Bursting with old-fashioned oats, chocolate chips, and chewy dried cranberries, this cookie is a hearty treat for the winter months. The contrast of the sweet-tart cranberries and rich chocolate chips makes each bite a delight.
The oats, of course, add substance to the cookie, which is chock-a-block with goodies. Make a batch for a holiday cookie exchange, or simply enjoy one with a hot mug of tea or coffee. This crunchy tidbit is also perfect with a tall glass of cold milk.
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Ingredients
- Rolled oats
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Vegetable oil
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Dried cranberries
- Chocolate chips
Rolled oats: The label of the oats should say "rolled" or "old-fashioned." Instant oats are acceptable in a pinch but could dry out the cookie. If you are gluten-sensitive, also check for the words "gluten-free" on the label.
Flour: Unbleached, all-purpose flour is best for this recipe. Gluten-free flour is fine, too.
Cinnamon: Many brands contain high levels of lead, which is especially concerning for children eating this cookie. Look for a brand like (affiliate link) Morton and Bassett San Francisco or Simply Organic with lower amounts of lead.*
Baking soda, baking powder: These will give your cookie some loft. Baking powder tastes harsher than soda, so I often try and minimize it.
🧂Salt: It enhances the sweetness of the cookie. The recipe calls for the minimum needed for flavor. You can add more if sodium is not a concern.
Butter: Unsalted butter is best.
Vegetable oil: A neutral oil, such as canola or sunflower, is preferable. However, if you enjoy the taste of olive oil or corn oil, they will work fine. Steer away from coconut oil, which has a very distinct flavor profile.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar has more moisture than white and imparts a hint of molasses.
White sugar: Sugar helps the texture and taste of the recipe. Cane sugar and coconut sugar are interchangeable with white sugar. You can also try subbing in date sugar, which has a lower glycemic index.
🥚Egg: This is a necessary binder for the recipe and adds protein and other nutrients. I have not tested the recipe with any type of egg substitute.
Vanilla: Adds an extra hit of richness.
Dried cranberries: Chewy, sweet, tart. To cut added sugars, look for Reduced Sugar Craisins, which have 50% less sugar. They do contain sucralose, but this will not affect the bake.
Chocolate chips: Semisweet chips are a nice foil to the cranberries, but feel free to experiment with white and/or milk chips, and dark chocolate chunks.
*Testing by Consumer Reports showed that Morton and Bassett San Francisco cinnamon had one of the lowest lead levels.
How to Make
Wash your hands, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water for 20 seconds, before starting.
Preheat oven to 350 F and line two (affiliate link) baking sheets with parchment paper.
1️⃣ Place the oats, flour, (affiliate link) cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
2️⃣ Put the butter, vegetable oil, and brown and white sugar in the bowl of a (affiliate link) stand mixer, or use a large bowl with a (affiliate link) handheld electric mixer.
On low speed, gently mix the ingredients and then increase the speed to high, whipping until the fats and sugars are light and creamy.
3️⃣ Add the egg and vanilla and beat until they are well blended.
4️⃣ Add the flour-oat mixture (dry ingredients) in two additions, blending on low speed or by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula just until all the dry parts are moistened.
5️⃣ Add the dried cranberries and chocolate chips and mix until the dough is chock-a-block with these goodies.
6️⃣ Using a (affiliate link) medium cookie scoop, portion a dozen dough balls onto each prepared cookie sheet.
Moisten your hands and press down on dough balls and wrangle any stray oats, cranberries, or chips back into each cookie.
7️⃣ Slide the cookie sheets into the oven and bake for 10 to 14 minutes depending on how soft or crunchy you like your cookies. The longer they bake, the crunchier they will be.
Reverse the cookies front to back halfway through the baking time.
8️⃣ Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit for two or three minutes to firm up. Then, remove the entire parchment sheet with the cookies and place the cookies on (affiliate link) wire racks to finish cooling.
9️⃣ Sample the cookies to make sure they taste all right! 😋Serve them immediately with a hot beverage or cold glass of milk, or let them finish cooling for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cookie Storage
Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to five days.
They will stay fresh in the refrigerator in that same container for about two weeks. Baked cookies can be frozen for two to three months.
🧊 You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough or, better yet, individual unbaked cookies. Shape the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment as if you were going to bake them. Put the baking sheet with unbaked cookies in the freezer.
After two to four hours, you can remove them from the freezer and put them into a storage container or plastic bag. Go ahead and bake them just before you are ready to enjoy them,
🧑🏽🍳Variations and cooking tips
These cookies are crammed full of tasty bits, but you can add more. Chopped or small nuts are a delicious and nutritious addition. Some of the best choices are walnuts, slivered almonds, pecans, and pine nuts.
Orange marries well with cranberries. Orange zest or dried orange peel tastes beautiful in this cookie.
