Irresistibly Soft & Chewy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies: Your Go-To Holiday Recipe
As the holiday season draws near, there’s nothing quite like the comforting aroma of freshly baked cookies filling your home. And when it comes to holiday treats, these White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies truly stand out! They’re delightfully soft, perfectly chewy, and generously packed with sweet white chocolate chips and tangy dried cranberries, creating a harmonious flavor that’s simply irresistible. This recipe has been a personal favorite of mine for years, and I’m thrilled to share it with you, especially now that it’s updated with fresh photos and a helpful video tutorial to guide you every step of the way.
I originally posted this beloved recipe back in 2015, and while the core deliciousness remained, I felt it was time for a refresh. Updating the visuals and adding a step-by-step video makes it even easier for you to achieve perfect results in your own kitchen. These cookies aren’t just easy; they’re a treasure trove of flavor and texture, ideal for festive gatherings, gifting, or simply enjoying a cozy moment with a warm drink. For an extra layer of crunch and nutty flavor, consider stirring in some chopped pecans alongside the cranberries and chocolate chips. Trust me, once you bake a batch of these White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies, they’ll quickly become a staple in your holiday baking repertoire!
Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Crafting these delectable white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies requires a selection of common pantry staples. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in achieving that signature soft and chewy texture combined with a balanced, sweet-tart flavor. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need to create this amazing oatmeal cookie recipe:
- All-purpose flour: This forms the structural base of our cookies. For accurate measurement and to prevent dry, dense cookies, always spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with the back of a knife. Never scoop directly from the bag, as this can compact the flour and lead to adding too much.
- Baking soda: Our primary leavening agent, baking soda reacts with the acidic brown sugar to create carbon dioxide bubbles, giving the cookies their characteristic lift and contributing to their soft interior.
- Ground Cinnamon: Just a hint of warm cinnamon (about 1/2 teaspoon) beautifully complements the sweetness of the white chocolate and the tartness of the cranberries, adding a subtle depth of flavor that elevates the entire cookie.
- Salt: A small amount of salt is vital for balancing the sweetness of the sugars and chocolates. It enhances all the other flavors, making the cookies taste richer and more complex rather than just sugary.
- Unsalted Butter: I highly recommend using unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. The consistency of butter significantly impacts cookie texture, and unsalted butter allows you to control the exact amount of salt in your recipe. If you only have salted butter, you can use it, but omit the additional salt called for in the recipe to avoid overly salty cookies. Room temperature butter creams better with sugar, creating a light and airy base.
- Granulated and Brown Sugar: This recipe uses a blend of both granulated (white) sugar and light brown sugar. Granulated sugar contributes to crisp edges and overall sweetness, while brown sugar adds moisture, chewiness, and a lovely molasses flavor that pairs wonderfully with oatmeal.
- Large Egg: Ensure your egg is at room temperature before mixing. A room temperature egg emulsifies better with the butter and sugar, resulting in a smoother, more uniform dough and a better cookie texture. If you forget to take it out, you can quickly bring it to room temperature by placing it in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Always opt for pure vanilla extract for the best, most authentic flavor. It enhances the sweetness and depth of the cookie dough, creating a warm, inviting aroma and taste.
- Old-fashioned (Rolled) Oats: This is crucial for the classic chewy texture of oatmeal cookies. Old-fashioned oats hold their shape better during baking and provide a hearty bite. Do not substitute with quick-cooking or instant oats, as they are thinner and will result in a much different, often softer and less chewy, cookie texture.
- Sweetened Dried Cranberries: These add a vibrant pop of tartness and a delightful chewiness that contrasts beautifully with the sweet white chocolate. Using sweetened dried cranberries ensures they don’t overpower the cookie with excessive tartness.
- White Chocolate Chips: The sweet, creamy element that ties everything together. If you don’t have white chocolate chips on hand, a good quality white chocolate bar, chopped into small chunks, works just as wonderfully and can even melt more luxuriously into the cookies.
How to Bake Your White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Making these delightful white chocolate cranberry cookies is a straightforward process, very similar to my popular oatmeal raisin cookies, with just a few simple adjustments for the different mix-ins. The key to success lies in proper ingredient preparation and careful mixing. Let’s walk through the steps to achieve those perfectly soft and chewy cookies:
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Begin by combining your dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt until they are thoroughly combined. Whisking ensures that the leavening agents and spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, preventing pockets of unmixed ingredients in your final cookies. Set this bowl aside for now.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a large mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer), cream together the softened unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This process incorporates air into the butter and sugar, which is crucial for the cookies’ texture. Next, beat in the room temperature egg until fully incorporated, then mix in the pure vanilla extract. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula periodically to ensure everything is well combined and no pockets of unmixed ingredients remain.
- Combine and Mix-Ins: Gradually add the whisked dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage; overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to tough cookies. Once the flour is mostly incorporated, fold in the old-fashioned rolled oats, sweetened dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Mix until they are just evenly distributed throughout the dough. Again, avoid overmixing to maintain that soft, tender texture.
- Chill the Dough: This step is often overlooked but is incredibly important for the best cookie results. Once your dough is mixed, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes, or even up to an hour. Chilling the dough helps solidify the butter, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, resulting in thicker, chewier cookies. It also allows the flavors to meld and deepen, enhancing the overall taste.
- Preheat Oven and Prep Baking Sheets: While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Parchment paper prevents sticking and ensures even baking, making cleanup a breeze.
