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Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Baked Goods

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Nov 20, 2024 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links which earn us commissions if purchases are made · 10 Comments

179 shares
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Diet: Vegetarian
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Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies with a text title overlay.

The perfect Christmas cookie - these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are crispy on the outside, with a soft and chewy centre and bursting with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. They are a delicious festive bake as they are full of Christmas flavours and so easy to make as it's all done in one bowl. If you love oat cookies, then you are going to LOVE these!

A wire cooling rack with twelve cookies on it.

About These Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are our absolute favourite. The texture is perfect, with the slight crunch you have on the outside and then the soft, chewy and sweet inside.

There are so many things you can add to an oatmeal cookie, but when Christmas rolls round we are mixing cranberries and chocolate into ours - the perfect mixture of sweet and sour. Make a big batch. One oatmeal cranberry cookie is never enough at Christmas time!

We love a homemade gift and cookies always go down well. You could also add all the dried ingredients for these cranberry cookies to a jar, with a label for the measurements of the wet ingredients and the method instructions and give a lovely gift of a make your own cookie jar.

White chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies might just be one of our favourite ways to use cranberries. However, if you are looking for other ways to use them, then why not try our Cranberry Chicken, Cranberry Brie Bites, Cranberry Smoothie or Cranberry Bread.

Jump to:
  • About These Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Variations
  • How to Make Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies - Step by Step
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Storage
  • Extra Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Christmas Treat Recipes
  • Recipe
  • Feedback

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Butter - This is what gives the cranberry cookie recipe that incredible moist, buttery indulgent flavor. We used unsalted. If you are using salted butter, then leave the salt out of the recipe as you don't want them to be too salty.
  • Sugar - We used granulated and light brown sugar. The granulated sugar gives a nice crisp to the outside of the cookies, as it soaks up some of the moisture in the cookies. The brown sugar gives that lovely dark colour and adds a slight caramel flavour too. If you want a more moist and soft cookie, then just use brown sugar.
  • Egg - This is what binds the oatmeal cranberry cookies together. We used a medium egg. If you use a large egg, then it could make the mixture too runny.
  • Vanilla - We add this for a wonderful depth of flavour. Always try to use extract rather than vanilla essence.
  • Salt - Not only does this help to activate the baking soda, but it really brings out the sweet flavour and creates a nice balance.
  • Flour - We used plain (all-purpose) flavour and it's the main dry ingredient in these cookies to help bind everything together. You can use gluten free flour too.
  • Oats - This is the star of the cookies. We used rolled oats and they add such an amazing texture to cookies. Don't use quick cook oats, as they will just fall apart in the mixture when cooking and you won't have any of the oat texture. This is because instant oats are already partly cooked. You want to use rolled (old fashioned) oats.
  • Baking soda - This helps the cookies to rise slightly, but you don't want a huge rise on them.
  • Cinnamon - Is it a festive cookie without cinnamon? It adds a lovely warm flavour, but you can swap it for ground ginger or nutmeg or use a mixture of the three. You can adjust it to suit your own tastes.
  • Cranberries - We have used dried cranberries instead of fresh, as they have an intense flavour. They are sweet, with a slight tartness and they add lots of colour to the cookies.
  • Chocolate chips - We used white chocolate chips, however you could use milk or dark. You could also use chunks, rather than chips.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Variations

Once you have the basic oatmeal cookie recipe perfected, there are lots of different ways that you can adapt it. We went with cranberries and white chocolate but you could use another dried fruit like raisins or dried cherries, or a mixture of them all.

Why not make it an oatmeal cranberry walnut cookie by chopping up some walnuts and mixing them in? It would also work well with chopped pecans or almond flakes too. We like peanuts and cashews too.

When it comes to the chocolate, anything goes. Chunks or chips, white, milk or dark. You can even use a mixture of two different chocolates to mix it up a bit.

How to Make Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies - Step by Step

Prep: Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5.

