Here's a favorite cookie that my friends and neighbors absolutely love: cranberry oatmeal cookies. These cookies are so good, no one will guess they’re gluten-free. Packed with tart dried cranberries, rolled oats, and golden brown sugar, they’re irresistible. I’ve included tips for making them dairy-free, plus fun variations like for a tasty twist. Not gluten-free? Make them with all purpose wheat flour as well. I've made them both ways.
Thinking about baking cookies for the holiday season, I wanted something a little sweet and it had to be oatmeal. After many test batches (my neighbors loved all the tests), here's my recipe for cranberry oatmeal cookies. They are impossible to resist. It's hard not to just eat all of the batter. Bake a batch. They'll disappear quick. And be sure to try the optional orange zest!
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- A classic oatmeal cookie with sweet dried cranberries.
- Gluten-free but no one would ever know (or with wheat).
- Dairy-free option and fun flavor variations included.
For another delicious and easy holiday cookie, make these chocolate chip meringues (aka Forgotten Cookies).
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour: I've used Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF baking and King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free blends.
- Oats: Regular old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick-cooking, quick oats, instant oats, extra thick, or steel-cut oats. Certified gluten-free if needed (and buy organic).
- Butter: Unsalted butter or unsalted plant-based butter (sticks not tubs). If you only have salted butter, omit the salt.
- Baking soda: Leavening agent, check your package expiration date before baking.
- Sugars: For softer cookies use all light brown sugar. For crisper cookies, use half white sugar and half brown. I've tested both, and both are good!
- Eggs: Large eggs.
- Vanilla: Use either vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, and use real vanilla, not artificial flavor.
- Dried fruit: I like dried cranberries, use raisins if preferred.
- Spices: Cinnamon is traditional, but also try nutmeg or allspice.
Please see the recipe card for measurements and salt.
Chef's tip on dried cranberries: I purchased several different bags of dried cranberries, both sweetened and unsweetened, to see the difference (Trader Joe's). The sweetened dried cranberries were moist and plump but not so for the unsweetened. I preferred the sweetened for cranberry oatmeal cookies but use whichever you prefer. If you're cranberries are hard and dried out, rehydrate them in a little very hot water until softened, then drain and dry well before using in the recipe. One more tip, some brands have soybean oil (generally GMO if not organic) in their ingredient list. If you're allergic or sensitive to soy, be sure to read labels.
Substitutions and Variations
I've made cranberry oatmeal cookies with all of these variations and they are delicious!
- Orange zest: Not included in most recipes but it adds so much fresh flavor! Optional, but try it if you love orange. Orange and cranberry are great partners.
- For oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, add chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies.
- Add crunchy chopped walnuts.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut adds another layer of flavor and texture.
For a chocolate treat with dried cranberries, try these fun to make chocolate bark bites.
Chef's tip: Butter too cold? Forget to get your butter out? Bring cold butter to room temperature faster for baking with these methods: 1) Grate cold butter with a box grater onto a plate. 2) Cut cold butter into small pieces and spread them out. 3) Microwaving is risky as you don't want to melt the butter. Use very low power in short bursts until butter is soft.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350º. Line a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet size) with parchment paper. For tools, you'll need a hand mixer.
Chef's tip to reduce sugar: If you want to reduce sugar, use part sugar and part monk fruit blend or all monk fruit. They may spread a little differently while baking but taste great with less sugar.
For an over the top holiday appetizer with dried cranberries and dried figs, try this easy baked brie with jam recipe.
Serving and Storage
Homemade cranberry oatmeal cookies can be stored at room temperature for a week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container.
Freeze cookies for up to 3 months for best quality upon thawing. Place them between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper then in an airtight container.
Recipe FAQs
Cranberry oatmeal cookies are easily made gluten-free, vegan, or dairy-free for individual dietary needs. Be sure to use a gluten-free flour blend. For vegan, use plant-based butter and an egg substitute such as flax eggs, and for dairy-free, use plant-based butter.
Use parchment paper on your cookie sheets versus portioning the dough directly onto the greased cookie sheet. If you are baking on a hot day, chilling the dough also helps minimize the spread.
For chewier cookies, us more brown sugar (or a mix of brown and white sugar) and underbaking slightly can help as most cookies crisp further upon cooling. For crispier cookies, more white sugar and a longer bake time will create a crunchier texture.
Most cookie recipes specify dried fruit such as dried cranberries as fresh cranberries are very tart (dried cranberries are sweetened) and have a lot of moisture that will alter the results of the recipe. For best results, stay with what the recipe specifies and was tested with.
More Terrific Cookie and Treat Recipes
If you're looking for delicious sweet treats that are fun to make, try a few of these recipes and be sure to check out the dessert recipes index.
⭐️Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make cranberry oatmeal cookies, please comment and let me know. If they were a hit, please give it a 5 star rating. They really help other readers and I love hearing from you. If you have a question, please comment and I will answer.
Recipe updated from 12/2014
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies (gluten-free or wheat)
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
- Cookie scoop (aka disher) #40 size
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend 6.8 ounces or see blend below
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or use some nutmeg or allspice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted dairy butter or dairy-free butter 6 ounces, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 ¼ cups dried cranberries
Optional add-in's
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut or more
- 1 large orange, zested use zest only
- ½ cup chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
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Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350º. Line a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet size) with parchment paper. Add flour, baking soda, spice, and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- In another bowl, add butter and sugar. With an electric hand mixer, beat until well combined and fluffy (start slow and build up speed). Add eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Blend in the flour beating until smooth. By hand blend in the oats, then the cranberries with a flexible spatula. Batter will be stiff.
