Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
What is your idea of the perfect Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies? If you like your cookie more chewy than cakey, with just a hint of crisp along the edges, then my friend, this is the oatmeal cookie recipe for you! And that texture combination is in addition to the tart dried cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and a hint of molasses for a flavorful cookie that will surely leave you wanting more!
Table of Contents
I made several attempts at this recipe, aiming for that perfect combination of a flavorful cookie with a chewy interior and slightly crisp edges. I’m tickled to proclaim that this cookie is pretty darned perfect!
Ingredients in Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
In addition to flour, salt, eggs, and baking soda, these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies get their flavor and texture from:
- Rolled Oats: Rolled oats provide a chewy texture to cookies and are a source of fiber. Don’t have rolled oats? Go ahead and use instant oats. The texture will be different and you may want to check them a minute or two before the indicated baking time.
- Walnuts or Pecans: Both are great choices for adding a nutty flavor and crunch. Walnuts have a slightly bitter note while pecans are sweeter and buttery.
- Cinnamon: A warm spice that adds a sweet and woody aroma, enhancing the overall flavor profile.
- Ginger: This spice offers a zesty kick, which contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the cookies.
- Allspice: It’s like a combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, adding depth to the cookie’s flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content. Make sure to use room-temperature butter which will blend easily with sugars, creating a smooth cookie dough.
- Light brown sugar: It imparts a rich, molasses flavor and adds moisture to the cookies, making them chewy.
- Granulated sugar: Provides sweetness and helps in creating a golden-brown color due to caramelization.
- Molasses or maple syrup: Both are natural sweeteners. Molasses has a robust flavor, while maple syrup is lighter and woodsy. Molasses will give your cookies a dark caramel color after being baked.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a pleasant aroma and complements the overall flavor of the cookie.
- Sweetened dried cranberries: These tart and sweet dried fruits add a burst of flavor and a chewy texture to the cookies. I used 50% Less Sugar Dried Cranberries from Ocean Spray.
Tips for Perfect Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
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If you are aiming for the perfect chewy oatmeal cookies, here are a few suggestions to help you reach that holy grail of oatmeal cookies!
- Butter and Egg Temperature: Use room temperature butter, not melted. It allows for better creaming with the sugar, which leads to that desired texture. Room-temperature eggs will incorporate more easily and evenly into the batter or dough than cold eggs. This ensures a uniform texture in your baked goods. They also get a better volume when they’re whipped or beaten, resulting in lighter cookies and a better crumb structure.
- Cream Butter and Sugars Well: Spend a good 3-5 minutes creaming the butter with both granulated and brown sugars. This process incorporates air and results in a fluffier cookie.
- Oven Temperature: Preheat your oven properly. A higher temperature can help set the edges quickly, ensuring they become slightly crisp while the middle remains chewy.
- Monitor Baking Time: It’s easy to overbake cookies. Bake just until the edges are lightly golden. The center might seem a bit underdone when you take them out, but they’ll continue to cook on the baking sheet as they cool.
- Brown Sugar: Using more brown sugar than granulated sugar in your recipe can enhance the cookie’s chewiness because of the added moisture from the molasses in brown sugar.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the flour, mix only until combined. Overmixing can develop more gluten and result in a tougher cookie.
- Thick Dough: A thicker cookie dough usually leads to chewier cookies. Add more oats or flour if your dough feels too sticky or thin.
- Quality of Ingredients: Fresh and good-quality ingredients can make a difference. For instance, pure vanilla extract can enhance flavor depth instead of imitation.
- Add-Ins: The addition of rolled oats and dried cranberries adds to the chewy texture of these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. Ensure they’re distributed evenly in the dough.
- Baking Sheet: Using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat can prevent the cookies from sticking and help in even baking.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: A cookie scoop ensures that your cookies are of equal size and, therefore, will cook uniformly.
- Storage: Once baked, store these Cranberry Oatmeal cookies in an airtight container with a piece of bread. The bread will become hard, while the cookies remain soft and chewy.
Making Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
my kitchen workhorse
- 7-quart capacity
- 10 speeds range from very slow stirring to very high beating.
- Makes up to 14 dozen cookies or 8 lb. of dough.
- Works with all KitchenAid attachments.
More Cranberry Recipes
If you are looking for more opportunities to incorporate this seasonal fruit into your recipes, I have a few suggestions! Scroll through these yummy options and click on the recipes that appeal to you.
- Mini Chocolate Cranberry Tarts
- Spiced Cranberry Conserve
- Pear Jam with Cranberries and Ginger
- Cranberry Apple Banana Bread
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teasoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 2 cups of rolled oats
- 6 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons molasses or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried cranberries 5 ounces
- 1 cup of nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add oats to the flour mixture and mix well.
- Beat butter with granulated and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Add egg and mix on high until fully incorporated, approximately 1 minute. Add vanilla and molasses or maple syrup and mix again on high until incorporated.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour/oat mixture and mix until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and hand stir in the dried cranberries and nuts.
- Scoop up a heaping tablespoon of the cookie dough (I really like this 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop as the dough is soft and sticky) and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are starting to brown. The centers will still appear soft, but they will continue to set as the cookies cool on the baking sheet. While the cookies are still warm, you can drop the pan on the counter to help the cookies flatten if you like.
- Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool.
Nutrition
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I haven’t made this yet but they look so delicious. Are we talking about 301 calories per cookie?
Hi Frances,
These are delicious and yes, about 300 calories per cookie if you make 30 cookies from this recipe. If you make the cookies smaller, then you can reduce the calorie count per cookie.
Enjoy!
I made these this morning and my husband loves them. Instead of using a TBSP of vanilla I used 1/2 TBSP of vanilla and 1/2 TBSP Orange extract. I love cranberry and orange together.
Hi Lynn, What a great suggestion to add in some orange extract. I’ll have to give that a try.
Thanks for taking the time to write in! In means so much to us.
Hugs, Lynn