These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are bringing all the fall flavor!
Ah, autumn. The breeze is blowing, the leaves are changing, and you’ll find me in the kitchen baking! During this time of year, I get a major craving for creating sweet seasonal treats. I always find myself inspired by fall flavors — brown sugar, cinnamon, maple, pumpkin. Mmmm. Fall certainly comes with its own popular menu, but cranberries are one of my favorite unexpected ingredients to showcase this time of year!
Cranberries always fall to the back burner behind more iconic harvests like pumpkin and apple. But this tiny fruit is also an autumnal all-star. Growing up on the West Coast, I’ve learned to appreciate this rich and tart fruit from the Northern Pacific, so much so that I’ve created entire recipes to show it off — like my oatmeal cranberry cookies!
I love baking with oats. Using oats in your cookies and other treats gives the recipe a unique texture, making the dessert a little extra special. Plus, you can cut out some of the flour a recipe usually calls for. Truthfully, they’re just a fun, not-so-secret ingredient to play with.
So, you’ve got oats. You’ve got cranberries. If you’ve got an oven, you’re ready to fill your home with the smells and tastes of autumn!
Are Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies Healthy?
Because they’re made with rolled oats, fruit, and just a few pantry staples, these oatmeal cranberry cookies are a relatively healthy option compared to other sweet treats. Cranberries are a superfood; despite being small, they’re big on antioxidants and vitamin C. There are also oats in this recipe, which are full of heart-healthy fiber. So yes, you can enjoy these cookies in moderation without the guilt.
Experiment With Cookie Texture
Baking is kind of like a science experiment. Every single ingredient and what you do with it matters, and you can easily change the entire outcome of your recipe with just a few tweaks!
For example, letting your butter get to room temperature (but not too warm) and whipping it before adding it to your cookie mix will give you fluffy, airy cookies. But if you’re like me and want chewy, melty cookies, you should melt your butter before mixing it into your dough. Also, I always use brown sugar to keep the cookies moist. You can adjust and perfect your cookie texture in so many ways, so keep experimenting!
How to Make Ahead and Store
You can make your oatmeal cranberry cookie dough ahead of time if you freeze it in individually portioned balls for up to 3 months. Then, when you’re ready, just pop ‘em on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven! You don’t need to defrost them before baking; just add about 2 minutes of extra baking time.
Serving Suggestions
Oatmeal cranberry cookies make for a fantastic dessert following a classic fall dinner. Try them after a warm bowl of soup, like this Chicken Tomato Soup, or a rich and creamy serving of Butternut Squash Pasta.
But who says you can’t have dessert for breakfast? These cookies can serve as a sweet side to your traditional egg breakfast. I’ve been enjoying Fried Feta Eggs lately! Morning or night, my oatmeal cranberry cookies will give you a sweet taste of autumn.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Mix in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in oats and cranberries. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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