White Chocolate Cranberry Dreams

Two days in a row of dream cookies!  These White Chocolate Cranberry Dreams get their sweetness from the Jell-O French Vanilla instant pudding mix, Godiva white chocolate vanilla bean bar, and sweetened dried cranberries.  These are one of my most favorite cookies, and they are perfect for this Christmas season.  I made these White Chocolate Cranberry Dreams by altering the Double White Chocolate Dreams recipe in Linda J. Amendt’s “400 Sensational Cookies” cookbook by substituting French Vanilla instant pudding mix for the White Chocolate pudding mix, and using dried cranberries instead of macadamia nuts.
Stay tuned…more dream cookies to come!  Enjoy!
Cream butter, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, vanilla, and dry ingredients to batter.

*Godiva white chocolate vanilla bean bar given to me by one of my wonderful students.
Chop white chocolate or prepare 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips.

Stir white chocolate and dried cranberries into dough with a wooden spoon.

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes in a preheated 375 degree F oven, or until edges are lightly golden.  Cool cookies for 5 minutes on a wire cooling rack.

Slide cookies off parchment paper and cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!  Look at that melted Godiva white chocolate!

White Chocolate Cranberry Dreams
(Recipe adapted from the Double White Chocolate Dreams from Linda J. Amendt’s “400 Sensational Cookies” cookbook)

Ingredients
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (3.4 oz) instant French Vanilla pudding mix (you can substitute white chocolate or vanilla pudding mix)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips (I combined both because I did not have enough of the Godiva white chocolate vanilla bean bar).
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2.  In a bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.  Set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, shortening, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  On low speed or using a wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just blended.  By hand, fold in white chocolate and dried cranberries.
4.  Using a cookie scoop or spoons, drop tablespoonfuls (15 mL) of dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden.
5.  Immediately slide parchment paper onto a wire cooling rack.  Cool cookies for 5 minutes, then transfer from parchment paper to cooling rack and cool completely.

Yield:  about 3 dozen cookies
Adapted from “400 Sensational Cookies” by Linda J. Amendt

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