These oatmeal cranberry cookies are the perfect cookie for a cookie exchange or just to eat all by yourself. These are the best oatmeal cookies with cranberries if I do say so myself. Thanks to the rolled oats and brown sugar, they have the right amount of sweetness and flavor while being perfectly chewy.
This cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe is so easy to make and only requires a handful of pantry staples. There’s no chilling time, so these cookies come together quickly, making them perfect as a last-minute dessert when guests come over for holiday dinners. If you’ve got extra oatmeal leftover from these cookies, you should try my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, or No Bake Cookie Recipe.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Baking soda — the cookie dough is heavy, so the baking soda helps lift the cookies. Double-check the baking soda to ensure it’s not expired.
Butter — when buying butter, be sure to pick up unsalted butter and not salted butter. Salted butter does not have a consistent amount of salt across different brands, so you should add your own. To tell when butter is room temperature, press your finger into the butter. Your finger leaves a dent if the butter is room temperature. If it’s cold, it’ll be challenging to cream it with the sugars.
Brown sugar — brown sugar keeps the cookies moist and soft on the inside. The sugar also adds a delicious molasses flavor. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can follow this post on how to make brown sugar.
Rolled oats — you need to use rolled oats and not quick oats or steel-cut oats for this cookie recipe. Quick oats will fall apart, whereas steel-cut oats are not processed enough leading to an undesirable texture for these oatmeal cranberry cookies.
HOW TO MAKE OATMEAL CRANBERRY COOKIES
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Stop mixing to scrape down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla until just combined.
4. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture until just combined. Scrape down the bowl.
5. Beat in the oats and cranberries just until combined.
6. Using a 1 ½-inch spring-loaded scoop or spoons, scoop the dough onto the lined baking sheets, about 1 ½-inches apart. Bake 1 tray at a time until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Make sure your brown sugar is soft and moist for the best cookies. If your brown sugar has hardened, don’t worry, it’s an easy fix! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar.
- Don’t over-bake the cranberry oat cookies, as they’ll actually continue to bake as they cool. The middle should still be soft when you pull them out.
- Room temperature eggs will mix more evenly into the creamed butter. Place your eggs into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes. Doing so will quickly bring it to room temperature if you have forgotten to take it out of your fridge ahead of time.
- Measure your flour and rolled oats correctly to avoid dry and dense cookies. Adding too much flour and oats to the recipe is the most common mistake. The easiest way to measure is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour and oats with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. Avoid packing them into a measuring cup.
- Press a few extra dried cranberries on top of the cookies for a prettier presentation.
- Use real vanilla extract and not imitation for the best results.
- Make sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, so your cookies don’t stick. It also prevents the bottom of the oatmeal cranberry cookies from getting too brown.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What else can I add?
Feel free to add some chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for extra flavor. Nuts such as pistachios or walnuts make for a great addition as well. You can substitute or add any sweetened dried fruit in this cookie recipe. Just be sure to chop the fruit before adding to your dough if you use a larger dried fruit such as apricot.
Can I use fresh cranberries?
Fresh or frozen cranberries can be used instead of dried cranberries. If you are using frozen cranberries, skip thawing and add them frozen into the batter.
How do I store leftovers?
Store any leftover oatmeal cookies with cranberries in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Can I freeze this cookie recipe?
You can! Once the cookies have cooled, transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container. Freezer for up to 2 months, and when ready to enjoy, thaw on the counter until they’ve reached room temperature.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Equipment
- Mixer
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (220g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (336g)
- 1½ cups sweetened dried cranberries (6oz/170g bag)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla until just combined.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture until just combined. Scrape down the bowl. Beat in the oats and cranberries just until combined.
- Using a 1 1/2-inch spring-loaded scoop or spoons, scoop the dough onto the lined baking sheets, about 1 1/2-inches apart. Bake 1 tray at a time until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure your brown sugar is soft and moist for the best cookies. If your brown sugar has hardened, don’t worry, it’s an easy fix! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar.
- Don’t overbake the cranberry oat cookies, as they’ll continue to bake as they cool. The middle should still be soft when you pull them out.
- Room temperature eggs will mix more evenly into the creamed butter. Place your eggs into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes. Doing so will quickly bring it to room temperature if you have forgotten to take it out of your fridge ahead of time.
- Measure your flour and rolled oats correctly to avoid dry and dense cookies. Adding too much flour and oats to the recipe is the most common mistake. The easiest way to measure is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour and oats with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. Avoid packing them into a measuring cup.
- Press a few extra dried cranberries on top of the cookies for a prettier presentation.
- Use real vanilla extract and not imitation for the best results.
- Make sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, so your cookies don’t stick. It also prevents the bottom of the cookies from getting too brown.
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