Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts


Who doesn't love oatmeal cookies? These soft, dense, and chewy Oatmeal Cookies with cranberries and walnuts need to find a way to your holiday baking this year!

Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts in tin for gift giving

Have you started your holiday baking yet?

I'm usually a little late to the start. I always have visions of baking in the afternoon, with Christmas music playing in the background and snow gently falling outside my window the minute I put away Thanksgiving, but it rarely happens that quickly.

This year, however, I did get a jump on my holiday baking with these scrumptious oatmeal cookies. I always like to include some of the classic cookies with a bit of a twist in my cookie menus each year...like these Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip CookiesCinnamon Walnut Shortbread cookies, and now these delightful Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts!

Baking has always been my favorite way to spend time in my kitchen. In fact, when I first started having my own kitchen adventures, the first thing I made was cookies.

I still have my very first cookbook, Betty Crocker's Cooky Book (1976 edition) and I still bake cookies from it to this very day! The pages are tattered and stained but that's what tells you the recipes can stand the test of time, wouldn't you agree?

This recipe for Oatmeal Cookies with cranberries and walnuts is loosely based off of an oatmeal cookie recipe found in that book.


Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts with milk, in tin, and scattered in front of tin

What ingredients do you need for oatmeal cookies?



Oatmeal cookies start off as a basic drop cookie recipe...butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, salt and leavening (such as baking soda or salt) with the added ingredient of oatmeal. Both old fashioned oats and quick oats work in oatmeal cookie recipes.

I think you get a chewier, denser cookie with old fashioned oats, so it is my oatmeal of choice for oatmeal cookies. In my Oatmeal Cookies with cranberries and walnuts, I've also added sweetened dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts to the batter for a bit of a twist on the classic oatmeal cookie.


Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts

How do you make homemade oatmeal cookies?



Oatmeal cookies are drop cookies. That means you simply drop the dough onto a prepared pan and bake. No need to roll or shape them. Drop cookies are the easiest kind of cookies to make and require very little skill, which makes them perfect for the beginner baker or for children to make. 


How do you make old fashioned Oatmeal Cookies?



Not a fan of dried cranberries or walnuts? Simply leave them out of the recipe and bake as directed for the best chewy oatmeal cookies in town! 


These Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts freeze well and are great for traveling and gift giving. 

Tips for making the very best Oatmeal Cookies


  • Preheat the oven and use parchment liners or silpat. Not only does the liners keep your pan clean, it helps prevent the cookies from sticking
  • Make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature. For the butter that means soft, but still holding its shape. Room temperature eggs will combine with the butter and sugar better. 
  • Use real unsalted butter. Salted butter may make your finished cookies too salty. Margarine generally has added water and will make the batter have too much moisture which could result in flat cookies. 
  • Mix the wet ingredients well. A stand mixer or a hand mixer will help make easy work of this. 
  • Measure the flour by the dip and sweep method (good) or by weight (better) for more accuracy. Baking is all about science and accuracy is everything. 1 cup of all purpose flour weighs approx. 120 grams.
  • Use a cookie scoop for more consistent sized cookies. Evenly sized cookies will bake more evenly. 
  • Always allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to completely cool. This will allow them to "set" and not break apart when you remove them.
  • Make sure your leavening ingredients (baking powder and baking soda) are fresh and not past the expiration date on the packages.


oatmeal cookies
Dessert, cookies
American
Yield: 4 dozen

Oatmeal Cookies (with Cranberries and Walnuts)

prep time: 10 minscook time: 10 minstotal time: 20 mins
Soft, dense, and chewy oatmeal cookies studded with dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts.

ingredients:


  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 heaping tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda 
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 cups oats (can be old fashioned oats  or quick oats, but not instant) 
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts 

instructions:


  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment or use a silpat. 
  2. In standing mixer, combine the butter and the sugars. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. 
  3. Add in pure vanilla extract and beat for 2 to 3 minutes. 
  4. In small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 
  5. Slowly beat flour mixture into wet ingredients. Add in oats and stir to combine. 
  6. Stir in dried cranberries and walnuts. 
  7. With cookie scoop, portion onto prepared baking sheets. (or scoop out by a rounded TBS) leaving at least 2" between mounds of dough. 
  8. Bake in oven for 9 - 10 minutes, or until cookies are starting to become golden brown. Remove from oven and let set for 1 to 2 minutes before removing from pan to cool on rack. 
  9. Store cookies in an airtight container to retain chewiness. Baked cookies can be frozen. 

NOTES:

Nutrition information is an estimate.
calories
114.7
fat (grams)
6
sat. fat (grams)
2.6
carbs (grams)
15.6
protein (grams)
1.6
Created using The Recipes Generator


Pin Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts!

Oatmeal Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts - easy drop cookie recipe for classic oatmeal cookies with dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts. A great addition to your holiday baking! Soft, dense, and chewy oatmeal cookies everyone loves!  #oatmealcookies

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16 comments:

  1. We like this version with dried cranberries much better than traditional raisins. So yummy!

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  2. We love cranberry cookies this time of year! So good!

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    Replies
    1. I purchased a rather large bag at Sam's Club before Thanksgiving, so I am having fun finding recipes to use them in. They are a great seasonal ingredient, I agree! Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. The perfect holiday cookie this time of year!

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  4. These cookies are so festive and good! My kids love cranberries so these are a perfect way to sneak in oatmeal ;). I love "healthy" cookies - any excuse to eat cookies is fine by me! ;)

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  5. First time making these cookies today and they are now on my favorite list! I followed all your suggestions, even measuring my flour with grams for the first time ever! (I did 125 g.) Baked them 10 minutes, just beginning to turn brown on the edges. Thought they may not be quite done but took them out and let them sit for about 3 minutes and let me tell you. I cannot stop eating them!! Crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle! Love! Love! Love! Thank you! BTW , I very seldom leave a review but just had to on this one! lol

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    Replies
    1. Hi and thank you so much for your review! I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe!

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  6. Great recipe with nice tips! I need all the baking tips I can get!
    Made these cookies for church event!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so happy to hear this recipe was a success for you and you benefited from my tips! Thanks so much for your review!

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  7. Tried this recipe today and the cookies are delicious. They kind of spread out thin but still had crispy edges and soft middles. Next time I’ll try chilling the dough after it’s all mixed for about 30 minutes and see if that gives me a thicker cookie. Thank you for the recipe!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your review! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe. I've not had an issue with spread, but yes, chilling should help!

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  8. Have you ever tried making as a bar cookie? Wondering if it would work…as I am not the best cookie maker!

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    Replies
    1. Hello and thank you for your question. I have not made these cookies in bar form. I'm not sure if they would work out or not. If you do try it, let me know how it goes!

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