This recipe for Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies is the perfect snack or dessert that's easy to make. Cranberries and chocolate chips give these classic oatmeal cookies a delicious flavor that is perfect for Christmas or any time of the year!
Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal cookies are super easy to make and have a wonderful chewy texture and bursts of flavor from dried cranberries and chocolate.
We love a good old-fashioned oatmeal cookie, but we love changing it up too!
This twist on classic oatmeal cookies adds chocolate chips and cranberries to the mix.
The cranberries add just enough tartness for an excellent contrast with the sweetness of the chocolate chips making a balanced cookie flavor.
They can easily be made using simple baking ingredients you may already have in your pantry.
Make the dough by mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, and fold in the tart cranberries and sweet chocolate chips. The cookies are baked and ready in just 10 minutes!
These cranberry oatmeal cookies are perfect for the holiday season or to make as a snack or dessert.
Give your family members or friends a batch of cranberry oatmeal cookies this year as gifts, or have some fun baking with your kids in the kitchen.
They were inspired by some of my other cookie recipes, including Sable Cookies, Maple Cream Cookies, and Pignoli Cookies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It’s a delicious twist on a classic oatmeal cookie that is perfect for the holidays.
You can make a batch as a snack or dessert, or give them as a holiday gift to friends, neighbors, and teachers.
The addition of cranberries gives these cookies a sweet and tart flavor that enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
You can customize these cookies by changing up the chocolate or by adding chopped nuts and other dried fruits.
Ingredients
- Butter - Gives the cookie dough a moist and dense texture along with buttery flavor.
- Brown Sugar - Sweetens up the cookie dough with a hint of caramel flavor.
- Eggs - Binds the cookies together and helps them set properly while cooling.
- Vanilla Extract - Infuses these oatmeal cookies with a hint of vanilla flavor throughout.
- Old Fashioned Oats - Adds a nutty oat flavored texture throughout the cookie.
- All Purpose Flour - The main dry ingredient, flour binds everything together and is responsible for the shape and texture of the cookie.
- Baking Soda - Helps the cookies rise while baking slightly.
- Cinnamon - Gives these cookies a hint of warming flavor that pairs well with cranberries and chocolate.
- Salt - Helps balance out the sweetness and activates the baking soda in the cookies.
- Dried Cranberries - Adds sweet and tart flavor notes to to the cookies while adding texture.
- Chocolate Chips - Gives these cookies a warm chocolatey flavor. You can use semi sweet chips or chocolate chunks.
- Chopped Walnuts - Adds a rich nutty flavor and crunchy texture to the cookies.
Please see the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Wondering how to make this dried cranberry cookie recipe? It's easy! Just follow this step-by-step photo tutorial. Then, scroll down for the recipe card for the full ingredients list and recipe method.
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients: In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until it's nice and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients. Whisk them together until they are fully combined.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients: Slowly add the dry ingredients in batches to the wet ingredients until a cookie dough is formed. Do not overwork the dough and mix until just combined.
Fold in the remaining ingredients: To the dough, add the cranberries, walnuts, and chocolate. Fold them into the dough just until combined.
Bake and cool: Drop each cookie by the teaspoon full onto the baking sheet leaving 2 inches in between each to allow them to spread. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Top tips
When making oatmeal cookies, it’s important that you use old-fashioned oats and not instant oats. Instant oats will produce a gritty texture in the cookies as they are partially cooked.
Before making the cookie dough, be sure to leave out the butter and eggs and make sure they come to room temperature. This will ensure that the cookie dough is smooth and even.
When working with the dough, make sure you don’t overmix. Mix everything until just combined. An overworked dough could cause the gluten in the flour to tighten making a tough cookie.
The cookies may seem slightly underbaked right out of the oven. They will set completely once they are finished cooling on a wire rack.
Serving Suggestions
Serve during the holiday season with a cold glass of Vegan EggNog.
Crumble them up into a Walnut Granola Breakfast Parfait for a decadent breakfast or snack.
Bring them to a cookie exchange along with Christmas Tree Cookies or Vegan Gingerbread Men.
Dip them into a Gingerbread Latte for a comforting snack.
Variations
Other dried fruits you can add include; raisins, currants, golden berries, chopped apricots, or even chopped dates.
Instead of using chopped walnuts, try using chopped pecans, almonds, cashews, or even peanuts for a nutty flavor.
You can use chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to create a different texture.
Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate chips add a different layer of flavor to the cookies.
To change up the base flavor of the cookies, swap out the vanilla extract for almond, coconut, maple, or butter extract.
Storage
Storing: These cookies can be stored outside of the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freezing: You can freeze any leftover cookies by wrapping each in a layer of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Add them to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter before serving.
FAQs
Because oatmeal cookies contain oatmeal, many wonder if this makes them healthier. The truth is, oatmeal only adds a bit of extra fiber making them slightly healthier than a regular cookie depending on how you look at it. Either way, homemade oatmeal cookies are much better than store bought.
We use brown sugar in this recipe to give it a deeper flavor, but you can also use granulated sugar in it's place. The color may be a bit lighter after baking.
More cookie recipes
We hope you love these cranberry cookies as much as we do! Be sure to check out these other cookie recipes too.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (150g) butter at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (120g) brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (135g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups (185g) all purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (75g) dried cranberries
- ½ cup (75g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
- ½ cup (65g) chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF / 190°C. Line two cookie sheets with baking parchment paper or silpats.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- In another bowl, stir the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in stages, stirring to combine.
- Stir in the dried cranberries, chocolate and walnuts.
- Drop teaspoonfuls of the cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving space between them for spreading.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- When making oatmeal cookies, it’s important that you use old fashioned oats and not instant oats. Instant oats will produce a gritty texture in the cookies as they are partially cooked.
- Before making the cookie dough, be sure to leave out the butter and eggs and make sure they come to room temperature. This will ensure that the cookie dough is smooth and even.
- When working with the dough, make sure you don’t overmix. Mix everything until just combined. An overworked dough could cause the gluten in the flour to tighten making a tough cookie.
- The cookies may seem slightly underbaked right out of the oven. They will set completely once they are finished cooling on a wire rack.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Dannii
These cranberry oatmeal cookies are a must bake every Christmas. We have made 2 batches already the past 2 weeks. Delicious festive flavours.
sonia
These cookies were super yummy, I want to make them again soon for my family!
Tavo
I enjoyed very much the combination of chocolate, cranberries, and oatmeal. The cookies came out deliciously!
Toni
My kids really loved these cookies! So good!
Colleen
I love cranberries and chocolate together, so I can't wait to make these cookies. They look yummy!
Maricruz
Delicious! Those photos really make your drool over your phone lol. Not a big fan of cookies but some recipes really inspires me. Thank for the tips too, really helpful, especially for baking recipes 🙂