Two shot collage of butter, white sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl, before and after mixing.
  1. Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and both sugars (a) and combine until smooth (b).
Egg and vanilla extract added to the bowl and mixed in.
  1. Step 2: Add the vanilla and egg (a). Mix until combined (b).
Flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon added to the bowl and mixed in.
  1. Step 3: Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (a). Mix until combined (b).
Oats, cranberries and white chocolate chips added to the bowl and mixed in.
  1. Step 4: Add the oats, cranberries and white chocolate chips (a). Mix once again (b) and then use your hands to form a large dough ball.
Balls of cookie dough on a baking tray and then slightly flattened.
  1. Step 5: Divide into twelve equal pieces and roll into balls. Put onto a lined baking tray and using the palm of your hand, gently press to flatten the balls.
Six baked cookies on a lined baking tray.
  1. Step 6: Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Serving Suggestions

Cookies and milk - it has got to be done hasn't it? The sweetness of the cranberries and chocolate chips are balanced out nicely by a nice cold glass of milk.

However, if you want to serve these oatmeal cookies with cranberries alongside a festive hot drink, then we have lots of choices for you:

  • Hot Chocolate Spoons
  • Vegan Eggnog
  • Peppermint Hot Chocolate
  • Chai Tea Latte
  • Cinnamon Coffee
  • Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
  • Pumpkin Spice Latte
  • Christmas Snowman Hot Chocolate
  • Cinnamon Mocha
A plate of cookies in front of two stacks of cookies and a glass of milk.

Storage

Storing: We prefer to store these cranberry oatmeal cookies recipe at room temperature. They can be kept in an air tight container and they will stay fresh for 3 days. If you wanted to keep them longer, then they would keep for up to a week in the fridge. However, we don't like the texture of them when they come out of the fridge. If you do put them in the fridge, leave a cookie out for 10 minutes before eating for the best taste.

Freezing: These actually freeze really well, so we like to make a big batch at the start of the festive season and then keep in the freezer and take out a couple at a time. Once they have fully cooled, individually wrap them and then store them all in a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for 2 months.

You can also freeze the uncooked dough. Simply roll the cookie dough into balls and then put on a baking tray and freeze (flash freeze) and then put the balls into a freezer bag. When you are ready to bake them, take the balls out and put them on a lined baking tray and in a preheated oven. You just need to add a few minutes onto the cooking time.

Defrosting: The cooked cookies will take a few hours to defrost at room temperature.

Extra Tips

  • If you want to add something a little special to these cookies, add a tiny splash or rum or brandy. It adds a real depth of flavour and adds to the Christmas vibes too.
  • Make sure you don't over mix the dough when you are stirring all the ingredients in. You want to make sure that everything has just come together. This is so the cookies don't become tough when cooked.
  • If you want to avoid the cookies spreading too much, then put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
  • Make sure to leave enough space between the cookies to allow for spreading during baking - about 5cm/2in is enough.
  • Dust the cookies with some icing sugar before serving to give them more of a Christmas look.
  • Make sure to cool them completely before serving. You need to cool them for 5 minutes on the baking tray and then cool them completely on a wire rack.
  • Add a little something extra to these cookies by drizzling them with melted chocolate.
A cookie on a cooling rack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can easily double or even half this recipe. Just make sure that you have a baking tray big enough, or cook them in batches.

Can I use fresh cranberries?

We haven't tried this ourselves, but you could use fresh cranberries. These have more of a tart flavour though. They also release liquid when cooking, so you would need to adjust the dry ingredients to compensate for this.

More Christmas Treat Recipes

  • A plate of puff pastry mince pies dusted with icing sugar.
    Puff Pastry Mince Pies
  • Cinnamon biscuits on a wire cooling rack.
    Cinnamon Biscuits
  • Five Christmas Tree Brownies on a wooden board.
    Christmas Tree Brownies
  • Christmas star biscuits on a wooden board.
    Christmas Star Biscuits

If you’ve tried these white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies on a wire cooling rack.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