- Using a tablespoon (or a #40 disher), drop rounds of batter about 1 ½" around onto the baking sheet. Bake cookies until light golden brown, approximately 18 minutes. Convection ovens bake a little faster so watch the first batch and adjust your timing (each oven is different). Let cookies rest for a few minutes on the hot baking sheet then remove to a wire cooling rack. When totally cool, package.
- Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, oatmeal cookies stay fresh for about a week. Refrigerated they last up to 2 weeks, and frozen up to 3 months. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Thaw at room temperature when ready to eat.
Notes
Homemade GF Flour Blend
I originally created my own GF flour blend to bake these cookies but since using a pre-blended flour is easier for home bakers I retested the recipe and use either King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill. If you are a dedicated GF bake with multiple GF flours in your pantry and would like the recipe, please comment and I'll send the recipe. Includes brown rice flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour and cornstarch.Vegan Butter Notes:
To make these dairy-free try Miyoko's European Style Cultured Unsalted Vegan Butter (my preference, love the taste) or Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread in sticks not tubs.Variations
If adding variations such as white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, nuts, orange zest, or coconut, add by hand after mixing the cranberries and oats.Nutrition
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L.H. says
Hi Sally,
I love the ingredients in this recipe. My question to you is should I change the measurements on the white and brown sugars? I ask because I substitute regular sugars with brown and white Truvia. The last time a made a batch of cookies, different recipe, going off of regular measurements using the Truvia, the cookies came out too sweet. Any recommendations?
Sally Cameron says
Hi L. Good question. Honestly I've never worked with Truvia. When I sub alternative sweeteners in recipes my usual choice is a monk fruit blend. Try this. Use 3/4 of the amount and taste the batter. It also depends on your taste buds. Like us, you may not like things really sweet (some people do). With the other recipe, were there any other sweeteners in it or just sugar? Let me know. I've been itching to make a batch of these they are so good.
Debbie says
Hi Sally, I want to make these cookies again but instead of the GF flour, I am considering using my fresh milled white wheat flour. I use it for most of my baking. Do you think I would need to make any changes in your recipe with my flour?? Thanks!!
Sally Cameron says
Hi Debbie, good question. I have not baked with wheat in a long time. I think you can keep the recipe the same. Please let me know how they come out so I can note it for readers who are not GF. One note I am making in the recipe is about sugar. I've used both succanat and regular brown (more moist) sugar. It seems when I use the succanat (sugar cane natural) they bake more flat. My last batch I used regular brown sugar and they did not spread much, the were more rounded. Delish either way!
Debbie says
PS Do you measure the walnuts before or after chopping. I saw in a post in this thread that omitting the walnuts makes a flatter cookie. I measured the walnuts before I chopped them. Might there have been too many walnuts?? And might this be why they stayed in the round, ball shape??
Sally Cameron says
Hi Debbie, how timely your comment is. I just made my first batch of the season. Mine baked and did not flatten much. Still tasted great! I measure the walnuts after chopping or use pre-chopped walnuts. You could try using less and see if they spread more. I will make another batch and see if they spread or not with less walnuts. The other thing I might try is to press them down a bit after I portion the dough onto the cookie sheets (I use the tool I mention called a disher, faster and controlled).
Debbie says
Hi Sally, I made these cookies over the weekend. Very tasty!!! But...mine didn't look like yours after baking. They didn't change shape at all, just stayed round. Any suggestions??? Many thanks!!
Vicki says
Hi Sally - I've love your recipes since my Daniel Plan days began. I'd like to make these yummy cookies, but I don't know what the coconut "thread" is in the ingredient list?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Vicki, thanks for making me correct this! That's an old term. I will edit to say unsweetened shredded coconut. I'm using one made by Let's Do Organic, the same people that make Native Forest coconut milk (Edward and Sons). Bought it online, probably Amazon or Thrive Market. I've already had a few friends go crazy over these and one said you should sell these! Anyway, they are so tasty. Hope you bake some and enjoy. Thanks again!
Mike says
Hi Sally , I forgot to also ask if we could substitute goat butter for the regular dairy butter.
Sally Cameron says
Hi Mike, I have not tried goat butter. If you do, please comment again and let everyone know how it came out.
Mike says
We would really like to try these but Maureen has a peanut , tree nut and coconut allergy. I see from one of the posts that it’s ok to remove the walnuts . Can we remove the coconut too?
Sally Cameron says
Sure, you can leave the allergens out. As long as we are messing with the recipe, I wonder how pumpkin seeds would be. Those are tough allergies but creativity helps get around them ;). Please let me know how they come out. Without walnuts the cookies spread more when baking creating a flatter crisper cookie. I tried it that way and they are still good.
Wendy Libka says
I'd love to try these, thank you! I have a daughter with a nut allergy, would omitting the walnuts affect the recipe?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Wendy. Omitting the walnuts is fine, there just won't be as much crunch and heft to the cookies. Is she allergic to seeds like hemp seeds? They would provide some crunch. I've not tried it but that thought hit me as I was reading your comment. Maybe up the coconut thread. Let me know how it comes out. I need to bake some of these too! Problem is they are hard to stop eating 😉
Vivian Mendoza says
Hi Sally, thanks for the GF recipes. I'll be making the corn bread stuffing and mashed sweet potatoes for Alex this Thanksgiving. Will also try the oatmeal cranberry GF cookies! Have found lots of resources at Saddleback Church this year! Planning on joining a small group in January. Hope all is well with you!
Blessings, Vivian Mendoza
Sally Cameron says
Great to hear from you Vivian! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Alex. Hope the recipes are a hit. I am making that dressing too this year, by request :). So glad you've found lots of wonderful resources at Saddleback. God bless!