White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Published 12/9/2020 • Updated 8/18/2022
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You’re going to love these better-for-you White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. They’re the perfect after school snack or post-dinner sweet treat!
Healthy Cookies = Best Dessert
I’m a cookie (or two) a day kind of girl. Our Monster Cookies might be #1 on my list but our Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies and Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are a close 2nd and 3rd.
I typically keep at least a batch or two of cookies in my freezer at all times so that I have easy access to a healthier sweet treat after dinner. These White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are the perfect freezable cookie that you’re going to love!
Simple Ingredients
When it comes to making cookies healthier, we’re all about keeping the integrity of the cookie but making it better for you. This is why you’ll notice we still use butter and sugar…just not as much as classic cookie recipes.
- butter
- brown sugar
- egg
- vanilla
- rolled oats
- white whole wheat flour
- ground cinnamon
- white chocolate chips
- dried cranberries
What do these cookies taste like?
These cranberry oatmeal cookies are slightly buttery and sweet with a strong classic oatmeal cookie taste. Since they’re flavored with white chocolate chips and cranberries they take on a bit of those flavors too!
Can I make these gluten-free?
Try swapping the white whole wheat flour for an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to make these cookies gluten-free. Don’t forget to use certified gluten-free oats.
Can I make these vegan?
Unfortunately, we don’t recommend swapping the egg for a flax egg, only because we haven’t tested it ourselves!
healthy oatmeal cookie TIPS
SLIGHT PRESS:
Make sure to give your cookies a slight press after rolling them into a ball. They’re not going to spread out very much, so they’ll look like a dome if you don’t press them down.
Don’t Overcook:
Keep the enter of these cookies chewy and be careful not to overcook!
Make them pretty:
Add a few white chocolate chips to the top of the dough before baking to make sure they’re “pretty” after baking. You can even sprinkle with some coarse sea salt for an extra touch!
4 Delish Flavor Variations
The base of these oatmeal cookies ROCK, which is why you can swap the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries out for so many different things! Some of our faves include:
- dark chocolate chunk + dried cherries
- M&M + cashews
- raisins + pecans
- chocolate chips + walnut
Storage for Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Store oatmeal cookies in an airtight glass container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezer Instructions
Let cookies cool completely after removing them from the oven. Then, Place back onto a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. This will help prevent the cookies from sticking together.
Once the cookies have hardened a bit, transfer them into a freezer-safe gallon-size bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Wet
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into tablespoon pads
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry
- 1.5 cups rolled oats, lightly pulverized
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Optional Toppings
- white chocolate chips
- sea salt
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Next, cut cold butter into 1-tablespoon pads and place into a stand mixer.
- Add brown sugar and then turn your stand mixer on to low/medium.
- Cream butter and sugar together until there are no more lumps of butter and the consistency is smooth. This should take around 5 minutes.
- While the butter is creaming, lightly pulverize rolled oats in a food processor. The goal here is to still have some chunks of oatmeal, but also have some oat flour. Then, transfer into a large bowl.
- Add white whole wheat flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt to the same large bowl and mix until combined.
- Once the butter has creamed, add egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium until combined. Make sure not to over mix!
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet and mix on medium until a dough has formed. You may need to stop to scrape the bottom of your mixer. The consistency should be a little bit sticky, but have the ability to form into a ball.
- Finally, add in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and mix one final time on medium to combine.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop dough into your hands. Roll into a ball and then slightly flatten between your palms. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat. 8 cookies should
- Optionally add a few more white chocolate chips to the tops of each cookie.
- Bake at 350ºF for 12-14 minutes.
- Once the bottoms are golden brown, remove from cookie sheet immediately and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Top with optional sea salt before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My husband’s doctor has him on a low-sodium and low-sugar diet and this recipe has been a godsend. In fact, the cookies were so sweet that I may reduce the brown sugar next time. I tried this recipe using the rolled oats and my husband said this is his absolute favorite!! I baked them for 14 minutes and because we love crispy cookies they were perfect for us but our daughter prefers soft chewy cookies (although she loved the taste of these cookies). I’ll reduce the bake time for her next time. I also made the cookies smaller and got 32 cookies
If I use Quick Oats, do I still need to pulverize?
I think you should be fine, however, I’ve never made these with quick-cooking!
Delicious and *chewy*! I admit I tweaked the recipe out of creative habit (not meant as an assumption my tweaks are better than the original recipe.) I used 1/2 the cinnamon, a full 1/2 t salt, and added 1/2 t coconut extract. I used quick oats because I’m lazy. I like very rich baked goods, so when my dough looked dry, I thought I would add 2 T maple syrup instead of the milk other reviewers mentioned, assuming that a “healthy recipe” would only be lightly sweet to begin with. I was wrong- these would have been sweet enough even for my sweet tooth without the maple syrup. They were too sweet right out of the oven (my fault with the maple syrup), but perfect a couple hours later. I calculated the nutrition information for 20 cookies with the ingredients I used, and they were 170 calories per cookie. Great recipe!
Very tasty but a bit too sweet for my taste. Will definitely try it again with less sugar.
Can I change the butter with coconut oil?
We haven’t tested this method, but I’m confident it will work!