you add in chocolate and brown butter, that is something I can certainly get behind! Yum!

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Lauren at Keep It Sweet November 20, 2013 - 6:33 am

I love that you added cinnamon and nutmeg. Your cookies look perfect… now I am craving them again!

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Tracey November 19, 2013 - 7:46 pm

I’ve been meaning to make these every day since Lauren posted them – guess I need to move it up the priority list!

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Rachel @thedessertchronicles November 19, 2013 - 6:35 pm

Love the idea of putting fresh cranberries in a cookie! These look delicious :-)

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Dani November 19, 2013 - 3:39 pm

OMG did I just find my new favorite blog??? This food looks so delish!!!!

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spiffycookie November 19, 2013 - 3:48 pm

Aww thank you!!

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Renee @ Tortillas and Honey November 19, 2013 - 12:38 pm

I love that you used fresh cranberries in this recipe! The color of fresh cranberries is so beautiful in these cookies. You definitely sold me on these!!

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Tania @ Run To Radiance November 19, 2013 - 12:30 pm

That looks delicious- what a fun flavor of combos! This would be a great way to use extra cranberries from Thanksgiving!

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Zainab November 19, 2013 - 11:35 am

Oh I love cranberries in cookies and was just about to make some this week with white chocolate (super late Bakin friends) but now I want to make these. I am in live with the spices and brown butter mix!

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Jennifer | Bake or Break November 19, 2013 - 8:58 am

Oh, I bet these are amazing! And, I just bought some cranberries!

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Emily @ Life on Food November 19, 2013 - 7:45 am

What a cookie! I love baking with fresh cranberries this time of year -great little burst of tartness. I don’t think I have never put them in cookies though.

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Stephanie @ Plain Chicken November 19, 2013 - 7:38 am

These look delicious!

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