White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
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Come to the party with a platter filled with these perfectly soft and chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. Perfect for any occasion, these cookies shine during the holiday season and are a delicious cookie to add to your holiday cookie platter.
Cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies take traditional oatmeal cookies to the next level. We made smaller cookies making them the perfect treat.
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
- Chewy Texture. You will love how the oatmeal and dark brown sugar work together to create the perfect sweet chewy oatmeal cranberry cookie bite with a tart edge.
- Festive for the holidays. The red and white of the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips make these favorite cookies for holiday celebrations. They’re the perfect cookie for sharing and gifting.
- Easy and flexible recipe. Change it up so easily with our suggested variations!
What You’ll Need To Make White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
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Ingredients For Your White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Rolled Oats. Also called old-fashioned oats make chewy oatmeal cookies. Quick oats can be used but you’ll have a different texture.
- All-Purpose Flour. You can also use your favorite GF substitute here.
- Baking Powder. I love cookies with a combination of both baking powder and baking soda. It makes a soft and fluffy cookie that browns properly and evenly.
- Baking Soda. For even browning and rise.
- Salt. Needed to get the right balance of chemistry and flavor in this cookie.
- Cinnamon. The perfect addition to this holiday cookie.
- Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract for baking.
- Butter. Softened to room temperature.
- Brown Sugar. This cookie recipe only has brown sugar, and the intensity of sweetness and chewiness it adds is delightful. We prefer dark brown sugar but you can use light if that’s what you prefer
- Eggs. I recommend large eggs for baking.
- White Chocolate Chips. One of my favorite holiday flavors!
- Dried Cranberries. These are also called Craisins depending on the brand. I’ve never made these cookies with fresh cranberries.
Please note, that the printable recipe card has the full list of ingredients, quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.
How To Make White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Step 1: Mix the Dry ingredients for the Cranberry Cookies
In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon together.
Step 2: Cream the Wet Ingredients for Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and then the vanilla.
Step 3: Combine the Two Mixtures.
Mix until just combined and add the chocolate chips and cranberries in this step.
Step 4: Chill the Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie Dough
Refrigerate for one to two hours or even overnight, covered, so the dough is the perfect consistency for shaping. Chilling the dough also keeps them from flattening out during baking.
Step 5: Prep work
Get the oven preheating while you scoop the cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Flatten them gently with the back of a measuring cup or spoon.
Step 6: Bake the White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, turning the pan halfway through baking. Cookies are done when lightly browned on the edges.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Use raisins or any other dried fruit in place of the cranberries.
- If you’re not a fan of white chocolate, substitute any chocolate chip or chocolate chunks in this cookie.
- Drizzle with melted dark or white chocolate for a festive look.
- Press a few slivered almonds on each cookie before baking.
- I used a smaller scoop for these white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies so they would be the perfect size for holiday platters. You could easily make larger cookies with a large cookie scoop without changing the cooking time.
- Add nuts such as macadamia or walnuts.
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of orange zest or a touch of orange extract.
How To Store Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
Best Way To Store Leftover Cranberry Cookies
Keep your leftover cookies in an airtight container for five or six days at room temperature. No need to refrigerate!
Can I Freeze White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze leftover baked cookies, or portioned cookie dough for up to three months in an airtight container such as a freezer bag.
How To Reheat Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
If you want warm cookies, or you find that your cookies are just slightly stale, ten seconds in the microwave should be just about perfect. You may have to add a few seconds depending on your microwave.
If you are reheating cookies from frozen give it twenty to thirty seconds and then add small amounts of time as needed.
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie FAQs
I baked up a batch of these cookies without flattening and with flattening. As you can see, the non-flattened cookies look more like cookie balls. I preferred the flattened cookies but you can choose either way.
No, white chocolate isn’t really chocolate because it doesn’t contain any chocolate solids.
Yes for this white chocolate cranberry cookie recipe. Chill the dough for 1 or 2 hours so the cookies keep their shape while baking. Chilling the cookie dough keeps the cold so they don’t spread out while baking. Chilling also helps keep your cookies fluffy and not flat.
Yes, you can. However, the trays need to be rotated for even baking. These cookies have such a short baking time that I bake one sheet at a time. For this reason, I make sure that I have 3 to 4 baking sheets.
Tips to Make the Best Chewy White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Chill the dough for 1 or 2 hours so the cookies keep their shape while baking. Chilling the cookie dough keeps the cold so they don’t spread out while baking. Chilling also helps keep your cookies fluffy and not flat.
- Make the cookie dough one day and bake the next. Cookie dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Use a scoop – no more fighting over who gets the biggest cookie.
- Fluff up the flour in your container before scooping it with the measuring cup. Compact flour will add more flour than this [focus word] calls for. I show you how in my baking techniques post.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough. That can cause cookies to puff up and then go flat as they back or will result in a dense cookie.
- This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies. I recommend that you keep the dough chilled between batches. Or refrigerate the baking sheet with the scooped cookies until they’re ready to bake.
- Remove the cookies just as soon as they start to brown on the edges so they come out soft and chewy. Let them cool for 2 to 5 minutes on the baking sheet so they set up. Remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before storing them. Allowing the cookies to cook on the baking sheet will dry them out.
- Don’t use a warm cookie sheet. And, if you’re using parchment paper, do not reuse it once it’s been in the oven. It can catch fire!
If you enjoyed this recipe check these out!
We’ve also got the BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe. Or, take a look at all of our cookie recipes and choose your favorite.
Don’t Forget To Come Back And Let Me Know How the Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies Turned Out!
White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 11 tbsp butter – softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs – lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and then the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once mixed, add the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Mix just until combined.
- Cover the bowl and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F and grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a 1-1/2 tablespoon scoop, roll dough into balls and place them on a prepared baking sheet, 12 to a pan. Lightly press each cookie to slightly flatten. I use the back of a measuring cup.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, turning the pan halfway through baking. Cookies are done when lightly browned on the edges. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.
- Once cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
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We loved the contrast of the sweet chocolate and the tartness of the cranberries in this recipe.
Cranberries, cinnamon, white chocolate, oats, and brown sugar – all of my favorite ingredients in this cookie and this is the best cookie ever!
Thank you, Radha!
I love these cookies–such a holiday favorite! I’ve even done them in a jar for gifts!
That’s a great idea for holiday gifting!
I love thick, chewy cookies! I’m going to have to do two batches, one with white chocolate and one with dark chocolate and I know both will be awesome!
Thanks, Jolene!
These are one of my favorite cookies as I love the white chocolate and chewy cranberry combination! I can’t wait to make these over the holidays!
Me too, Kathryn! Thank you.
A classic holiday cookie containing all of THE GOODIES!!!
The more goodies the better I say! Thanks, Colleen.
I think these cookies look so festive, with the deep red and white coloring!
Thank you, Terri!
These are always one of my favorite holiday cookies!
I’m with you, Hezzi! Thank you!
Love that you chose white chocolate for these cookies. Perfect for the holidays.
Thank you, Wendy!
I am always the most excited about cranberry flavors during the holidays! I can’t wait to try these!
Thank you!
Mmmmm, these are wonderful Julie! Great Holiday recipe.
Thank you, Rebecca!
I re-use my parchment all the time, lol!! These sound wonderful!
I know others do too. I’ve had it start fire so don’t recommend it. I also think it matters what temperature it was baked at. 400 plus for breads made it brittle. Lower temps could perhaps be used once more.
@Julie Menghini, definitely! At 350 for sure. At 450, and for bread, no way.
The cookies have all of my favorites in one!
I love these cookies too! Thank you, Lisa!