These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are the old fashioned style oatmeal cookies: perfectly crisp on the outside, and chewy inside. The sweet/tart cranberries are a nice bonus!
Get ready to meet your new favorite cookie. Raisins have had their day and now it’s time for something better. Dried cranberries give such a zippy flavor and texture to these classic old fashioned oatmeal cookies, they’re going to be our new norm going forward.
Sometimes classic cookies are just what the doctor ordered. No bells and whistles, just good old fashioned brown sugar and oats makes these the perfect snack (after school or otherwise.) Add milk and it doesn’t get any more wholesome.
I’ve sort of fallen out of love with cookies in the past few years, especially after my kids were no longer little, I hardly ever made them. But these oatmeal cranberry cookies have reminded me of the joys of a great cookie. The chewy texture is one you really can’t get in a package from the cookie aisle, so if this is your favorite type of cookie, these are definitely worth your time.
These cookies freeze and pack beautifully, so consider sending them off in a care package to someone in need of a little home baking. The cranberries give them a festive vibe, too, so save a spot for them in your holiday assortment.
Cookie Chemistry ~ the secrets to the perfect chewy cookie ~
- Brown sugar, it contains molasses which helps it to retain more moisture during cooking.
- Shortening ~ shortening melts slower than butter and helps cookies retain a plump shape.
- Don’t over-bake, the cookies may look paler and slightly underdone in the center, but will firm up as they cool.
More wholesome cookies to try ~
Oatmeal Crispies
Back to School Breakfast Cookies
Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Reader Rave ~
“This recipe is a keeper! Oh, my goodness it is crispy on the outside but so light and airy on the inside! Thank you for sharing this recipe!” ~ Lana
Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies ~ these old fashioned style oatmeal cookies are crisp on the outside, chewy inside, and packed with tart cranberries.
Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening (I use butter flavored crisco)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats (regular are fine, too.)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cups cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
- Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in the cranberries.
- Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto un-greased baking sheets. Flatten lightly with your fingers.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. After cooling a couple of minutes, move to wire rack to cool. Note: these cookies may look slightly soft when done, they will firm up as they cool.
Make these oatmeal cranberry cookies your own ~
- Make them with nuts ~ these cookies beg for a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Make them with dried cherries ~ these would work equally well.
37 Comments
Murielle
June 22, 2019 at 12:55 pmAwesome texture! Thank you for the tips
Sue
June 22, 2019 at 12:59 pmThanks Murielle, the texture of these cookies is definitely one of the highlights!
Valerie
June 12, 2019 at 7:13 pmI never ever comment on anything but I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! I used butter instead of shortening but they still come out freakin delicious ! This is the second time I make these the first time I added cranberries soaked in blueberry juice (to die for!!) I love that it’s simply cranberries and oats, no white chocolate chips or extra ingredients I practically had all ingredients in the pantry. I was bored and thank goodness I came across this recipe because now I have delicious cookies from scratch ? blessings your way !!!
Sue
June 12, 2019 at 8:33 pmI love hearing this Valerie. I can’t take credit for the base oatmeal cookie, that was one of my reader’s recipes, and I have to agree, the cookies are amazing. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know <3
Anita Giard
February 24, 2019 at 3:41 amHello Sue,
Great blog!
Would like to try the oatmeal cranberry cookies. I live in France so it isn’t always easy to find shortening. I saw in a message below that it is possible to use butter instead but that the cookies may spread more. Do you suggest using a full cup of butter or less?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Anita
Sue
February 24, 2019 at 7:45 amHey Anita ~ you would use the same amount of butter, and the cookies may be a little crisper and may spread a little more, but that’s the nature of the butter. You might try chilling the tray of cookies before baking to see if that helps.
Anita
February 24, 2019 at 1:29 pmThanks Sue!
Matt
February 7, 2019 at 4:13 pmSue, this is a great base-recipe for granola cookies. I substituted a 10oz bag of Simply Elizabeth Cranberry Ancient Grain granola for the oatmeal, and added a 6oz bag of dried cranberries from Aldi’s, and the results are fantastic. They come out to about 90 calories per cookie. I got 66 cookies out of the batch, using a teaspoon scoop. Yum! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Sue
February 7, 2019 at 5:47 pmOK Matt I need to try that, and I bet it would work with any of my homemade granolas, too.
