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Spiced Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

These spiced oatmeal cranberry cookies are quick to make, and everyone loves their unique flavor. Some links in this article are affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

Every year around this time, I start baking cookies – more so than normal. While I enjoy some of my classic Christmas cookies like peppermint chocolate dipped shortbread and the thumbprint cookies I used to make with my Gram, I also love having fun with new recipes.

Close up of oatmeal cranberry cookies on a wooden platter

Last year, I made a delicious no bake “reindeer poop” cookies and the year before, I made triple chocolate dipped cookies.

No bake reindeer poop cookies for Santa

This year, I started making these spiced oatmeal cranberry cookies a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, and given their reception, I probably won’t stop until long after the new year.

When my daughter first saw me whipping these up, she asked what I was making. When she heard “cranberry,” she wrinkled her nose.

Then I made her try one after they came out of the oven. She was hooked, and I keep seeing her sneak into the kitchen to grab yet another cookie.

Good thing these made more than three dozen?

Tray of freshly baked cranberry oatmeal cookies

Needless to say, they are perfect for a cookie exchange or to plate some up as a gift for friends or as a teacher gift. Hint: I love using these little cookie bakery boxes when I give them as gifts!

What are these cookies like?

My ideal cookie is soft and chewy. I’m not a fan of cookies so crisp they snap and break – usually – and this recipe makes very chewy, soft cookies thanks to the oatmeal and other ingredients.

While they have oatmeal, the spices ensure that there is not a strong oatmeal taste, so even my daughter who is not an oatmeal cookie fan loves them. 

The variety of spices ensures that they have a nice warmth to them, but the spice isn’t intense and overpowering. It’s a perfect combination that doesn’t hit you as hard as say gingerbread cookies do.

What kind of oatmeal do I use for cookies?

When a recipe calls for oatmeal like this, make sure you use old fashioned oats. You want the rolled oats that you use to make stovetop oatmeal.

If you have steel cut oats on hand, you can’t easily use those either. They make for a very dense and heavy cookie, which is not what you want.

Whatever you do, do not use instant oatmeal or flavored oatmeal. Those oats have been processed and cut very thinly, and your cookies will spread into flat messes if you try.

What spices do I need to use for these spiced oatmeal cranberry cookies?

This cookie uses a mix of three warm spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Those are honestly my three favorite spices.

Most kitchens have cinnamon on hand, and nutmeg is also fairly common. Cardamom is the less common one to have on hand, but I have help for you.

First, my suggestion for nutmeg: buy whole nutmeg and grate it with a zester. Pregrated nutmeg loses its flavor fairly quickly, which means you end up tossing your spices, while the whole nutmeg retains its flavor far longer. The fact that whole nutmeg tends to be cheaper ounce for ounce is just an added benefit.

Cardamom is a fantastic spice and tastes amazing in everything from mango lassi to chai scones to cranberry pumpkin muffins and more. It’s worth keeping in your pantry if you don’t have it currently; just know that a little goes a long way.

Because it comes from a cardamom pod, I use ground cardamom rather than grinding it fresh each time (though I have cardamom pods on hand for Indian dishes). Just make sure you keep it tightly sealed in a dark space to extend its life.

If you don’t have cardamom and don’t want to buy it, you can substitute an equal amount of allspice. More kitchens tend to have that one hand, and while it changes the flavor of the cookies a bit, it works well.

Can I use fresh cranberries for these cookies?

This recipes calls for dried cranberries. (You could also try it with chocolate chips for fun in place of the cranberries.)

Fresh cranberries have too much moisture, and the cookies will not turn out as well.

I also use straight dried cranberries, not the flavored or sweetened cranberries. You get enough sugar and flavor in the cookies as a whole and don’t need any extra!

Can I make the cranberry oatmeal cookie dough in advance?

As with most homemade cookie recipe, it works well to make your dough and then make the cookies later. If you plan to make them later in the day or the next day, simple cover your bowl with plastic wrap or put it in a sealed container in the fridge.

If you want to make your cookies much later, you can also freeze your dough. While you can freeze the entire batch in a tightly sealed container for a month or even more, I have a better idea.

Before I freeze my cookies, I use my cookie scoop to portion the cookies. I place them on my jelly roll pan (touching is fine here) and freeze them for an hour.

Once they’re frozen, place the individual cookie dough balls into a plastic bag, remove as much air as you can, then seal it and freeze them for a month or more.

When you want cookies, remove as many cookie as you want and place them on your baking sheet. Let them thaw while you preheat the oven, and just add another couple minutes to the bake time.

Voila!

Will these spiced oatmeal cranberry cookies freeze well?

If you won’t eat your freshly baked cookies right away, yes, you can freeze them. Growing up, my great grandmother always had a stash of her raisin molasses cookies in the freezer, and I loved to eat them straight from the freezer.

They last there again for a month or even longer. Make sure you have them in a tightly sealed container, and I like to separate each layer with waxed paper so they separate easily without breaking.

It’s up to you whether you let them thaw before you enjoy or eat them while still frozen like I always did! Just watch your teeth!

How to Make Spiced Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

Side note: did you know you can now buy parchment paper that is already cut into rectangles for baking cookies and circles for lining cake pans? Genius!

Cream the softened butter and both sugars until fluffy and they come back together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well before and after each addition, then add the vanilla.

Add the salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom and mix well. Make sure you periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour, and stir on low until mostly mixed, then ad the oats and cranberries. Mix until just combined.

Use a cookie scoop to drop 12 rounds onto your prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until lightly brown.

Placing a cookie on a cookie sheet with a cookie scoop

These cookies do not crack on top like many do, and you want them a little soft (but fully cooked) when you take them out. Let them cool on the pan for three to five minutes before you use your cookie spatula to remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Oatmeal cranberry cookies cooling on a wire rack

Store on your counter for three to four days in a tightly sealed container. If you don’t eat them before then, freeze as instructed above.

Don’t forget to save and pin these spiced oatmeal cranberry cookies so you can make them again!

Holding a spiced oatmeal cranberry cookie close up

Spiced Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

These simple homemade cookies have warm spices perfect for cooler months that combine beautifully with cranberry to make a delicious soft and chewy cookie everyone loves.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 40 cookies
Calories: 137kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 2 cups dried cranberries

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
  • Cream softened butter and both sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well, then add vanilla.
    1 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Add salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom and mix well.
    1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • Add flour, and stir on low until mostly mixed, then add oats and cranberries. Mix until just combined.
    1 1/2 cups flour, 3 cups rolled oats, 2 cups dried cranberries
  • Use cookie scoop to drop rounds onto prepared cookie sheet.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until lightly brown.Let them cool 3-5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Store on counter in a tightly sealed container 3-4 days or freeze.

Video

Notes

  • If you do not have cardamom, you can substitute an equal amount of allspice.
  • For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

Close up of a cranberry cookie over a wire rack 

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5 from 6 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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  1. D. Durand Worthey says:

    As a lover of all these oatmeal cookie-related, I love the added spice and dried cranberries. Perfect for the holidays! Thank you!

    • Michelle says:

      Thanks! They’re pretty darn tasty – my family does NOT like oatmeal cookies, so I thought I’d get these for myself. Nope, they ate them all! They don’t “feel” like an oatmeal cookie 🙂

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