Put a teaspoon of zest into the wet ingredients with the egg and vanilla, or toss a Tablespoon of dried orange peel into the dry ingredients.
Swap in white chocolate or milk chocolate chips for the regular semi-sweet chips in the recipe--or dark chocolate chunks for more decadence!
Drip a basic vanilla-powdered sugar glaze over the top if plating the cookies for a party or celebration.
➡️➡️ Bear in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the crunchier and snappier they will be. If you want a softer bite, bake for a shorter time just until the edges are set, and the middles are still squishy.
Leave soft cookies on the baking sheet longer after they come out of the oven so they can firm up before removing (carefully) to (affiliate link) wire racks to finish cooling.
FAQ
Fresh cranberries are incredibly tart and contain more moisture than dried ones. I have not tested this and do not recommend it. Save the fresh cranberries for relish or cranberry sauce.
Soaked cranberries will definitely be less chewy. Dry them well before adding them to the cookie dough.
These cookies do not tend to spread, but if you're concerned, chill the dough before baking.
Rolled oats hold their shape and lend a rustic, nutty character. You can use instant oats if necessary, but they absorb moisture and make the cookies less chunky.
Please don't use steel-cut oats in this recipe.
A higher ratio of brown sugar helps since it has more moisture than white sugar. But, the real key is not to overbake the cookie. Watch the oven like a hawk and pull them out after they are just set.
The middle of the cookie will firm up as it rests on the baking sheet after you remove it from the oven.
Is this a healthy cookie?
Although it's hard to classify a sugar-enriched treat like this cookie as healthy, it does contain some good-for-you ingredients.
- Rolled oats make up the greatest part of the cookie and improve gut and cardiovascular health. Plus, they are a gluten-free source of whole grains, boasting many minerals like manganese, copper, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Oats also contain vitamins, protein, and antioxidant plant compounds like ferulic acid and avenathramides, found only in oats that benefit vascular health.
- Cranberries are full of pectin, a soluble fiber that benefits gut health, slows blood glucose absorption, and potentially lowers cholesterol levels. They are also an excellent source of vitamin C and are rich in minerals and antioxidants.
However, because cranberries are uber-tart, dried ones have many added sugars. Craisins, from Oceanspray®, offer a variety with 50% less sugar. Some have 22 grams of added sugar, while reduced sugar has just eight grams.
If allergies are a concern with dried cranberries, check the label to be sure they are gluten-free and nut (peanut) free.
Changes to the recipe that would increase the nutrition and preserve the tastiness of the cookie include:
- Use whole wheat pastry flour in place of half of the regular flour
- Use chopped nuts instead of chocolate chips or in addition to the chips.
- Choose reduced sugar dried cranberries for fewer added sugars.
Other recipes you might like...
Brownies that have less sugar. Made with a granulated stevia sweetener that uses erythritol to create a sugar dupe, these chocolate treats are sweet and tasty. Feel free to swap in a granulated monkfruit dupe.
Triple chocolate muffins are a dark, delicious snack or scrumptious brunch item.
Pear Cranberry Chutney is a wonderful holiday gift that is easier to make than cookies!
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer
- Wooden spoons or spatulas
- Baking sheets
- Medium cookie scoop, or Tablespoon
- Parchment paper or non-stick mat
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups oats, rolled oats are best
- 1 cup flour, can use gluten-free or ½ whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil, canola, sunflower, coconut, olive oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar, white, cane, coconut, or use date sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, Madagascar
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, semisweet, dark, or combo of white and dark
- 1 cup dried cranberries, not quite full (scant cup). Use Craisins or other brand. Look for reduced sugar Craisins.
Instructions
- Wash hands before beginning prep, lathering with soap and rinsing with water for 20 seconds.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick mats.
- Combine oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir to mix.
- Combine softened butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar, and white sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl for an electric mixer. Start the mixer on low speed to gently mix the fats and sugars and gradually increase the speed to whip the mixture until light colored.
- Add an egg and vanilla. Beat to combine.
- Add half of the dry ingredients except for the cranberries and chocolate chips. On low speed or by hand, mix just until flour and oats are barely wet. Add the rest of the dry and mix briefly (just a few strokes if using a spoon) until the dry ingredients are not floury.
- Add the cranberries and chocolate chips and mix by hand to incorporate.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, place mounds of dough on the prepared baking sheets in four rows of three dough balls. Moisten your hands, and press down on the dough, shaping the edges so the cookies are roughly round.
- Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, reversing and turning the cookies halfway through the baking.
- Remove from the oven. Slide the parchment with the cookies off the baking sheet after three to five minutes. Place cookies on wire racks to finish cooling.
- Store in airtight containers on the counter for about five days. Refrigerate for up to two weeks. Freeze for up to three months.
Notes
Nutrition
Copyright © 2024 Jani H. Leuschel
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