Penny Ramirez
January 19, 2019 at 1:59 pmThese are FANTASTIC! I added pecan pieces and then caved and also added white chocolate chips. We’re eating them off the pans as they come out of the oven! Thanks so much!
Sue
January 19, 2019 at 3:08 pmThanks so much Penny, and your additions sound out of this world :) I’m pretty sure I’d be eating them off the pan too.
Lana
December 20, 2018 at 9:58 amThis recipe is a keeper! Oh, my goodness it is crispy on the outside but so light and airy on the inside! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sue
December 20, 2018 at 10:01 amThanks Lana, happy holidays :)
Lana
December 20, 2018 at 10:48 amHappy Holiday’s to you and your family too!
Louise
November 20, 2018 at 10:51 amCan I use Butter instead of Shortening?
Sue
November 20, 2018 at 11:37 amSure, that will work fine, the only difference might be the the cookies spread more.
Laura | Tutti Dolci
September 6, 2018 at 10:00 pmThese cookies look so chewy and delicious, I love the dried cranberries!
Kathy
September 6, 2018 at 7:13 amI cannot agree that these are healthy. 2 cups of sugar??? Surely some creativity can come up with healthier version.
Sue
September 6, 2018 at 9:43 amI hope I didn’t claim these to be healthy Kathy ~ I’m going to have to re-read my post, I agree, no one would call them that. I do think they’re ‘wholesome’ as cookies go. But everything in moderation :)
Karen (Back Road Journal)
September 6, 2018 at 4:57 amCookies that are crisp on the outside, chewy inside are hard to resist. I’ll always pick an oatmeal cookie first out of a platter of fancy cookies. Yours sound great.
Barb
September 5, 2018 at 2:44 pmCan I use ghee instead of shortening to make these paleo friendly?
Sue
September 5, 2018 at 3:33 pmI think you can Barb, and please let us know your results if you try it.
2 Sisters Recipes
September 5, 2018 at 8:37 amLove oatmeal cookies !! So funny we made them too but anlother flavor and hopefully will get to post them soon!
Sue
September 5, 2018 at 8:45 amYou can never have too many oatmeal cookie recipes ;)
Barb
September 13, 2018 at 12:27 pmThe ghee worked well. I used almond flour, muscovado whole brown sugar and dried blueberries. Delicious,
Tricia
September 5, 2018 at 8:08 amThis is an inspired combination for sure! Love the texture and flavor combination – let the baking begin :) Pinning!
Joan
September 5, 2018 at 7:34 amCan I use coconut oil for the shortening? The cookies are reaching out to me. Thank you
Sue
September 5, 2018 at 7:41 amYou should be able to Joan, and I believe the formula is 3/4 cup of coconut oil to sub for 1 cup of shortening.
John / Kitchen Riffs
September 5, 2018 at 7:28 amWow, these look terrific! Loaded with flavor. Now that it’s fall, it’s cookie season — the most wonderful time of the year. :-) Good stuff — thanks.
Sue
September 5, 2018 at 7:41 amI agree, such a fun season, let the cookie baking begin!!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
September 5, 2018 at 6:56 amI’m overdue for some cookie baking, so will be adding these ones to my baking list. Look perfect!
Sue
September 5, 2018 at 7:46 amThanks Jennifer!
Chris Scheuer
September 5, 2018 at 5:38 amI’m an old fashioned girl so these perfectly suit my fancy! Delish! And beautiful photos (as usual!)
Sue
September 5, 2018 at 7:47 amSometimes we can get too creative in our recipes, huh Chris? I was blown away by these, and frankly wasn’t expecting to be.
angiesrecipes
September 5, 2018 at 3:28 amThey look chewy yet crisp…perfect cookies!
Sue
September 5, 2018 at 7:47 amThanks Angie :)