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Recipe

Serves

16 1×

Serves 16 barsPrep 15 minCook 25 minTotal 40 min

Ingredients

  • 175 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 200 g light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 125 g dried cranberries
  • 150 g white chocolate, chopped

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 170C conventional or 150C fan. Line a 20 x 30 cm tin with baking paper.
  2. Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla for 1 minute until glossy.
  3. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt, and fold until just combined.
  4. Stir in the cranberries and white chocolate.
  5. Press the dough evenly into the tin. It will be thick; use the back of a spoon to level it.
  6. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until golden at the edges and just set in the centre.
  7. Cool completely in the tin before lifting out and cutting into 16 bars. They firm up as they cool.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookie Bars

Thick cranberry and white chocolate cookie bars on a cream ceramic plate

Cranberry and white chocolate cookie bars give you cookie texture without the scooping.

The dough bakes thick in one tray, chewy at the centre and golden at the edges, with tart cranberries cutting the sweetness of the white chocolate.

One bowl, one tray, 30 minutes.

Recipe

JUMP TO RECIPE

Servings: 16 bars
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Tips

Melted butter makes these bars chewier than creamed butter would. Let the butter cool before mixing it with the sugar. The mixture should be smooth before the egg, yolk and vanilla are added.

Fold the dry ingredients in only until just combined. This keeps the method brief and avoids working the dough more than needed. Once the cranberries and white chocolate are stirred through, press the thick dough evenly into the lined tin. Use the back of a spoon to level the surface.

The bars are ready when the edges are golden and the centre is just set. Underbaking slightly is the secret to a soft centre. The bars firm up as they cool, so allow them to cool completely in the tin before lifting them out to cut.

Chop the white chocolate into uneven chunks for pockets of melt. The pieces do not need to be uniform; stir them through with the cranberries so they are distributed across the dough.

Variations

Swap the dried cranberries for chopped dried apricots or cherries. Keep the quantity at 125 g so the fruit amount remains consistent with the recipe.

For an orange note, add the zest of an orange to the dough. Add it when mixing the wet ingredients so it is distributed through the mixture.

Use macadamia nuts with the white chocolate for a different combination of mix-ins. Stir them in with the chocolate and cranberries. The recipe method remains the same: press the dough evenly into the tin and bake until the edges are golden and the centre is just set.

FAQ

Q: Can I use frozen cranberries?
A: Fresh or frozen work but add moisture; pat fresh berries dry and extend baking by 2 minutes.

Q: How do I store them?
A: Airtight at room temperature for 4 days.

Q: Can I freeze them?
A: Yes, sliced and wrapped, for up to 2 months.

Q: Why are mine cakey?
A: Usually too much flour or overbaking. Spoon the flour into the cup and level, or weigh it.