Cranberry Oatmeal White Chip Cookies

Last updated on December 18th, 2024

Cranberry Oatmeal White Chip Cookies are an old-fashioned oatmeal cookie base with the addition of tart dried cranberries, sweet white chips, and warm spices. They are perfect for putting in your holiday gift tin.

How to Make Cranberry Oatmeal White Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

butter:

Use real butter instead of shortening for the best all-natural, homemade cookie taste. Shortening is waxy and tasteless.

white chocolate:

Did you know that white chocolate chips are NOT actually white chocolate? Real white chocolate uses cocoa butter for its fat, while candy melts and baking chips use palm oil. There are many white chocolate baking chips on the market, choose one that contains natural ingredients. I use Ghirardelli, as other brands can be too sweet or have artificial flavor.

oats:

Use a combination of whole oats and quick oats. The whole oats make the cookie hearty and chewy, while the quick oats offer a light texture. They are interchangeable in most recipes, so if you only have the old-fashioned you can pulse some of them up. For an extra flavor boost, toast the oats for 15 minutes at 350 degrees before adding them to the batter.

BAKER’S TIPS

chill the dough:

Be sure to chill the dough before you scoop it on to baking trays. If you simply swap out the shortening for real butter without chilling the dough, your cookie will spread too much. Chill the scooped dough for 10 minutes to ensure less spread.

EQUIPMENT

baking sheet:

Always use light-colored, aluminum cookie sheet. I use Nordic Ware aluminum 18×13 half-sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Aluminum is best for distributing and reflecting even heat during the baking process. Dark cookie sheets conduct more heat off the surface, which may lead to your baked goods to burn or darken on the edges before they are fully cooked.

Cranberry Oatmeal White Chip Cookies

Servings 36

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Ingredients

WET INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. butter
• ¾ c. sugar
• ¾ c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ c. unbleached flour
• 1 c. quick oats
• 1 c. old-fashioned oats
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. clove

MIX-INS

• 1 ½ c. dried cranberries soak in hot water
• 1 c. nuts (pecans or walnuts) fine chop
• 1 c. white chips

Equipment

• mixer with paddle attachment
• measuring cups & spoons
• parchment sheets or silicone baking mat
• cookie sheets

Instructions

• PREP
• Gather equipment. Place parchment paper on cookie sheets.
• Finely chop nuts and set aside.

MAKE BATTER

• Beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar and eggs, and vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Add in dry ingredients and mix.
• Drain the dried cranberries, toss in flour to lightly coat and mix into batter. Add in nuts and white chips and mix batter until just combined.
• Scoop batter into cookie pucks and place in airtight container or on cookie sheets. Chill 30 minutes or overnight.

BAKE

• Place cookie pucks 1” apart on cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes. Let cookies cool and store in air-tight container.

Notes

For bakery style cookies-place a few white chips, nuts and cranberries on top of the cookie puck.

TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE

Add 1 T. milk to help add moisture to the gluten-free flour.

Let batter rest, scoop cookie dough into pucks and chill overnight. If time allows, be sure to let the batter rest as hydrating the gluten-free flour is an important step for a light and tender bake. You can make the batter ahead of time and place in the fridge and scoop batter when needed.You can make the cookie batter ahead of time then scoop into balls and freeze to bake later.

Sub your favorite gluten-free flour.

Storage: Gluten-free baked goods do not have the same shelf-life as conventional baked goods. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days or for best results, seal in in freezer safe container for up to 6 months. When freezing, allow to come to room temperature before opening the container.

TO MAKE VEGAN

In place of the milk, use unsweetened oat, coconut or almond milk. Use vegan butter sticks. My favorite is Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks
To replace the egg, add 1 tsp. soda to the batter with 1 T. vinegar poured on top of the soda.
Swap out white chips with allergen-free white chips

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies