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My Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are So Good!
If I were stranded on a desert island and could only bring five ingredients, oatmeal would definitely make the list. I eat it almost every morning, so finding new ways to use it is kind of my thing.
These cranberry oatmeal cookies? They’re the perfect excuse to sneak my favorite breakfast staple into dessert.
My cranberry oatmeal cookies are basically a combination of a classic oatmeal cookie with cranberries in them (like the recipe on the back of the Quaker Oats canister) mixed with a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. The BEST of both worlds and perfect for the holiday season!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oats: Use rolled oats for the best results. They stay nice and chewy during baking. You can use quick oats but steel oats should be avoided as they will be too tough.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. I haven’t tried it, but would expect that using a gluten-free 1:1 flour would also works.
- Baking powder: Use aluminum-free to avoid any chance of a metallic taste.
- Spices: Cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
- Sugar: I found that the best results were by using light brown sugar as the molasses adds richness and helps to keep the texture chewy. Coconut sugar could also be used.
- Butter: Melt the butter and let it cool slightly before mixing in. It’s best to use unsalted butter, but if you use salted, decrease the amount of added salt.
- Egg: To bind the ingredients together.
- Cranberries: Use dried, unsweetened cranberries. Other fruits like raisins or dried cherries would also work.
- Chocolate chips: I love white chocolate chips in these cookies for a fun Christmas cookie, but you can use milk or semi-sweet if you prefer.
Popular Additions
- Chopped Nuts: Add ½ cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds for a crunchy texture that pairs perfectly with the chewy oats.
- Orange Zest: Add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the dough.
- Seeds: Toss in 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, flaxseeds, or sunflower seeds for a subtle crunch and added nutrition.
- Cinnamon Sugar Topping: Sprinkle a mix of cinnamon and sugar over the cookies before baking for a little extra sweetness and sparkle.
- Add an optional white chocolate drizzle. Use baking chocolate that doesn’t contain stabilizers for best results. You could also use white chocolate chips, but make sure to add a little coconut oil or butter to help them melt for drizzling.
How to Make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
My Best Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie Tips
- Don’t over mix the ingredients. When the flour is added, it should be stirred in until there are no dry streaks, but don’t over mix it as this can overdevelop the gluten and your cookies will be very dense.
- There’s no need to chill the cookie dough. These oatmeal cookies only contain a small amount of butter, so there’s no need to chill the dough before baking.
- Bake the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet. This will make them easy to remove once they are cooked. If you use foil, the bottoms can over-bake.
- Freshen Up Your Dried Cranberries: If your cranberries are a little dry, soak them in warm water for 5-10 minutes, then pat dry before adding them to the dough. This keeps them plump and juicy in the cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once made, these cranberry cookies will keep well for around 2 to 3 days in an air tight container at room temperature and around 1 week in the fridge. Freeze fresh cookies by placing them on a baking sheet and putting them in the freezer. Once the cookies have hardened for 1-2 hours, you can place them in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag. This will make sure the cookies don’t stick to each other and can be easily removed. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months when stored properly.
Freezing cookie dough: After preparing the cookie dough, place portioned cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put them in the freezer for a couple of hours until they’ve hardened enough to place in a freezer-safe bag or container without sticking together. Freeze these ready-to-be-made cookies for up to 2 months. Bake as directed, adding a couple of minutes due to them being frozen.
These work great with dried, fresh or frozen cranberries. If using frozen, don’t let them thaw before adding to the mix or they’ll dye your dough pink.
If the cookies are too undercooked for your liking, try extending the baking time by a minute or two. Make sure your oven is preheated correctly, and there is enough space between the cooking on the cookie sheet. Too often, older ovens will stop keeping the correct temperature over time. Double-check its accuracy by placing an oven thermometer inside.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes:
- Christmas Sugar Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Lofthouse Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
If you try this healthy-ish feel good Christmas Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies recipe was originally published on October 19, 2017. It has recently been updated with new photography and step-by-step images to help make the recipe. The recipe has been updated for better flavor and texture. If you loved the original recipe, you can still find it in the Notes section of the recipe card below!
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, 1 stick
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup dried cranberries plus more for sprinkling on top
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Set to medium speed and mix for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla and mix for 1-2 minutes.
- Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt to the bowl and mix at low speed for 30 seconds, just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Add oats, cranberries and white chocolate and mix at low speed for about 1 minute, until evenly distributed.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon-size spring loaded cookie scoop, scoop 12 cookies on each prepared baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Add a couple cranberries on top as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool.
Equipment
Notes
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup cranberries fresh or dried
¼ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until creamed, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, followed by the vanilla extract and beat until combined, 1 more minute.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, without over mixing. Fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.
Divide the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls using a spring-loaded scoop and press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookie edges have set but the center still looks soft. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Fantastic recipe!! All your details in the article and recipe were very helpful, especially about not overmixing. I used fresh cranberries, and the tartness is well-balanced with the white chocolate chips. I love how the cookies look, too—so colorful and fun! My husband loves them, too!
So glad to hear!
They taste ok, but are overall dry and lumpy
looking
So sorry these didn’t come out as expected. Did you find the dough to be dry, or you found they were dry once baked?
I made these and everyone loved them, I have added them to my holiday baking.
Yay! So happy to hear that, Michele!
I found the dough to be very dry. The cookies tasted great however, they did not look visually appealing to present as gifts.
So sorry to hear that the cookies didn’t look how you wanted. Glad that they pulled through with taste though!
I made this and they were delicious. I used fresh cranberries, as in the recipe, and wasn’t sure about them but their tang was perfect up against the sweet of the chocolate chips. Since it’s just my husband and myself, they made the perfect amount of cookies.
I’m keeping this recipe!
Thank you!
So happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed it!
So good, perfect fall cookie. Loved that you used melted butter. I hate waiting for the butter to soften
Ha I agree! I’m glad you loved these!
Best cookies ever! I used the Splenda brown sugar zero calories, dried cranberries and semisweet chocolate chips and it came out delicious! Thank you 💞
So glad you liked the cookies, Safa!
I have fresh cranberries that I froze. Can I just defrost them and use for this recipe?
Sure – just make sure they are room temperature and does not have any excuse water.
Thank you for your reply. I’m going to make these for my work cookie exchange. 🍪🎄