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These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are soft and chewy with a bit of tartness from the cranberries, crunch from the nuts, and sweet white chocolate. They are freezer-friendly, too, so you can make them ahead! The combination is amazing – you’re going to love it.

Plate full of oatmeal cranberry cookies


Table of Contents

The Best Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies Recipe Ever

If you love cookies with a lot of texture and flavor, these oatmeal cranberry pistachio cookies are for you! Why you’ll LOVE these cookies:

  • The best cookies are my chewy oatmeal cookie recipe. We love the texture: chewy thanks to the oats, soft thanks to all the brown sugar!
  • The aren’t plain old cranberry cookies: they also have white chocolate chips and pistachios.
  • Because of the colors – red, green, and white – these white chocolate oatmeal cranberry cookies are perfect for Christmas!. Make a batch ahead to share on all the cookie platters, or keep them all to yourself!
Overhead view of cranberries, white chocolate chips and pistachios on a plate

Ingredients Needed

  • Oatmeal Cookie Ingredients: All of my oatmeal cookies have the same basic ingredients. Unsalted butter (softened), lots of packed brown sugar, egg, vanilla, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and all-purpose flour with oats.
  • Quick Cooking Oats: I use quick oats in my cookie recipes instead of old fashioned oats – did you know you can make your own quick cook oats if you only have rolled oats?
  • Mix-ins: Sweetened Dried Cranberries (Craisins), White chocolate chips, Salted pistachios. Feel free to substitute chopped pecans or walnuts if you prefer, or omit.
bowl of creamed butter and sugars with egg.
cookie dough with flour in clear bowl.
oats in clear bowl.
oatmeal cookie dough in bowl with spatula.
cookie dough balls on silpat lined cookie sheet.

How to Make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

  1. In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar for one to two minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
  2. Add the flour and mix until combined.
  3. Mix in the oats.
  4. Then stir in the the dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, and optional nuts.
  5. Drop two tablespoons of dough for each cookie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You don’t need to space them because they need to chill before baking. Place the pan in the refrigerator so the dough can chill for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Once chilled, transfer the cookie dough balls to a second cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Space the cookies two inches apart.
  7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 16 minutes at 350°F, or until they are no longer glossy on top and a light golden around the edges. Cool them on the pan for at least five minutes before removing them.
Close up shot of oatmeal cranberry cookies on a blue plate with one split in half to show inside of cookie

Expert Tips

  • Chilling: If you chill the dough for longer than 30 minutes, cover the pan with plastic wrap, so it doesn’t dry out. If the dough is very cold when you bake the cookies, I recommend lightly pressing them down into a disc. Very cold dough won’t spread as much, and this will help.
  • Storage: Once the cranberry oatmeal cookies are thoroughly cooled, store them in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature.
  • Freezing: You can also freeze them for up to three months. For the best results, keep them in a freezer bag or container and separate the layers of cookies with paper towels. When you thaw them, the towels will absorb the excessive moisture.
  • Oats: If you have old-fashioned oats on hand, you can turn them into quick oats for this recipe. Pulse them in a food processor to break them down until they look like quick oats.
  • Butter: If you use salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt by ¼ teaspoon.
Overhead shot of oatmeal cranberry cookies

Recipe FAQ

Why didn’t my cookies flatten?

If the cookie dough is really cold, the cookies won’t spread as much when they bake. So, if you chill the dough for longer than 30 minutes, you should lightly press them down before baking.

Can you substitute raisins for the dried cranberries in cookies?

Yes, raisins work well in this recipe.

Close up shot of oatmeal cranberry cookies on a blue plate

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies Recipe

5 from 7 votes
These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are soft and chewy with a bit of tartness from the cranberries, crunch from the nuts, and sweet white chocolate.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield 24 cookies
Serving Size 1 cookie
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Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¾ cup (93g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ⅔ cups (150g) quick cooking oats
  • ¾ cups (94g) dried cranberries
  • ½ cup (85g) white chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (65g) salted pistachios

Instructions

  • Cream butter and brown sugar with a hand or a stand mixer in a large bowl. Beat until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add egg, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix until smooth.
  • Mix in flour, then mix in quick oats.
  • Add cranberries, white chocolate and pistachios and stir until combined.
  • Drop 2 tablespoon cookie dough balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. No need to space; we are chilling the dough. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a second cookie sheet with parchment or silicone and space the cookies 2-inches apart.
  • Bake 12-16 minutes, or until no longer glossy on top and light golden around the edges. Cool at least 5 minutes before removing from pan.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

  • Feel free to use any nut in place of the pistachios. You can also omit the nuts and add extra white chocolate and/or cranberries.
  • If using salted butter reduced salt to ¼ teaspoon.
  • To make your own quick oats from old fashioned, pulse them a few times in the food processor.
  • If chilling longer than 1 hour, cover with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Oatmeal Craisin Cookies are perfect because they have so much flavor and texture. They’re also freezer-friendly, too, so you can make them ahead!

Last Updated on November 26, 2023



Dorothy Kern

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