These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are THICK, CHEWY and absolutely DELICIOUS! The cookies are a family favorite. They are the perfect combination soft in the center and crispy just around the edges. The cranberries give these cookies the perfect tang and the oatmeal keeps the cookie tender and moist for the perfect texture. You can mix in white or dark chocolate chips, nuts or whatever else you love in your cookies! These Oatmeal Cranberry cookies are perfect for the holidays, a potluck, an office party, a bake sale, and especially for sharing with family and friends!
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Recipe
Cookies are kind of my thing. I haven’t shared one here in awhile, but if you are new, make sure to check out some of my other Thick and Chewy Cookie recipes here. I have made tons over the years, but today I am extra excited to share one of my favorites with you! Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies!
Cookies are an art form that I have made it my personal duty to perfect. I don’t think any cookie cuts the bill either. In my opinion the perfect cookie has a few important qualities:
- Thick. I don’t want any wimpy cookies. I want them to have a big nice soft center.
- Soft. I like some crispy edges but I want the majority of the cookie to be soft and tender.
- Chewy. The cookie can’t fall apart or be super crumbly or fall apart. It needs to have the perfect texture to make it perfectly chewy!
If you are with me on the perfect cookie, then read on! Let’s make these!
How to Make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
I am going to walk through some tips and tricks for this recipe here to help with any questions that might come up along the way. Make sure to hop down to the bottom for the full, printable recipe card with step by step instructions.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Butter, softened- Using butter over shortening will give the cookies a richer flavor.
- 3/4 Cup White sugar
- 3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar- you can use light brown in a pinch also, but I prefer dark brown
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract- there is a little more vanilla in these than average to enhance the flavor since we also use a bit more flour.
- 1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 Cups Quick Oats- I prefer to cook with quick cooking oats for a better overall end result.
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon- Feel free to use more if you want more than just a subtle hint of cinnamon.
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Craisins or sweetened dried cranberries- You can use whatever kind of dried cranberries your store has on hand.
- 1 cup dark or white chocolate chips- I love dark chocolate with my cranberries, but white chocolate is also a very popular option for cranberry cookies. This recipe will work equally well with either, so pick your favorite.
Tips and Tricks
There are a few little tips that will help you get the perfect cookies every time.
- The key to these cookies is the wet to dry ratio. Having the right amount of flour and oatmeal is what keeps these nice and thick instead of having cookies that spread and get thin. When you are mixing the dry ingredients in, stir in the first batch of flour and oatmeal then continue to add the rest and as you stir pay attention to the texture of the dough. It will be perfect when the dough just gets to be not sticky. You don’t want the dough to be crumbly though. If it becomes crumbly, then you will need to mix in water 1 teaspoon at a time until it holds together again without being crumbly.
- When you form the cookies, you will want to use about 2 tablespoons for an average size cookie or you use 1/4 cup measure to get 12 giant cookies.
- Once you measure the cookies, roll them into balls. Then slightly flatten them. You don’t want them to be too round or they will have more of a biscuit shape, also don’t flatten them too much as the spread a bit while baking and they will lose that thick, soft center.
- When you bake the cookies, take extra care not to over bake them. The cookies don’t always “look” done when they are! I like to keep an eye on the sheen on top of the cookie. It will be shiny while baking but not when cooked. I like to remove them right as the center just loses it’s shine. They will continue to bake a bit once they are removed from the oven and cool. This keeps them super soft and chewy. If they get over baked they will start to be more of a dry, crunchy cookie.
How to Freeze Cookies
These cookies can be frozen both before or after baking. I frequently do both so that I can make a batch or two and then not have to spend time baking for the next month or two, but still always have fresh baked cookies for when we need to bring something or have guests stop by.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
- Prepare cookie dough as directed
- Form into flattened balls just as you would like to bake them.
- Place balls side by side in a single layer in a zip top freezer bag. Seal and place flat in freezer for up to 6 months.
- When ready to bake, place frozen cookie dough balls onto cookie sheet and bake as directed. You may have to add 2-4 minutes of cooking time to get them fully baked.
The great benefits of freezing the cookie dough is that you can bake 1-2 cookies or all of the cookies. It lets you have warm fresh cookies on demand. That might actually be a bad thing ha!
Note: You may want to flatten the cookie dough ball a little more than you do when you bake them fresh as they won’t spread as much when cooking from frozen.
How to Freeze Cookies
- Prepare and bake cookies as directed.
- Allow cookies to cool completely.
- Place cookies in a zip top freezer bag or airtight container in flat layers with parchment between any stacked layers. Seal and place in freezer for up to 6 months. (I think they taste best when eaten up to two months)
- To eat, allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes or microwave each cookie for 15-20 seconds for a straight out of the oven effect!
These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies freeze beautifully and are a fantastic way to keep them soft, tender and fresh after baking. This is my preferred way to store all of my cookies! I will leave them out for the day, then at the end of the day, put the rest in the freezer to keep them at their optimal freshness.
I really hope that your family loves these Oatmeal Cranberry cookies as much as I do! Cranberry is absolutely one of my favorite flavors (if you are the same, check out my Cranberry muffins, Cranberry Chicken Salad, and easy cranberry sauce!)
If you do get a chance to try it, I would love it if you let me know! You can leave me a comment below, or if you post a picture on Instagram, make sure to tag me @easyfamilyrecipes so that I can see what you are cooking up! It makes my day to see others enjoying the recipes that I share!
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Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Butter softened
- 3/4 Cup White sugar
- 3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 3/4 Cup flour
- 2 1/2 Cups Quick Oats
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Craisins or sweetened dried cranberries
- 1 cup dark or white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine the butter and sugars until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between, and then blend the vanilla into the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, combine the 1 3/4 flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients slowly mixing between each addition. Add in the last 1/4 cup of flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is no longer sticky, but it is not crumbly. If the dough becomes crumbly, add water 1 teaspoon at a time and mix well until dough holds together again.
- Stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips. Use two tablespoons of dough to make balls and place them on a cookie sheet spaced 2 in apart then slightly flatten them.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 350˚F for 9-11 minutes or until the center is just set. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Let cool 2 minutes and then move to cooling rack to cool. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Kristy says
Just completed baking my first batch and they are wonderful! My Dad adores oatmeal cookies. I usually follow the recipe on the oat lid…a great classic. I know he will enjoy the new spin on tradition. Thank you!
Allison says
I’m making these cookies for probably the 8th time right now. I’m building up my repertoire of cookie recipes that consistently turn out great for me, and these are in my top three. For sure our favorite oatmeal cookie. The trick is getting the cook time right, they are ok if overdone by a minute, but if you can find that sweet spot they are perfection. 10 minutes works for me. Thank you for this recipe, we love it!!