What do you do when it’s cold outside? You bake!

These white chocolate cranberry cookies are irresistibly Christmasy! It’s hard to resist indulging in sweets over the holidays, but we all know it’s not very healthy. This is why I decided to create a healthier version of a classic holiday cookie. These cookies strike that perfect balance of a crunchy shell and a soft inside thanks to cornstarch, the secret to this perfect texture. Cornstarch actually helps the dough stay more compact during the cooking process, leaving the cookies soft and thick. Just make sure to keep a close eye on these cookies while they bake, though. When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will still be quite soft in the center but they will eventually firm up while cooling.

Here’s a little tip for you to use when you want to make a sweet recipe healthier: Replace half of the required oil or butter in a recipe with unsweetened applesauce. For example: If the recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of applesauce.

You will see, no one will discover your secret, even the most experienced culinary artists!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Yields: ~ 34 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat flour
  
• 1 cup white flour
  
• 1/4 cup oatmeal
  
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence
  
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  
• A pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, and baking soda.
3. In another bowl, cream butter with brown sugar. Add the compote and the eggs and mix well.
4. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix. Add white chocolate and cranberries and mix again.
5. Form 34 balls. Place 8 cookies per baking sheet and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely before handling, and repeat for the rest of the cookie mix.

These cookies passed all my tests with flying colours. They are ultra-soft and I had none left before I realized! Neither myself nor anyone else had any idea that I had replaced such a large amount of butter with applesauce.

I have tested this recipe 2 times now; the first time, I only used white chocolate, but the second time, I also added some dark chocolate chips. Each recipe was a very different experience, but equally as delicious. Feel free to try out different additions and types of chocolate in this recipe to make it your own.