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Soft chewy brown sugar oatmeal cookies with sweetened dried cranberries. A chewy and hearty oatmeal cookie that everyone will love! These Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies always receive 5-star reviews. You will love these Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies!
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
You know how I love a good cookie. That’s basically the understatement of the year — I am obsessed with COOKIES. Without a doubt, cookies are my favorite food in the world. But I am not going to waste my calories on mediocre cookies — they need to be out of this world good.
Why you will love these homemade Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies:
These Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries are the perfect chewy oatmeal cookie. This isn’t some dry, hockey puck oatmeal cookie. I want my oatmeal cookies to be soft and chewy every time! I can’t put these oatmeal cookies down!
These cookies are a classic twist on oatmeal raisin cookies, with dried cranberries providing a tangy burst of flavor in every bite. These cookies are easy to make, and loaded with wholesome ingredients like oats, brown sugar, and warm spices. Plus, the slight chewiness of the cranberries pairs beautifully with the soft and chewy texture of the cookies.
The beauty of this cranberry oatmeal cookie is that I convince myself I could eat it for breakfast. It is hearty enough with the rolled oats to feel like a sweet breakfast treat or perfect for a snack while hiking.
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients:
What is the key to making the Best Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies? It is all about the ratios of butter, sugar, flour, and oats. It can’t have too much flour and oats to be too cakey or dry. It needs to be buttery with the perfect balance of sweetness. I reach for a ratio of more brown sugar to sugar since brown sugar creates a chewier texture while sugar gives those coveted crisp edges. You need both to create the perfect balance!
- Unsalted Butter: I use cold butter cut into small cubes. The butter shouldn’t be too soft or melted.
- Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and a deep caramel-like sweetness.
- Granulated Sugar: Balances the brown sugar and enhances sweetness. Make sure to pack the brown sugar in a measuring cup.
- Eggs: Bind the dough together and contribute to a soft texture. Always use large eggs in baking recipes.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth and depth to the flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: This recipe has the perfect ratio of flour and oats to keep the recipe perfectly thick yet soft and chewy.
- Baking Soda: Ensures the cookies rise slightly while baking.
- Cornstarch: Helps to thicken the cookies and keep them soft.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: The star ingredient for texture and heartiness.
- Dried Cranberries: Provide a tart, chewy contrast to the sweet cookie dough. I like to use Craisins.
- Ground Cinnamon (optional): Adds a warm, cozy flavor that pairs well with cranberries.
- Optional Add-Ins: White chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut for extra flavor and texture.
I use rolled oats because they hold up better in these cookies than quick-cooking 5-minute oats. But you can use either one in these oatmeal cookies! I also reach for sweetened dried cranberries, like Craisins, because of their sweet chewy texture pairs well with the hearty oatmeal.
How to make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 365 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through to ensure even mixing.
- Add eggs and vanilla and cream for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in flour, rolled oats, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Fold in dried cranberries.
- If you would like to chill the cookie dough, you can wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. You can also scoop into balls and then chill in the refrigerator. If you have time, chill for 24 hours.
- Drop onto a light-colored baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges starts to turn a light golden color. Don’t overbake.
Tips for Baking the Best Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies:
Chill the Dough (optional): Refrigerating the dough for 30 minutes helps prevent spreading and enhances the chewy texture.
Use Old-Fashioned Oats: These provide a better texture than quick oats, which can make the cookies too soft.
Don’t Overbake: The cookies should look slightly underdone when you take them out of the oven. They’ll firm up as they cool.
Mix-Ins: For extra flavor, try adding white chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or orange zest to complement the cranberries.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):
1. Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried?
Yes, but fresh cranberries will add more moisture to the dough. Chop them into small pieces and consider adding a bit more flour to balance the extra moisture. Also, dried cranberries are sweetened with sugar so if you do use fresh tart cranberries, you may want to use 3/4 cup of sugar instead of 2/3 cup.
2. How do I soften dried cranberries?
If you have dried cranberries in your pantry that are too dry and are no longer soft and chewy, you can soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
4. How should I store these cookies?
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
5. Can I make these gluten-free?
I haven’t recipe tested this particular cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe with gluten-free flour but you could try substituting the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking blend and ensure your oats are certified gluten-free.
