Recipe: Cranberry and white chocolate Christmas cookies

I love a spot of Christmas baking and christmas cookies/biscuits are my favourite. In Australia it can get a bit hot and bothery in the kitchen at this time of year but the London weather really lends itself to baked goodies. There is nothing more comforting that curling up for a quiet moment on the couch/sofa with a lovely warm cup of coffee or tea and a crumbly biscuit when it’s cold and wet outside.

My signature cookie

I like to try a few different recipes every year but I always make these simple to bake and oh so delicious cranberry and white chocolate cookies. If I had a signature cookie, these would be it.  The combination of cranberry and white chocolate is so festive and christmassy. It’s difficult to eat just one . The recipe makes round 70 cookies so I like to give them away before I too turn into a cranberry and white chocolate cookie ball.

Cranberry & white chocolate Christmas cookies

Ingredients:
 500g softened butter, cubed
 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
 1 can sweetened condensed milk (approx 400g)
 750g (5 cups) self-raising flour
 1 x 170g pkt craisins (dried cranberries)
 200g white chocolate chopped into small chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line several baking trays with baking paper. 
This recipe makes a lot of cookies and I always need to do several batches.
2. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and creamy.

3. Add the flour and condensed milk to the butter mixture gradually and mix well until combined. 

4. Stir in the craisins and chunks white chocolate. 
The mixture should be a soft dough texture with the craisins and white chocolate evenly distributed.

5. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls. 

6. Place on trays and gently press down to flatten slightly making sure you leave room for spreading. 

7. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes turning the trays halfway through cooking. 

The cookies are ready when they are light golden. 
Leave cookies on the trays for 3 minutes to cool before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

This year we are expecting Santa to visit our place and stop for a snack before leaving presents under the tree for our twins. They have been good after all. I just hope there are some of these cookies left for the bearded fellow to munch on. Maybe, I’ll have to bake another batch!

Love baking and cookies, try this…