Sweet Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

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These oatmeal cranberry cookies combine chewy oats, tart cranberries, and sweet white chocolate into an irresistible treat. They’re perfect for any occasion!

Stack of oatmeal cranberry cookies on a marble surface.

These cookies are a twist on a nutty oatmeal cookie. But also, since we’re coming up on the holidays and cranberries have become synonymous with that time of year, I thought we’d throw in some of those, too. Dried cranberries give these crumbly cookies a little extra kick of flavor and some holiday pizzazz!

Why You’ll Love These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Great texture. These chewy oatmeal cookies are filled with crunchy pecans and soft dried cranberries, and topped off with smooth white chocolate as a finishing touch.
Sweet yet tart. Tart dried cranberries really balance out the sweetness from the white chocolate and the vanilla!
Quick and simple. It takes just 20 minutes to prep these cookies, and only 10 more to bake them!

overhead view of labeled ingredients for oatmeal cranberry cookies

What You’ll Need

Other than the basics, you’ll just need the add-ins and white chocolate for these cookies! For exact ingredient amounts and the full set of directions, be sure to check out the recipe card below.

All-purpose flour – For the best results, measure your flour by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, then spoon and sweep.
Baking soda and baking powder – To help the cookies rise and give them a softer texture. Not sure if yours are still good? Here’s how to check them for freshness.
Salt – I almost always bake with regular table salt. Learn more: Types of Salt for Baking
Unsalted butter – Set out the butter about half an hour before baking to allow it to soften properly.
Brown sugar and granulated sugar – I like to use light brown sugar for its sweet caramel notes.
Egg – Let this come to room temperature before you begin.
Vanilla extract
Cranberries – I prefer to use dried cranberries over fresh cranberries in these cookies.
Chopped nuts – I most often use pecans because they’re my favorite for baking, but feel free to use another nut if you like. Walnuts, pistachios, and almonds would all be good choices. For a nut-free option, you can omit them entirely or use another add-in in their place.
Quick oats – The small size of quick oats gives you the flavor of the oats without having large pieces of oats in the cookies. If you want to use regular old-fashioned oats, be sure to substitute by volume.
White chocolate – From a flavor standpoint, I prefer white chocolate versus white bark or other white chocolate substitutes. Use whichever you prefer.

Close up of two oatmeal cranberry cookies stacked on a wire rack.

How to Make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

overhead view of sugars added to creamed butter in a white mixing bowl — Beat butter and then gradually add sugars followed by egg and vanilla.

overhead view of mixed wet ingredients for Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies — Beat butter and then gradually add sugars followed by egg and vanilla.

Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 375°F, then line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Combine the wet ingredients. With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Gradually add the sugars, and mix until combined. Next, add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.

overhead view of dry ingredients added to wet ingredients for Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies — Also add the flour in small portions.

overhead view of mixed cookie dough in a white mixing bowl — Also add the flour in small portions.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. With the mixer speed on low, gradually add the flour mixture. Don’t over-mix; mix just until combined.

overhead view of cranberries, pecans, and oats added to cookie dough in a white mixing bowl — Sprinkle your mix-ins into the dough.

overhead view of mixed Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies dough in a white mixing bowl — Sprinkle your mix-ins into the dough.

Mix in the add-ins. Stir the cranberries, pecans, and oats into the dough.

overhead view of portioned Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies dough on a silicone-lined baking pan — Evenly space the dough so that the cookies have room to expand.

overhead view of freshly baked Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies on a silicone-lined baking sheet — Evenly space the dough so that the cookies have room to expand.

Portion the dough and bake. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared pans, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies. I recommend using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to expedite portioning and to form equally sized cookies. Bake the cookies 8-10 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned. I prefer to bake one pan at a time, but if you want to bake two at a time, be sure to rotate the pans halfway through baking.
Cool the cookies. Place the pans on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes. Then, transfer the cookies from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Top with white chocolate. Melt the white chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave. Be sure to go slowly when melting so it will be smooth. Place the chocolate in a piping bag or in a zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Top each cookie with white chocolate. (Alternatively, dip each cookie partially in white chocolate.) Allow to set.

Oatmeal cranberry cookies on a baking pan.

Tips for Success

Don’t over-mix the dough. When combining the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, too much mixing leads to tough cookies.
Take care melting the white chocolate. Chocolate can seize when melted too aggressively, and white chocolate is especially susceptible to that. I find that melting it in the microwave is the easiest and quickest method. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat at half-power in 30-second increments, stirring after each round. Repeat until the chocolate melts when stirred.
Toast the nuts. While this is optional, it will add wonderful flavor to your cookies. You can toast them in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat or in the oven at 350°F. Learn more: How to Toast Nuts
Customize if you like! Substitute your favorite add-ins to make these to suit your tastes. Use a different dried fruit or nut, or add some chocolate chips or toffee bits. Just keep the total volume of add-ins the same.

Oatmeal cranberry cookies scattered on a cooling rack.

How to Store

Room temperature. Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Be sure to keep them away from warm spots in the kitchen, like next to the oven or on top of the dishwasher.
Refrigerator. These cookies can also be refrigerated up to a week; just be sure the container is airtight so they don’t dry out. To keep the cookies looking their best, place waxed paper between layers of the cookies.
Freezing baked cookies. These cookies are best frozen without the white chocolate glaze. Place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for an hour or so at room temperature.
Freezing unbaked cookies. First, portion the cookies as directed in the recipe, place the balls of dough on a baking sheet, and freeze just until solid (2-3 hours). Once frozen, transfer the cookies to an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Learn more: How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Baking frozen cookies. When you’re ready to bake, place the frozen cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and bake as directed in the recipe, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.

Get the Recipe:

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Yield 48

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Oatmeal cranberry cookies are chewy and sweet with just a hint of tartness. A wonderful Christmas cookie or for any time of year!

Ingredients

2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200g) firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups (228g) sweetened dried cranberries
1 & 1/2 cups (180g) coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 & 1/4 cups (100g) quick-cooking oats
8 ounces (226g) white chocolate baking squares or bars (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until light and creamy. Gradually add the sugars and mix well. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined or a few streaks of flour remain. Stir in cranberries, pecans, and oats.
Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared pans, placing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool on the pans on a wire rack for 2 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies from the pan to wire racks to finish cooling.
Melt white chocolate and transfer to a zip-top bag (or use a piping bag). Cut the corner of the bag and use to drizzle white chocolate onto cookies. Alternatively, simply dip the cookies partially in the melted white chocolate.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Southern Living.
Yield. Makes about 48 cookies.
To store. Place the cooled cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature up to 3 days. They can be refrigerated to extend their shelf-life a couple of days; just be sure the container is airtight so they don't dry out. To keep the cookies looking their best, place waxed paper between layers of the cookies.
To freeze baked cookies. If you want to freeze the baked cookies, they'll be best frozen without the white chocolate glaze. The drizzled cookies may still taste fine after thawing, but the chocolate on top is likely to look a little worse for wear. Place the cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. Properly stored, the cookies should keep in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for an hour or so at room temperature.
To freeze cookie dough. To freeze the cookie dough, portion the cookies as directed in the recipe. Place the balls of dough on a baking sheet, and freeze just until solid (2-3 hours). Once frozen, transfer the cookies to an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag. They should keep up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake as directed in the recipe, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.

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