Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are soft, chewy, and sweet, with white chocolate chips, cranberries, and flaked coconut—a perfect holiday treat!
Try these cookies next: Thumbprint Cookies, Peppermint Snowball Cookies, or Cake Batter Cookies.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
One of the most important decisions I have to make each Christmas Eve is choosing which cookie to persuade my children to bake “for Santa.” This decision is crucial because (spoiler alert) I will be the one eating those cookies.
I’m fairly certain we’ll be making these Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies this Christmas Eve; they’re the perfect Christmas cookie and “Santas” current favorite.
They have all my favorites: oatmeal, plenty of chocolate, coconut, and an incredible texture. These cookies are ultra-chewy and soft, with slightly crisp edges. They’re rich and very sweet, ideal for a Christmas Eve sugar high.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: Use room-temp butter for smooth mixing.
- Light & Dark Brown Sugar: Pack the sugar firmly for accurate measurement.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients and adds structure.
- Vanilla: Enhances flavor and adds depth.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread slightly.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavors.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: Choose this over coconut flakes. (here are the differences).
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Avoid quick or steel-cut oats for the best consistency.
- Flour: Spoon and level the flour to prevent dense cookies.
- White Chocolate Chips: Save some chips to press on top after baking.
- Sweetened Dried Cranberries: Chop finely for even distribution in the dough.
How To Make Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Beat butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla until creamy.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Stir in baking soda, salt, coconut, oats, and flour.
- Add Mix-Ins: Mix in chocolate chips and cranberries.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate, shape into tall balls, then chill 10 more mins.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for 8–12 minutes until edges look firm.
- Cool: Let cool on the pan, then move to a rack.
Quick Tip
No cranberries? You can use any dried fruit like cherries, raisins, or apricots. Cut larger pieces into small chunks about the size of cranberries.
Tips For Success
- Weigh the Flour: Use a food scale to measure flour. This prevents cookies from being too dense.
- Undercook Slightly: Take cookies out of the oven when they’re a little underdone. They’ll finish setting as they cool.
- Cool After Baking: Let oatmeal cranberry cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 mins, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Use a Liner: Bake cookies on a silicone liner for even bottoms. If you don’t have one, parchment paper works better than baking straight on the pan. Light baking sheets give the best results.
Storage
Leftover Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies?
Freeze Dough: Freeze cookie dough balls on a tray until firm, then put them in a labeled freezer bag or container. Store for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 2–3 extra mins.
Store Baked Cookies: Keep baked cookies in a sealed container at room temp for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
More Cookie Recipes
- Coconut Macaroons sweet and chewy
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies no stand-mixer needed
- Monster Cookies with M&M’s
- Caramel Oatmeal Cookies with gooey chocolate and caramel
- Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies readers favorite
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Equipment
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- Parchment paper
- 2 half-sheet pans
- 2 silicone baking mats
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut see note 1
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats not quick or steel-cut
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour see note 2
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sweetened, dried cranberries chopped
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl and a hand mixer), beat the room temperature butter (not melted, not softened), light brown sugar, and dark brown sugar at medium speed until light in color, about 1–2 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the baking soda and salt until just combined, about 20 seconds.
- Mix in the coconut (see note 1) and old-fashioned oats until combined. Add flour (see note 2). Mix until ingredients are just combined. Do not overmix; overworking the dough will result in dense cookies. Stir in white chocolate chips and chopped cranberries. Cover dough and refrigerate 1 hour.
- Shape the cookie dough into balls, using about 2 tablespoons of dough (if you have a food scale: 49 grams; 1.7 ounces). Roll the balls taller instead of wider (see photo in post). Place dough balls on a plate lined with parchment paper and cover gently with plastic wrap. Chill for another 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with silicone liners. Place 6 dough balls per sheet pan, spacing them with plenty of room to spread. Bake for 8–12 minutes, remembering they're best slightly underbaked. Remove from oven and let stand on the sheet pan for 5–10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. Right out of the oven, you can press a few more chocolate chips on the tops of the cookies if desired (makes them look better and ensures chocolate in every bite).
- Let cookies cool completely on the cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Cookies are best eaten within 2–3 days.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could you freeze these with good results?
We love freezing the dough balls and just baking them up from there when we’re ready! 🙂
I am very allergic to coconut… can that just be omitted or would I need to add extra of something to keep the batter consistent?
You’d need something different! I’d try these instead!
These are seriously the yummiest richest cookies ever! My husband and kids gobbled them up! Thanks for posting this:)
I am so happy to hear you guys loved these Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