Ready for something nutritious and delicious? These Oatmeal Craisin Cookies, in all their whole grain, antioxidant goodness, bake up in a flash and make a great lunchbox treat for kids of all ages.
These chocolate chip cookies with dried cranberries are a great addition to a platter of Nut-Free Cookies. Bake a double batch and freeze these chewy Oatmeal Craisin cookies for later. They are perfect for Afterschool Snacks and for tucking into holiday cookie trays.
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Are you craving cookies? They are often the ultimate comfort food, are they not? Who doesn’t want to come home to freshly baked cookies, no matter your age?
These Oatmeal Craisin Cookies are a fan favorite at our house. They include so much goodness: earthy oats, sweet tart craisins, and rich dark chocolate. I bet no one can eat just one of these oatmeal cookies.
Why Make This
This oatmeal cookie recipe is super versatile. While Craisins and dark chocolate are my go-to, you can stir in whatever you like, whatever you’ve got on hand, from dried fruit to nuts to seeds to chocolate, you’ve got a winner, no matter what.
It’s delicious. Cranberries and chocolate are made to go together. What a fantastic flavor combination!
They are allergen-friendly. There are no nuts or eggs in this recipe, and I’ve included gluten-free and dairy-free adaptations if you need them.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make Oatmeal Craisin Cookies:
brown sugar – Either dark or light brown sugar will work in this recipe. You can even make brown sugar if you’re in a pinch.
butter – You can use dairy butter, margarine, or a plant-based butter if you prefer.
buttermilk – Buttermilk adds acid to react with the baking soda. If you are avoiding dairy, you can use a plant based milk plus a tablespoon of vinegar to recreate that chemical reaction.
vanilla extract – Extract adds great flavor. The cheapest vanilla I’ve found is the homemade vanilla I make myself. It’s super easy and a bottle lasts a long time.
rolled oats – I like to use old fashioned oats for hefty texture, but you can use quick oats if you prefer. (There are so many great oats recipes to try after you’ve made this one!)
unbleached, all-purpose flour – You can also use regular, all-purpose flour as well as whole wheat pastry flour, or even a gluten-free baking mix. If you use the latter, you may want to dial down the sugar just a tad.
leavening – You’ll need both baking soda and salt. Don’t omit either.
mix-ins – Dark chocolate chips and Craisins, or dried cranberries, are perfect here.
Variations
This is a great base recipe to play with! Explore the options based on what you have in the cupboard.
- You can swap out the Craisins for other dried fruit, such as apricots, blueberries, or raisins.
- Omit chocolate or add more kinds of baking chips.
- Go patriotic and make them Red, White, and Blue Cookies by subbing in white chocolate for the dark and adding some dried blueberries
- For gluten-free cookies, substitute a gluten-free baking mix, like Bob’s Red Mill, and be sure to use gluten-free oats.
- For dairy-free cookies, use plant-based butter and milk. Replace 1 tablespoon of the milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Make sure your chocolate chips are dairy-free.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Oatmeal Craisin Cookies:
Heat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, butter, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
With wet hands, shape the dough into 2-inch balls. The dough will be sticky. Place the dough balls about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass dipped in water.
Bake until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer keeping, store the airtight container in the freezer.
To freeze unbaked cookies: scoop out the cookie balls and place on a lined tray in the freezer. Freeze until firm. Remove from tray and place in a ziptop freezer bag, labeled with baking instructions. To bake, thaw for a few minutes on the prepared baking sheet and flatten with the wet glass as instructed. Bake according to recipe.
FAQs
Healthy is a fairly relative term. Are they nutritious? They do contain whole grains and antioxidants, but they also contain butter and sugar. You get to decide.
Yes! Cookies freeze beautifully! You can freeze the cookie dough unbaked in a tub or in cookie balls. You can also freeze the baked cookies. Cool them completely before placing them in an airtight container or ziptop freezer bag.
You can make oatmeal cookies with rolled oats that has not been cooked already. You can use old fashioned or quick cooking oats.
More Great Cookie Recipes
Tell us what you think!
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Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- quick-release scoop
- parchment paper
- heavy duty sheet pan
- wire rack
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cup rolled oats
- 1 ¾ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, butter, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir in the remaining ingredients.1 ½ cup brown sugar, 1 cup butter, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 cup rolled oats, 1 ¾ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ cup dark chocolate chips, 1 cup dried cranberries
- With wet hands, shape the dough into 2-inch balls. The dough will be sticky. Place the dough balls about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass dipped in water.
- Bake until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove to cookie sheet and cool.
Notes
Variations
This is a great base recipe to play with! Explore the options based on what you have in the cupboard.- You can swap out the Craisins for other dried fruit, such as apricots, blueberries, or raisins.
- Omit chocolate or add more kinds of baking chips.
- Go patriotic and make them Red, White, and Blue Cookies by subbing in white chocolate for the dark and adding some dried blueberries
- For gluten-free cookies, substitute a gluten-free baking mix, like Bob’s Red Mill, and be sure to use gluten-free oats.
- For dairy-free cookies, use plant-based butter and milk. Replace 1 tablespoon of the milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Make sure your chocolate chips are dairy-free.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 2, 2010. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Joe Kay
If you choose to use fresh blueberries instead of dried…You should freeze them prior to folding them into the batter. It will keeping them from breaking up and also from turning the batter BLUE…
Anne
I just made these and they are super yummy! I dried my fresh blueberries in my dehydrator, some of the bigger ones didn’t dry all the way and those ended up breaking when I mixed them into the dough. I think if you used all fresh you’d have to add them last and fold in carefully to keep them whole. Mine also seemed a bit crumbly, I’m wondering if maybe when I rolled the balls I should have compacted them a bit more? Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making this again! 🙂
SnoWhite
We’re trying these today 🙂
Kasee
Can fresh or frozen blueberries be put in place of the dried or will this ruin it?
Jessica
I have no idea. Try it and find out! 😉 Then tell us how it goes.
Kasee
I will! =)
Kasee
so I still haven’t had a chance to bake these!! I plan to before our vacation on monday so hopefully I’ll get you that update on fresh/frozen blueberries for this recipe.
leigh
We made these last weekend and my husband says they are now a 4th of July tradition! Just curious why there are no eggs? My dad pointed out that maybe that’s why they were a bit crumbly??? Just curious
Regardless….we still loved them!
Jessica
I have no idea. The original recipe had no eggs. But, I’m curious why yours were crumbly. Hmmm….
Crissy
Do you know of anyway to make them dairy free. My oldest has a dairy allergy. Love your blogs!
Jessica
What do you use normally in place of butter or milk?
Jamie
I’m printing this with plans to make them ASAP! Thanks for the recipe!
Jessica
Let me know what you think!