These soft and chewy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are packed with flavor. The combination of chewy oats, tart cranberries, melty dark chocolate chips, and crunchy walnuts makes them simply irresistible. Perfect for a midday snack, a holiday cookie swap, or just because you need a little something sweet.
Unlike dried cranberry oatmeal cookies, this recipe uses fresh cranberries. They add little bursts of tart, juicy flavor that balances out all the sweetness from the brown sugar and chocolate. It makes each bite pop in a way dried fruit just can’t.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: With a few simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions, even novice bakers can make these cookies.
- Bakery-style texture: Soft and chewy, with a delicious blend of textures, these cookies turn traditional oatmeal cookies into a bakery-level treat.
- Holiday-friendly: A festive cookie perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or something a little different for cookie swaps.
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Ingredients
- Butter: When baking, I typically use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the cookies.
- Sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and rich flavor, while white sugar gives you those crispy edges.
- Eggs: Room-temperature eggs blend better into the batter, resulting in a smoother dough.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread just enough.
- Ground cinnamon: A warm, cozy spice that pairs perfectly with cranberries.
- Oats: Opt for rolled oats for a chewier texture. Quick oats work in a pinch.
- Fresh cranberries: Fresh cranberries work best. Frozen and thawed cranberries would also work; dry them first.
- Dark chocolate chips: Chocolate chunks, or chopped dark chocolate bar, would also work well in these cranberry oatmeal cookies.
- Chopped walnuts: Use toasted nuts for an even richer flavor. Dark chocolate cranberry cookies are amazing too!
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Chocolate: Semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate chips all work great in this recipe. So, use your favorite.
- Change up the nuts: Swap out the walnuts for pecans, sliced almonds, or even macadamia nuts. Macadamia nut cookies are always a crowd favorite.
- Citrus: Looking for some extra zing? Try adding a teaspoon or two of lemon or orange zest for a brighter flavor.
- Color: Give these cookies a bright holiday color by adding a handful of M&M’s to match the season.
How to Make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Ready to make this cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe? Pull out a cookie sheet, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. And, you will be enjoying one of these tasty cookies in no time at all.
- Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
- Step 2: Add Eggs and Vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Step 4: Add the Mix-ins. Stir in the oats, then gently fold in the chopped cranberries, dark chocolate chips, and walnuts.
- Step 5: Scoop and Bake. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden.
- Step 6: Cool. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve alongside a cup of coffee or on a cookie platter alongside these oatmeal butterscotch cookies.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Keep leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: These freeze great! Store baked cookies in the freezer for up to 2 months. Or freeze dough balls and bake from frozen. If baking from frozen, just add a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.
- Reheating: Love warm cookies? Pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to bring back that fresh-baked taste.
Serving Suggestions
- Try dunking these cookies in a glass of milk for an extra soft treat.
- If you have a sweet tooth like I do, you can also enjoy them after your favorite meal, such as hot honey BBQ chicken.
- They also look great on your holiday table alongside gingerbread cake or Christmas muddy buddies.
Expert Tips
- Don’t rush the butter: When making cookies, you will get the best results by mixing the butter and sugar until it’s nice and fluffy, so take your time with the process.
- Don’t roll: For these cookies, you don’t want to roll the dough balls. Dropping them by the spoonful will give you the best spread.
- Avoid tough cookies: Once you add the dry ingredients to the batter, make sure that you don’t overmix. You want to mix until just combined, so that you don’t end up with tough chewy oatmeal cranberry cookies.
- Room temperature eggs: It is important to use room temperature eggs because they provide a smoother batter, improved texture, and absorb the flavor of the other ingredients versus using cold eggs.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, dried cranberries will work in this oatmeal cranberry cookies recipe. I suggest chopping them a bit first.
I’ve found that the best way to keep chewy cranberry oatmeal cookies soft is by placing a slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies. This prevents them from becoming stiff and dry.
Quick oats will slightly alter the texture, making them a bit less chewy. I think that old-fashioned oats give the best texture.
Try These Delicious Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Today
These cranberry oatmeal cookies are loaded with the classic holiday flavors of cranberries, dark chocolate, walnuts, and cinnamon. What they aren’t loaded with is work! They are the perfect cookie to add to the Christmas dessert menu. And because you can make them with frozen cranberries, you’ll probably find yourself making them throughout the year as well. Give them a try and get ready to fall in love!
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Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened, 2 sticks
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups rolled oat or quick oats
- 1 ½ cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar together until combined and creamy.
- Mix eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix well.
- Stir in oatmeal then gently stir in cranberries, dark chocolate chips, and walnuts.
- Drop by heaping teaspoons onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies start to brown around the edges.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Room temperature butter: Make sure the butter is fully softened before mixing so that you get a smooth dough.
- Don’t overbake: To keep the cookies chewy, don’t overbake them. They’ll finish setting as they cool.
- Cool slightly: To prevent the cookies from falling apart, allow them to cool on the pan for about five minutes before moving them to the cooling rack.
