Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

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Cranberry oatmeal cookies are soft and chewy, studded with dried cranberries and drizzled with a delicious citrus glaze.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time15

Yield: 32 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups quick cook oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated white sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

For the glaze:

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 large orange

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup then use a knife to level the flour for precise measuring. Add the flour to a large bowl, along with the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and ground nutmeg. Stir well to combine.
In a separate large bowl, beat the butter with the brown sugar and white sugar using a stand mixer or hand mixer, until light and fluffy. Add one egg and beat until combined. Add the second egg and the vanilla extract and beat again until well combined.
Working in three batches, add the flour mixture and dried cranberries to the sugar mixture, stirring in between additions until just combined.
Lightly wet hands and roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheets. (Do 4 rows with 3 across so there are 12 cookie balls on each baking sheet.) Set the rest of the batter aside.
Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned and almost firm. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough until all of the cookies are baked.
To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the orange zest in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Add extra lemon juice if needed for consistency. (The glaze should fall in ribbons from a spoon but shouldn’t be runny.)
Place the glaze in a ziplock plastic bag and cut a small corner off. (Or use a piping bag or a squeeze bottle.) Drizzle the glaze evenly over the completely cooled cookies in zig zag lines. Let set for a few minutes then enjoy!

Notes

Flour: Regular all-purpose works great in this recipe. If you’d like, you can use white wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour.

Oats: I use and recommend quick cook oats for these cookies. They are a bit more broken down than regular rolled oats. If that’s all you have, you can substitute them. (You can also pulse them briefly in a food processor to break them down a bit.)

Butter: I prefer unsalted butter for my cooking and baking so I can control the amount of sodium. If you are using salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe from ½ teaspoon to ¼ teaspoon. Also, be sure your butter is softened. (See my tip below for a quick way to do this.)

Vanilla: Be sure to use pure vanilla extract, not the imitation kind, for best flavor.

Dried cranberries: If yours seem clumped and stuck together from the bag, make sure to pull them apart a bit so they can be evenly incorporated into the batter.

Tip to soften butter quickly: Microwave the butter in 20-second intervals, turning it over in between, until it’s just starting to soften and you can push a finger into it easily. Then it’s ready to use.

Storage tips: Once cooled, transfer the cookies to a covered container. Store at room temperature for up to 7-10 days. It helps to layer them with wax paper in between, if you are stacking them, so the glaze doesn’t stick to other cookies.

Nutrition

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