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
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.Baked cookies can also be frozen. Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1 cookie.
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.