All you need are a handful of simple ingredients to make these delicious Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. Full of winter flavors, tart cranberries, and decadent chocolate, these are the best oatmeal cookies you’ll ever try!
⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
We all know the betrayal that comes with thinking the raisins in oatmeal cookies are chocolate chips. All it takes is one disappointing bite to ruin oatmeal cookies forever!
Trust me when I say that these Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are delicious, chewy, and full of chocolatey goodness! Forget about the raisins and marvel at the gorgeous pops of red from the dried cranberries instead. Truly, these cookies have it all.
Cranberry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are really easy to make using a handful of pantry-staple ingredients. The best part is that they’re impressive enough to serve during all of the winter holidays! Whip up a batch for your date on Valentine’s Day or impress your friends during the Christmas cookie exchange. They taste even better when they’re enjoyed next to my Rosemary Shortbread and Chewy Molasses Cookies.
🍴Ingredients
- Rolled oats - The star in any oatmeal cookie recipe! Rolled old fashioned oats are the best because they’ll keep their shape and give the cookies a chewy texture. You can use quick oats if that’s all you have at home, but they’ll quickly absorb the moisture in the dough and won’t make your cookies quite as chewy.
- Unsalted butter - For moisture, fat, and flavor!
- Brown sugar - Just like in a classic chocolate chip cookie, brown sugar adds notes of caramel, molasses, and, most importantly, warmth to these winter cookies.
- Dark chocolate chunks - Pairing dark chocolate with cranberries is always a genius move. The slightly bitter and rich flavors of dark chocolate help balance and tone down the tartness from the cranberries, turning a simple chocolate chip oatmeal cookie into a work of art. If you’re not into the dark chocolate chunks, swap them out for your favorite kind of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, or even white chocolate chips instead.
- Dried cranberries - I love all things cranberry during winter! These little guys add a punch of bright flavor and lots of tartness to cookies, cocktails, and cakes. Dried are best and easiest to work with but you can try swapping them for fresh or frozen (thawed and patted dry) cranberries instead.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
⏲️ Substitutions & Variations
Dark chocolate and cranberries are the perfect pairing during winter but when you want to customize this chewy cookie for the occasion or season, swap the two for something else! These are a few of my favorite add-ins:
- Milk chocolate, rich dark chocolate chips, semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks
- White chocolate chips or chunks
- Dried cherries, fresh cranberries
- Raisins
- Orange extract or orange zest
- Vanilla extract, almond extracts, coconut oil
- Toffee bits
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Cocoa powder
- Whole wheat flour
- Macadamia nuts
- A dash of cinnamon
When you really want to go all out, sandwich a luscious filling between two classic oatmeal cookie creations. The chewy center of these bakery style cookies for adding ice cream, cream cheese icing, or dark chocolate ganache would all be divine!
📖 Step by Step Instructions
These dark chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies are a flavorful and easy winter treat. They only take 30 minutes to bake and make delicious gifts for friends, neighbors, and family.
Step 1: Cream the ingredients. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix to combine, before following with the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Pour the dry mixture into the wet in two separate stages and mix until everything only just comes together. To finish the cookie dough, fold in the oats, dark chocolate, and cranberries.
Step 3: Scoop some cookie dough out of the bowl and onto a baking sheet, then bake the cookies.
Step 4: When they’re slightly golden brown and set, take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool slightly on a wire rack.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- If you love dried cranberries but not the chewiness that comes with them, let them soak in hot water for 30 minutes before adding them to the dough. This will slightly rehydrate the berries and make them a little less chewy.
- Make sure the egg and butter are at room temperature before you make the cookie dough.
- I baked my medium-sized cookies for 12 minutes but the baking time will depend on how large your cookie dough balls are and if you prefer a chewy or slightly crisp cookie.
💭 Recipe FAQs
While it isn’t completely necessary for this recipe, chilling the dough can help solidify the fat and prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. If it’s a warm day or your kitchen is too hot, pop the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour before forming and baking the cookies.
Probably because you overmixed the cookie dough. Hey, it happens! To avoid dried-out or tough oatmeal cookies, only mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they’re just combined.
Your oatmeal cookies will store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Yes! In fact, you can freeze both the raw cookie dough and the baked cookies:
To freeze the unbaked cookies, form the cookie dough balls and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the sheet to the freezer and when the balls are completely frozen, place them in a freezer-safe bag or freezer bag. The frozen dough can be baked right from frozen, then taken straight to holiday cookie exchanges to share with your fellow chocolate lovers.
To freeze the baked cookies, keep them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
More delectable cookie recipes you’ll love
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Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
- Medium Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp (105 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup (114 g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ⅔ cups (135 g) Rolled Oats
- ⅓ cup (59 g) Dark Chocolate, chopped
- ⅔ cup (75 g) Cranberry
- Flaky Sea Salt, optional
Instructions
- Whisk together most of your dry ingredients – the flour, baking soda, and sea salt in a bowl and set aside.¾ cup + 1 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon Baking Soda, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Place the butter and sugar in your mixing bowl and using the paddle attachment, cream until you reach a fluffy, rather pale color. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Make sure to take a second to scrape down the bowl before then adding your egg and vanilla - mixing for an additional few minutes until combined.½ cup Unsalted Butter, ½ cup Brown Sugar, 1 Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Slowly add the mixed dry ingredients in two separate stages, mixing until your ingredients have JUST fully combined. Then, add oats and mix until combined before doing the same with the roughly chopped dark chocolate and cranberries.1 ⅔ cups Rolled Oats, ⅓ cup Dark Chocolate, ⅔ cup Cranberry
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your baking tray with parchment paper.
- Using a medium-sized cookie scoop, place your preferred number of cookies onto a baking sheet, press the tops down slightly and bake for about 10-12 minutes depending on the size of your cookies. I baked my medium-sized cookies for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cookies sit undisturbed for 3-5 minutes - add flakey sea salt here if preferred! Then, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before enjoying!Flaky Sea Salt
Video
Notes
- Do you need to chill the cookie dough? While it isn’t completely necessary for this recipe, chilling the dough can help solidify the fat and prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. If it’s a warm day or your kitchen is too hot, pop the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour before forming and baking the cookies.
- Why do my oatmeal cookies taste dry? Probably because you overmixed the cookie dough. Hey, it happens! To avoid dried-out or tough oatmeal cookies, only mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they’re just combined.
- How long do they last? Your oatmeal cookies will store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Can you freeze dark chocolate oatmeal cookies? Yes! In fact, you can freeze both the raw cookie dough and the baked cookies:
-
- To freeze the unbaked cookies, form the cookie dough balls and place them on a baking sheet. Transfer the sheet to the freezer and when the balls are completely frozen, place them in a freezer-safe bag. The frozen dough can be baked right from frozen.
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- To freeze the baked cookies, keep them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
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