- Scoop and Shape Cookies: Using a 1.5 to 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the chilled cookie dough onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie for even spreading. Gently roll each scoop of dough into a neat ball, then very lightly press down on the top with your palm to slightly flatten it. You don’t want to completely flatten them, just give them a slight nudge to encourage uniform spreading during baking.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake the cookies in separate batches in your preheated oven for 10 to 13 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers still look slightly soft and perhaps a bit underdone. This is exactly what you want for incredibly soft and chewy cranberry white chocolate chip cookies! Overbaking will lead to dry, hard cookies. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the hot sheet for about 5-10 minutes. This residual heat will continue to cook them slightly, allowing them to set up without drying out. After this initial cooling period, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Or, if you’re like me, you might just grab one warm and enjoy the pure bliss – because who truly waits for a cookie to cool completely?
Frequently Asked Questions & Creative Variations
Can I Transform These Cookies into Delicious Cookie Bars?
Absolutely! Several readers have inquired about adapting this recipe for white chocolate oatmeal cranberry cookies into convenient cookie bars, and I believe it’s a fantastic idea. To make cookie bars, I would recommend pressing the dough into an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan. You will definitely need to increase the baking time significantly. The exact baking duration will depend on the size and material of your pan, but generally, you’ll be looking at somewhere between 25-40 minutes at 350°F (175°C). Keep an eye on them; the bars are ready when the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Allow them to cool completely before slicing for clean, neat bars.
Can Fresh Cranberries Be Used Instead of Dried?
I have only rigorously tested this specific recipe with sweetened dried cranberries, which contribute a concentrated tartness and chewiness without adding excess moisture. However, experimenting with fresh cranberries is certainly possible, but it requires a slight adjustment. Fresh cranberries will release a significant amount of moisture when baked, which could alter the cookie’s texture and cause them to spread more. To compensate, you might consider gently tossing the fresh cranberries with a tablespoon of flour before adding them to the dough to absorb some of that extra moisture. Alternatively, you could slightly increase the overall amount of dry ingredients (flour) by an extra tablespoon or two. Be aware that using fresh cranberries will result in a more intensely tart flavor, and the texture will be less chewy, offering bursts of juicy tartness instead. If you try this variation, let me know your results!
Other Mix-in Ideas for Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
While the white chocolate and cranberries are a classic pairing, these oatmeal cookies are incredibly versatile. Feel free to customize them with other additions:
- Chopped Nuts: Toasted pecans or walnuts add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor.
- Orange Zest: A teaspoon of fresh orange zest can brighten the flavor profile and enhance the cranberries.
- Other Dried Fruits: Dried cherries, blueberries, or golden raisins can be swapped for or combined with cranberries.
- Dark Chocolate: For a less sweet cookie, swap white chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips or chunks.
Pro Baking Tips for Perfect Cookies
- Mastering Flour Measurement: Accurate flour measurement is paramount for cookie success. Instead of directly scooping flour from its container with your measuring cup (which compacts it and leads to too much flour), first stir the flour in its bag or canister to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour gently into your measuring cup until it overflows. Finally, use the straight edge of a knife or a flat spatula to level off the excess flour. This “spoon and level” method ensures you add precisely the right amount of flour, preventing dry, crumbly, or dense cookies.
- Choosing the Right Oats: For these oatmeal cookies, it’s absolutely essential to use old-fashioned (also known as rolled) oats, not quick-cooking or instant oats. Old-fashioned oats are thicker and coarser, which gives these cookies their characteristic chewy texture and hearty structure. Quick-cooking oats, on the other hand, are processed to be much thinner and more finely cut, designed for faster cooking. Using them in this recipe would result in a less chewy, more cake-like, and sometimes gummy texture that isn’t ideal for a classic oatmeal cookie.
- The Importance of Chilling Dough: Do not skip the chilling step! Refrigerating your cookie dough for at least 30 minutes (and up to an hour) is a simple but highly effective trick. When the dough is chilled, the butter solidifies, which prevents the cookies from spreading excessively in the oven. This results in thicker, chewier cookies with a more concentrated flavor. Additionally, chilling allows the dry ingredients to fully hydrate, leading to a more tender crumb and a more robust flavor profile.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and egg are at room temperature. This allows them to cream together more easily and create a smoother, more emulsified dough, leading to a more consistent and tender cookie texture.
- Don’t Overbake: For soft and chewy cookies, watch them carefully. They should be set around the edges and lightly golden, but the centers may still look a little soft or even slightly underdone. They will continue to bake slightly on the hot baking sheet after coming out of the oven.
Video Tutorial
Discover More Delicious Oatmeal Cookie Recipes!
If you’re a fan of the comforting goodness of oatmeal cookies, you’re in luck! Here are some other fantastic oatmeal cookie recipes from my kitchen you might love to try next:
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Scotchies
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg , room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (150 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (105 grams) sweetened dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup (140 grams) white chocolate chips
Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer), beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the room temperature egg until fully incorporated, then stir in the vanilla extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well combined.
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Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Avoid overmixing. Then, add the old-fashioned oats, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips, mixing gently until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
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Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This chilling step is crucial for preventing the cookies from spreading too much and ensures a thicker, chewier texture.
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While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
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Using a 1.5-2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the chilled cookie dough and drop it onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving ample space between each cookie. Roll the cookie dough into neat balls, then very gently press down on each ball with your hand to slightly flatten them (don’t flatten them completely).
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Bake in separate batches at 350°F (175°C) for 10-13 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers still look slightly soft. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to finish setting. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Freezing Instructions: These cookies are excellent for freezing, both as dough and baked. To freeze cookie dough, scoop balls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to 3 months. To bake from frozen, simply place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet and add an additional 1-2 minutes to the baking time. Baked cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months; arrange them in a single layer in a freezer-safe container separated by parchment paper. Thaw at room temperature before serving, or warm slightly in the microwave for a fresh-baked feel.