Dried Cranberries in a traditional oatmeal cookie are delicious Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies. This soft cookie is packed full of flavor and is perfect for eating right away or freezing for later.
Eat for dessert, an after school snack or pack in your lunch box.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are very similar to a traditional oatmeal raisin cookie, but with dried cranberries instead of raisins.
These cookies are easy to make and this recipe makes a bunch - 36 cookies! So you easily have enough to feed a crowd or keep for yourself and nibble away on cookie after cookie!
I used dried, sweetened cranberries in these cookies. You could also add raisins if you wanted and maybe some chocolate chips!
Key ingredients
- Oats - old fashioned oatmeal or rolled oats
- Flour
- Brown sugar
- Butter - salted butter
- Eggs
- Cranberries - dried sweetened cranberries
Step by step directions
- Cream butter and sugar together
- Add eggs and vanilla
- Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix to combine
- Mix in oats
- Stir in cranberries
- Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to form balls of cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet
- Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 8-10 minutes
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes and then remove to a baking rack until fully cooled
Recipe tips
- Make certain your butter is at room temperature
- Whip butter for 3-4 minutes along with brown sugar
- Use real vanilla, not imitation
- Use Old Fashioned Oats - not quick cook oats. Old Fashioned Oats are thicker and hold together better in these cookies.
- Add sweetened dried cranberries
Recipe Faqs
Allow cookies to fully cool on baking rack. Place in an airtight container or storage bag. Store at room temperature.
These cookies are perfect for making ahead of time and freezing.
My grandmother used to make batches of cookies and freeze them. She always had cookies to serve if anyone dropped over for a visit. My sister also freezes cookies, but not to serve to company. She likes to eat them frozen! She pulls out one at a time and eats them in their hard frozen state.
To freeze
- Allow cookies to cool completely on a baking rack
- Place cookies in an airtight container or a freezer bag
- Arrange cookies in a single layer
- Place a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper on top of cookies and add another layer of cookies
- Freeze container in a flat position
- Cookies will last up to three months in a deep freezer
To thaw
- Remove cookies from freezer
- Let sit for at least 2 hours at room temperature
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
If you loved this recipe you’ll LOVE all the others in this category. Check out all my cookies here!
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until soft and light. Add brown sugar and continue mixing.1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar
- Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 eggs
- Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well.1 ¾ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add oats. Mix just until combined.3 cups oats
- Fold in dried cranberries.1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
- Form small scoops of cookies. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on baking sheet and then remove to a baking rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Make certain your butter is at room temperature
- Use real vanilla, not imitation
- Use old fashioned oats or rolled oats - not quick cook oats. Old Fashioned Oats are thicker and hold together better in these cookies.
- Add sweetened dried cranberries or raisins
Laurie says
Hi Kathy, I bake a lot of cookies and always looking for new recipes and I found this recipe which I thought was exceptional, my cookies turned out great, no need to change recipe, but I do agree with adding some orange zest which I will do next time around. I buy up fresh cranberries after Thanksgiving since their on sale cheap and freeze them. I make cranberry-orange bread, love the flavor of them together. My husband is a retired farmer but still cleans grain for customers and he's always on the road, so I make lots of cookies to take with him (besides his lunch of course) to snack on with his helping hand. I will be scanning your site for more recipes to enjoy. Thank you
Kathy says
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for your comment. Adding orange zest would be delicious! There's nothing better than homemade cookies and your husband is lucky you keep him well stocked with cookies!
Kathy 🙂
Madison says
Yum yum yum! Overall very tasty, they are quite oat-y and chewy, but in a good way. I added extra salt (totaling about .5 teaspoon) and cinnamon (totaling 1.5 teaspoons) and cooked in a gas oven for 9.5 min for that "just doughy" but crispy on the bottom. Very glad I got that extra hint of salt, but wish there was a little more sweetness (maybe a splash of maple syrup?) and maybe only 2.5 cups of oats. Thanks for the recipe will make again!
Kathy says
Thanks for your comment and suggestions. 🙂
Stacey Swafford says
Something was off. Not enough sweetness. Maybe needs sugar.
Kathy says
Thank you for your comment.
RLSCM says
I wonder if there is a liquid ingredient missing from the list. The eggs and vanilla were not enough to combine the mixture. I added some milk until the consistency seemed right. They definitely looked good coming out of the oven. I think they turned out well this way and my son said he likes them.
Kathy says
This is a thick cookie dough. However, in order for the dough not to be too dry you do need to have your butter at room temperature and make certain you cream you butter and sugar together until really soft.
Jessica says
Loved this recipe! Delicious!
Kathy says
Thank you!!! 🙂
Misty B. says
My new favorite oatmeal raisin cookie. I made with dried cranberries and they were delicious! I used quick rolled oats and they worked just fine. I did put the dough in the freezer for about ten minutes before baking and the texture was perfect. But I've rarely met a cookie I didn't like.;)
Kathy says
Hi Misty,
Thanks so much!!! I appreciate your tips and I agree - I've rarely me a cookie I didn't like either!!! 🙂
Kathy
Lisa says
Kathy,
Is there a way to add some orange flavor to these cookies. I think they would really hit home at my house if I could. BTW great cookie recipe.
Thanks,
Lisa
Kathy says
Hi Lisa,
Try zesting an orange peel into the cookie dough. Add it along with the eggs and vanilla.
Let me know how they turn out!
Kathy 🙂