IT’S COOKIE SEASON. Add these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies to the top of your baking bucket list. In permanent ink. Or better, yet, a permanent marker. Just don’t use a pencil—these thick, chewy, white chocolate cranberry cookies are far too magnificent to erase!
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White chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies are considered a holiday classic by many, but I wasn’t introduced to them until college.
One of my guy friends enlisted my help to bake a batch for a lady friend he was attempting to woo, and guess what? THEY ARE MARRIED.
Cranberry oatmeal cookies are not merely good; they are worthy of everlasting love.
- My twist on cranberry oatmeal cookies keeps the classic cookie recipe’s core ingredients—oatmeal, white chocolate chips, and dried cranberries—but it takes the recipe to a new place that is (and I do not say this lightly; these cookies have gotten people married after all) better than the original cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe.
- I have a few secret ingredients that yield a superior cookie.
- Even if you *think* you’ve tried white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies, you haven’t experienced them fully until you taste this unique twist.
And if their sublime taste doesn’t sell you, the quick and easy prep will.
You don’t even need to refrigerate the cookie dough prior to baking!
This recipe yields a moderate 24 cookies.
You can increase the recipe as you wish or use the extra space in your storage container (and tummy) for other holiday cookie favorites like these Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies, Chocolate Ginger Cookies, and any of these delicious cookie recipes.
5 Star Review
“Oh my goodness these are amazing! We do cranberry oatmeal cookies every year, but these were our best yet.”
— Anna —
How to Make Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
The secret to these chewy oatmeal cranberry cookies lies in their ingredients.
All are easy to find, and once you’ve tasted them in your cookies, you won’t go back.
The Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter. The foundation of the cookies’ chewy texture and holiday flavor.
- Oatmeal. I like old fashioned (rolled) oats for their texture. Oats are packed with fiber and vitamins, helping to make these relatively healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies compared to most. For the classic, check out my Oatmeal Cookies.
- Cranberries. Dried cranberries add a festive pop of color, texture, and fruity sweetness. I made these as Ocean Spray cranberry oatmeal cookies, but you can use any brand you prefer.
- White Chocolate Chips. Delicious with cranberries. The combination feels distinctly holiday.
- Pecans. Chopped pecans make these cookies taste gourmet. They’re rich, toasty, and my friends couldn’t stop talking about how much they loved the addition.
- Brandy. A cheeky addition that makes these cookies taste truly special. If you prefer, you can use vanilla extract, but now that I’ve tried the cookies with brandy, I’m never going back.
- Cinnamon. Its cozy warmth is just right here.
The Directions
- Toast the nuts on a baking sheet. Finely chop.
- Using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the wet ingredients and salt. (It will look slightly curdled, but don’t panic. The dough will come together shortly.)
- In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stopping as soon as the flour disappears. By hand, stir in the white chocolate chips, cranberries, and nuts.
- Add rounded tablespoons of cookie dough to the baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake cranberry oatmeal cookies for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, until golden. When you can’t wait any longer, DIG IN!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Place baked cookies in an airtight storage container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze Baked Cookies. Place fully baked cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let the cookies thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Make Ahead Tip
Scoop the cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then place in the freezer to harden. Transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe container or ziptop bag in the freezer. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready, bake the cookies directly from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time. You can also freeze the entire batch of dough in a single container; let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then scoop and bake as directed.
What to Serve with Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Baking Sheet. Ideal for baking this easy cookie recipe.
- Stand Mixer. Helps create the dough for these Christmas cookies.
- Batter Scoop. For perfectly portioned oatmeal cranberry cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
While I haven’t tried making these cookies gluten free, I think you could experiment with it. Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour like this one. Also, make sure your oats are certified gluten free.
I do not recommend using fresh cranberries with this recipe. They will be too wet and too tart. Try this Cranberry Coffee Cake instead.
If you want to enjoy these Christmas cookies without cranberries, you can swap them for raisins or another kind of baking chips. This variation would be delicious with dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips.
(Oatmeal cookie fans, don’t miss my stellar Healthy Oatmeal Cookies.)
Holiday baking is a sacred time.
It’s not to be wasted on so-so cookies or even good cookies.
You deserve the BEST oatmeal cranberry cookies.
I’m willing to wager that these cookies will be a fast favorite. They are worthy of your holiday cookie platter.
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup raw pecan halves raw walnuts or raw macadamia nuts
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar or dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon brandy or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats (do not use instant)
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell very fragrant and the inside of a nut is light tan when broken in half. Watch the nuts carefully at the end to make sure they do not burn. Immediately transfer to a cutting board. Let cool to room temperature, then finely chop.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and coconut sugar on medium high 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Beat in the honey, egg, brandy, and salt until combined. The mixture will look slightly curdled.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in the oats.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stopping as soon as the flour disappears. Stir in the white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and chopped nuts until evenly distributed.
- Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheet. With your fingers, slightly flatten the cookies, as they will not spread much during baking. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies look golden and feel dry at the top and edges but still appear slightly molten in the centers. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to finish cooling completely (or to cool for as long as you can handle the suspense!).
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Place baked cookies in an airtight storage container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: Store baked cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: Refrigerate the unbaked cookie dough, then let it soften up at room temperature until you can scoop it into individual cookie dough balls. Place the individual cookie dough in an airtight freezer-safe container or ziptop bag in the freezer. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready, bake the cookies directly from frozen.
Nutrition
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Sounds great, not too much sugar. I always use coconut sugar and honey. At the moment I use AZ Mesquite honey. Do you think dark bittersweet chocolate bits would be a good substitute (I always use Ghirardelli)? Love that it’s not a large amount of cookies. I never make them because there’s always too many and I’m afraid I and my hubby will eat them all.
Janet, I think the dark chocolate would be delicious in place of the white chocolate! I’d do 72% or less. The cookies aren’t overly sweet, so you’ll need some sweetness from the chocolate itself.
These oatmeal cranberry cookies look sooo delish! But do you know, would white whole wheats flour work instead of all purpose flour. I don’t normally like to use that type of flour. Also the brandy looks like a genius addition. Can’t wait to make. Thanks!
Oh my goodness these are amazing! We do cranberry oatmeal cookies every year, but these were our best yet.
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Anna! I’m so happy these were a hit!
Could I add shredded coconut ?
Hi Kat! I’ve never tried adding coconut to these, but I think you could experiment with it. If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
can I substitute brown sugar with honey?
Hi Sara! To clarify, are you hoping to swap the honey for brown sugar? Since this recipe was tested with the liquid sweetener, it would be a complete experiment. If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
I dug around in the top of the pantry and found a 1/2 pint of brandy I’d forgotten about, so the cookies got the royal treatment and they turned out to be just as good as promised. My hubby ate one and I asked him if he could guess the “secret ingredient”. All he could guess was peanut butter, Not even close! It’s that little something something that makes magic. I’m sure they’d be great with vanilla, but until I run out of brandy, why?
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I made these this morning for my dad’s birthday. I used all brown sugar and a healthy dose of grand mariner. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Caroline! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Decadent and healthy tasting at the same time with all those add ins and then oats! 2nd time making and I over did the nuts and cranberries and white chocolate making them hard to form – had to wet my fingers. Happy accident! Next time I’ll use quick oats to compensate. These are favorites!
So glad you enjoyed them Cheryl!
Metric! Recipies should be metric, it is such a pain to translate it to a usable format.
Unfortunately, I’m not able to provide metric measurements. There are several online conversion sites—one good one is from King Arthur! Here’s the link: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart.