These rich double chocolate cookies are fudgy and perfect for the holiday season. Festive pink cranberries are a delicious contrast to the dark and white chocolate chips, making these worthy of a special occasion!

December is a month for baking, isn’t it?
Whether you’re one who likes buttery cookies, like gluten free shortbread, or festive cookies, like these holiday cut outs, it’s always fun to take some time to make something delicious.
I like to have a wide variety of cookies throughout the holiday season, and these chocolate cranberry cookies check off a lot of boxes. They’re:
- chewy
- chocolatey
- colorful, with the addition of fresh cranberries
- gluten free, vegan, and nut free
This is a simple recipe to make, and the colorful, bright pink cranberries make these festive enough for a cookie party or for gift giving.
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Gluten Free Flour
I really like using Namaste Perfect Flour Blend for baking chewy, fudgy cookies. The texture of the cookies always turns out well with this blend.
Another gluten free flour blend to try would be 123 Gluten Free. If you have a favorite blend, you could try that.
I don’t recommend grain free flour for this recipe. Coconut flour or almond flour will result in a different texture that may not be great! Using those flours in recipes without eggs can result in cookies that are tough or flat.
Substitutions
- If you aren’t gluten free, feel free to use regular, all-purpose flour.
- If you don’t have fresh cranberries, you can make this with dried cranberries.
- Use any kind of chocolate chips you like. Dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate chunks…any of those will work well.
Allergy Friendly Chocolate Chips
Both Enjoy Life and PASCHA Chocolate make regular chocolate chips as well as white chocolate chips. You can use either brand in this recipe.
Tips for Success
- Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper so that the cookies don’t stick to your pans.
- Leave at least an inch and a half between cookies so that they can spread during baking.
- Press the white chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough so that they don’t melt too much during baking. I find that vegan white chocolate can melt a lot and kind of disappear into the dough, so I like to place those chocolate chips on top.
More Gluten Free Vegan Holiday Cookies
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container. They should stay fresh for about 3 days at room temperature. If you want to keep them for longer, I would recommend storing them in the refrigerator due to the fresh cranberries.
More Cranberry Desserts
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Recipe
Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup vegan buttery spread
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup dairy free mini chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup fresh cranberries
- ⅓ cup dairy free white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the vegan buttery spread and sugars in a mixing bowl and beat light and fluffy.
- Add the applesauce and mix on medium speed until combined.
- Stop the mixer and add the unsweetened cocoa powder and half of the gluten free flour blend. Mix on low speed until combined. Stop the mixer again, and add the rest of the gluten free flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix on medium speed.
- Stop the mixer and add the fresh cranberries dairy free chocolate chips. Stir by hand.
- Spoon the dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving about 1.5 inches between cookies since they will spread during baking. Press some white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet before moving.
Rose
Great! Used flour and margarine and irked out amazingly. Will bake again definitely in future.
Darryl
These are so good! I took them to my coworkers and they loved them!