Popular Cranberry Recipes:
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Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter (cut into cubes)
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
- 1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Sweetened Dried Cranberries (such as Craisins)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 365 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through to ensure even mixing.
- Add eggs and vanilla and cream for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in flour, rolled oats, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Fold in dried cranberries.
- Drop onto a light-colored baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until edges starts to turn a light golden color. Don't overbake.
Notes
If you have dried cranberries in your pantry that are too dry and are no longer soft and chewy, you can soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these cookies today and used half the butter and apple sauce
i used mixed dried berries and honestly can say that they turned out pretty good.
Made these today, a big version and a small one. I did heat steep my Craisins in 2 T Orange concentrate till plump and OJ concentrate absorbed. Adds a bit of moisture and flavor to cookie. Used a 1/8 cup measure scoop for the big ones and a 2 T scoop for the small ones. The large ones baked perfect for 9 minutes, turned the sheet pan and baked 6 minutes more. Large ones bake about 4 inches across-only put 6 dough “ blops” on pan. The small ones baked perfect at 9 minutes without turning the sheet pan of 20 dough “blops”. Also added 3 T of dark brown sugar instead of 2 T. These are YUMMY! After completely cooling for several hours they are crisp edged and tender chewy centers. This is now my absolute go-to recipe for this cookie.
A Delicious cookie, I omitted the white sugar and it’s the best oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe I have made or tasted. Thank You !!
Really excellent recipe! I’ve used many oatmeal cookie recipes over the years so didn’t need a new one. But the fact you included the dried cranberries I prefer to raisins made me try this. Also, oven set to 365° helped me find the recipe online again when I wanted to make them again. I also added some chopped walnuts to mine. I require nuts in most cookies. Also read recently that eating walnuts can reduce stress. Since cookies already help us cope it’s stress this is definitely a plus. Thank you for nice recipe.
I can only make these on occasion because my husband and I can’t stop eating them. Our favorite cookie of all time. I did cut down on the sugar.
Made these this afternoon. Very good!
These are sooo good, I used an extra tsp of vanilla and added a bit of orange zest! Delicious!
Wonderful cookies! Great soft cookie with a buttery flavor.
I made these cookies and my family went crazy. Said they were the best cookie I have ever made! I have to make them every two weeks. Made them several times for Xmas cookie exchanges & yes, they were the favorite! Thank you so much for this recipe! Just an Amazing Cookie!
I love this recipe. I’m an oatmeal cookie fan. It’s always my choice and I find that many recipes can be dry. Ew! I made these with a mixture of cranberries, blueberries, and golden raisins I had in my pantry and wanted to use up. They’re a big hit! Thanks 🙂
These are some of the best cookies I ever made, absolutely delicious!!! I had about 1/4 bag of dark chocolate chips leftover over and I chopped them up and added them also
Especially good as I used Ocean Spray dried cranberries infested with cherry juice. An absolute keeper!
I printed out directions for oatmeal cranberry cookies and in the instructions #2. It says add eggs and vanilla and cream for 1 minute longer? There is no cream in list of ingredients?
I just noticed the cream listed in instructions line 2…….have you made them??????
No I have not made any yet! waiting to hear if the cream is missing from list? or there should not be cream in directions? If there is how much?
Hi Darlene! There is no cream in the recipe. 🙂 “Cream” is a verb in baking and technically, “cream” or “creaming” means mixing butter and sugar together on a moderately high speed until well blended, fluffy and pale yellow. I hope this helps!
Most likely it means cream(blend)together
The cream is from creaming the sugar and butter first — that is the cream you add the rest too!
I believe that “cream” is a verb in this case.
Just means to “mix” not as in the cream like heavy whipping cream. That was my first initial thought, then realized not “ the food cream” MIX together an additional minute. Food for thought! Lol
You are to cream together the eggs and vanilla.
What she meant was to cream (or beat/mix) the mixture as you did with the butter and sugars. No cream in recipe.
I’m thinking she meant cream the vanilla & butter.
I couldn’t wait to try these cookies because I love any cookie with raisins or cranberries, but I wasn’t sure my kids would go for them because they aren’t raisin lovers like I am. But big surprise…..they loved these cookies and so did my husband. I made them this afternoon and there are only a few left – so I will be making them again soon. Like maybe tomorrow! Ha