Soft and chewy with crisp edges, oatmeal cranberry cookies are loaded with sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. These hearty cookies are easy to make for a holiday dessert or snack!
More cookie recipes with oatmeal that we can’t get enough of include oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal M&M cookies and these no bake cookies!
Table of Contents
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
These oatmeal cranberry cookies are the perfect blend of white chocolate cranberry cookies and oatmeal cookies and there’s just something about the festive red cranberries that screams Christmas!
The best part about these holiday cookies, other than the buttery texture and mouth watering flavors, is how easy they are to make!
The entire batch of oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies is ready in 20 minutes, and once they’ve cooled, you’ve got a delicious dessert or snack that is pretty enough for any cookie tray!
Why This Recipe Works
- Super simple. They come together in one bowl, just mix, drop, then bake!
- Texture for days. You’ve got the old-fashioned rolled oats, the dried cranberries, and the chocolate chips all in one soft and chewy cookie.
- Make ahead and freezer friendly. You’ll want to make a double batch and freeze the second one for months! It’s a great way to think ahead for those days you just want to reach for a really good homemade cookie!
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Oatmeal cookie dough: All purpose flour, butter, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking staples and old-fashioned oats (do not use instant oats).
- Mix-ins: Dried cranberries like Craisins and white chocolate chips. I like to soak my dried cranberries in hot water for 15 minutes to make the cranberry flavor pop.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are just a few ways to tweak this oatmeal cranberry cookies recipe to suit your taste buds:
- You can’t go wrong with swapping the cranberries for raisins for a version of oatmeal raisin cookies! Dried cherries work, too.
- Add some walnuts or pecans for added crunch.
- Substitute dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or caramel chips for the white chocolate chips.
How to Make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Mix wet ingredients. In the stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream butter and both sugars together. Then, mix in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Do not overmix. Fold in the oats, cranberries, and chocolate chips. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- Scoop the dough. I like to use a cookie scoop so that all the cookies are the same size. Scoop the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheets and leave room in between each one for a bit of spreading.
- Bake then cool. Place the baking sheet in a preheated 350°F oven and bake for 7-10 minutes until the edges are just lightly golden. The center of each cookie will look slightly underdone but that’s ok, they will continue to set as they cool. Leave them on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make Ahead and Freeze the Dough
If you’re not ready to bake the cookies yet, you can freeze the dough instead of chilling it in the fridge. Roll them into balls, flash freeze them, then transfer them to a freezer back.
Learn the tips and tricks of freezing cookie dough right here!
Expert Tips
- Do not overmix OR overbake your cookies! For best results, you want to just mix the cookie dough until combined, but also underbake them a bit for that soft chewy texture.
- Start with room temperature ingredients. Take the eggs out when you take out your butter. The eggs will have an easier time blending into the creamed butter and it helps with even baking.
- Measure correctly. Always measure the flour properly to avoid dense cookies. Using a kitchen scale or the spoon and level method is important in any baking recipe!
- Soft brown sugar: Make sure your brown sugar has not hardened in storage, it needs to be soft and moist for the best cookie results.
- Add some extra cranberries and chocolate chips to the tops of the cookies while they are still soft. This just makes them look prettier!
- Do not skip the rest time. Once the white chocolate oatmeal cranberry cookies come out of the oven they will be quite soft. Leave them alone for 2-3 minutes. If you try and move them too soon, they may fall apart.
Recipe FAQs
You can use fresh. You can even use frozen (but don’t thaw them first). When you use dried cranberries, you have a choice of picking up the sweetened ones.
If using fresh just remember they’ll add quite a bit of tartness, but also tons of flavor! You may also love this banana bread with cranberries!
There are a few secrets! The first is to make sure you’re using the exact right amount of flour. You will also have more moisture in your cookies when you use brown sugar (we’re using brown sugar and molasses for these). An egg, rather than an egg replacer, also helps to keep them moist.
No need to keep these oatmeal cranberry cookies in the fridge. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keeping them covered will prevent them from drying out.
Yes! Once completely cooled, transfer them to a freezer-friendly container and keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Bring them to room temperature for about 1 hour before serving.
Looking for more cranberry recipes? Try my cranberry orange bread, apple cranberry pie or this cranberry orange cheese ball.
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Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter , barely softened
- 1 ¼ cups (215 grams) light brown sugar , packed
- ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2-3 teaspoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
- 2 cups (200 grams) old-fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups dried cranberries
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips , plus more if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together. Mix in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla until combined.
- Mix in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until just combined. Stir in the oats, cranberries, and chocolate chips. Refrigerate until ready to bake, at least 15 minutes.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheets. Bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just light golden brown (the centers should look a little underdone). Take them out a little early for softer cookies and bake a little longer for crispier cookies.
- Leave cookies on the sheet 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Freezer-Friendly, Holiday Cookies, Nut-Free, Oatmeal Cookies, Vegetarian, White Chocolate Cookies
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
Can you use quick cook oats?
Yes you can, it will just slightly change the texture.
i love them !
Glad to hear it. Thanks, Dianne!
The BEST oatmeal cookies!! Next time I have to double the recipe because my family ate them so fast!
I agree, Caroline. These definitely don’t last long. Don’t forget, you can change the quantity on the site so it adjusts the recipe for you!
yum yum yum! these cookies have the highlight of my week! thank you so much for sharing this recipe
Thank you for sharing, Jess. I am glad they brought you joy!
Loved how it turned out! Super delicious and really easy to make! I highly recommend this and thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the recommendation. I am glad these were a success!