These Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are perfection! Crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, with just the right amount of tart cranberries and chocolate chunks!
This recipe and photos have been updated since the original post on 10/16/2015
Christmas cookie season has arrived! As a lover of cookies, I look forward to these few weeks every year. It’s a time when I get to dig out old family cookie recipes that I only bake this time of year. These vanilla and chocolate pizzelles are always on my list of Christmas cookies to bake.
This year I’m adding my own recipe to the family collection, oatmeal dark chocolate cranberry cookies. These cookies are my take on the classic cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies. While I don’t mind white chocolate, I’m a much bigger fan of dark chocolate. I love the slight bitterness of it and it pairs so well with the sweet, tart cranberries.
Ingredients Needed to Make Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- rolled oats
- dried cranberries
- dark chocolate bar
How to Make Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Before you start making the cookies, make sure that the butter and eggs are at room temperature. This will ensure that they incorporate properly with the other ingredients. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set them aside while you prepare the wet ingredients. Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a stand mixer or handheld mixer to beat the butter and sugars together. You want them to be light a creamy, which will take 4-5 minutes of beating on medium-high speed. Be sure to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula once during the process. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed for another minute or until they’re incorporated.
Pour the dry ingredients in and beat on low speed just until combined. Pour in the oats and beat again just until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add in the dried cranberries and chopped chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to fold them into the cookie dough. Scoop out one slightly heaping tablespoon of the cookie dough and place it onto the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat the process until you have 9 cookies on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they’re golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before removing them onto a wire cooling rack.
Tips and FAQ
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure that all of your cookies are the same size. I used this medium size cookie scoop.
- While chilling the dough isn’t a requirement, I prefer to chill mine to ensure that the cookies don’t spread too much. I recommend chilling the dough in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. If you’re in a rush, scoop the cookie dough, place the balls onto a parchment lined plate of small baking sheet and stick them in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Use whole wheat pastry flour versus regular whole wheat flour. This will yield a lighter, softer cookie while still keeping the cookie whole grain.
- Use a dark chocolate bar versus chocolate chips for a superior chocolate flavor. I typically use a 65% or 70% dark chocolate.
How Long Will the Cookies Stay Fresh?
These cookies will stay fresh on the countertop in an airtight container for up to a week.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
The cookie dough can be made and refrigerated several days in advance. You can also scoop the dough into ball and put them in the freezer until they’re hard. Transfer the cookies dough balls to a freezer bag and pull them out to bake whenever you’re in the mood for cookies. The dough can bake frozen, just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
Baked cookies as well as cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Be sure that the baked cookies are completely cool before freezing them.
Mix-in Variations
If you want to change up the flavor of these oatmeal dark chocolate cranberry cookies, try adding any combination of the ingredients listed below. Keep the measurements the same.
- white chocolate or milk chocolate
- dried cherries, raisins or apricots
- pecans, walnuts or pistachios
Oatmeal, Dark Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer, add the butter and sugars and beat for 4-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla extract and egg and beat on medium speed for another minute.
- Add the flour mixture in and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again. Be careful not to over mix. Pour in the oats and mix until just combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the dried cranberries and chocolate with a rubber spatula. Use a medium sized cookie scoop to scoop out the dough. Roll it into balls with your hands and place onto the prepared cookie sheet leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for several minutes before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
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Aspen? You are one lucky lady! I hope you enjoyed yourself. These cookies look amazing–I love that they have so many healhty superfoods that I can eat more :)
Thanks Kristen! Aspen was gorgeous of course and we had a great time! And yes since the cookies are full of superfoods it’s only right that you have a couple extra. ;-)
These are the perfect cranberry cookies! Love!!
Thanks Rachel! :-)
I am loving these cookies! Dark chocolate and cranberries is such a great combination of flavors!
Danae, these are such delicious looking cookies! Love the bright color of the cranberries and the chocolate is such a good pairing!
Thanks Lisa! Dark chocolate and cranberries are a great flavor pairing!
Wow! These are seriously beautiful! But you had me at dark chocolate ;)
Thanks Melissa!
So oatmeal cookies are by far my favorite and the fact you added dark chocolate and cranberries takes them to a whole new level. I am trying these soon!
Thanks Julia! Oatmeal cookies can only get better with dark chocolate and cranberries added in! ;-)
These cookies look crazy good! I’m with you on the chewy oatmeal texture, especially with chocolate :)
Chewy cookies are the only way to go in my opinion! :-)
I couldn’t agree more…chewy cookies are the best! And the dark chocolate and cranberries only make these cookies that much better!
Thanks Meg!
Hi Danae,
These look yummy! I was wondering if you ever tried making them with fresh cranberries?
Hi Robin, I haven’t tried making these cookies with fresh cranberries so I’m not sure how they’d turn out. I suspect they’ll be more cakey because of the extra moisture. If you try it I’d love to hear the results.