By: Dannii Martin
The perfect Christmas cookie, these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies have a soft and chewy centre and are bursting with cranberries and white chocolate chips.
An illustration of a v-shaped plant.
Vegetarian
5 from 12 votes
Pin Print Save recipe Saved!
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: British
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 12 minutes mins
Total: 22 minutes mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 272kcal
Allergens:
An illustration of a carton of milk.
Dairy
An illustration of a cracked egg.
Eggs
An illustration of two ears of wheat.
Gluten

Ingredients

  • 110 g (0.5 cups) Butter - softened
  • 75 g (0.33 cups) Granulated sugar
  • 75 g (0.33 cups) Light brown sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 120 g (1 cups) Plain flour
  • 0.5 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch Sea salt
  • 160 g (2 cups) Rolled oats
  • 80 g (0.66 cups) Dried cranberries
  • 100 g (0.5 cups) White chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 190°C/170°C(fan)/375°F/Gas 5.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine 110 g Butter, 75 g Granulated sugar and 75 g Light brown sugar until smooth.
  • Add 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract and 1 Egg. Mix until combined.
  • Add 120 g Plain flour, 0.5 teaspoon Baking soda, 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon and 1 pinch Sea salt. Mix until combined.
  • Add 160 g Rolled oats, 80 g Dried cranberries and 100 g White chocolate chips. Mix once again and then use your hands to form a large dough ball.
  • Divide into twelve equal pieces and roll into balls. Put onto a lined baking tray and using the palm of your hand, gently press to flatten the balls.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Recipe Tips

  • If you want to add something a little special to these cookies, add a tiny splash or rum or brandy. It adds a real depth of flavour and adds to the Christmas vibes too.
  • Make sure you don't over mix the dough when you are stirring all the ingredients in. You want to make sure that everything has just come together. This is so the cookies don't become tough when cooked.
  • If you want to avoid the cookies spreading too much, then put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling in to balls.
  • Make sure to leave enough space between the cookies to allow for spreading during baking - about 5cm/2in is enough.
  • Dust the cookies with some icing sugar before serving to give them more of a Christmas look.
  • Make sure to cool them completely before serving. You need to cool them for 5 minutes on the baking tray and then cool them completely on a wire rack.
  • Add a little something extra to these cookies by drizzling them with melted chocolate.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.

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Comments

  1. Caroline says

    December 06, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    5 stars
    We love oatmeal cookies as well, and cranberries are also a favorite, so these are sure to be a hit!

    Reply
  2. Maria San Juan says

    December 06, 2021 at 2:55 pm

    5 stars
    Oatmeal cookies are always the best! Will surely make this one for my family! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Alisa Infanti says

    December 06, 2021 at 2:24 pm

    I am a huge oatmeal cookie and raisin fan but decided to give these with cranberries a try. They were fantastic!

    Reply
  4. SW says

    December 06, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    5 stars
    Oatmeal cookies are so delicious and I think a little healthier too (wishful thinking). You can't beat them at Christmas.

    Reply
  5. Helen says

    December 06, 2021 at 1:50 pm

    5 stars
    I love an oatmeal cookie and this look wonderful! Great combination of sweet chocolate with the tart cranberries - yum.

    Reply
  6. Jyoti Behrani says

    December 05, 2021 at 4:56 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent cookies! Just made 2nd batch of cookies this week. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  7. maryanne says

    December 05, 2021 at 4:45 pm

    5 stars
    These cookies totally hit the spot! I added a bit more cinnamon, but otherwise made them as directed. I love the chewy texture and combination of flavors!

    Reply
  8. Gina says

    December 05, 2021 at 1:46 pm

    5 stars
    We all LOVED these! Left out the white chocolate but added a touch of orange zest and they're a spectacular holiday cookie!

    Reply
  9. Sisley White - Sew White says

    December 05, 2021 at 1:21 pm

    5 stars
    These look so gorgeous. You really can't beat an oatmeal cookie at Christmas.

    Reply
  10. AISilva says

    December 05, 2021 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    These cranberry oatmeal cookies look so good and I love that they are so fast too. I will be making these this Christmas season for sure!

    Reply
5 from 12 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist.

Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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