These are the best soft and chewy oatmeal cookies loaded with white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and old-fashioned rolled oats. They are super easy to make and no dough chilling required!
These are my favorite cookies and one of the most popular cookies on the blog! Originally, I published this in 2016 and it became everyone’s favorite. No wonder, these oatmeal cookies are so soft and chewy and packed with delicious dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. A perfect combo!
I adjusted the recipe a little bit to make it even better. Now, you don’t even need to refrigerate the dough and your cookies will come out perfect every single time!
Here is what some of you said about this recipe:
“These were super easy and came out great. The texture is perfect and the taste is amazing. Going to be making these pretty often now. Some of my favorite cookies.” – April B.
“Ahhh-mazing !! 😍 perfect directions and ingredients.. will be making again and again and again 😋” – Sarah M.
“So good!!! One of the best oatmeal cookies I have ever made. Thank you for sharing your recipe” – Sommer S.
“They came out very good, will make them again.” – Eva R.
Why this recipe works
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make this recipe! They will be soft and chewy and will disappear in no time at all!
Here is why this recipe works:
- Beating butter and sugar until light and fluffy makes the cookies soft and light.
- Using light brown sugar helps to create perfect chewiness.
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats provide the perfect texture.
Like my soft Snickerdoodle recipe, Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies, Almond Spritz Cookies, Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownie Cookies, these oatmeal cookies will be a perfect treat for the holiday season and all year around!
How to make it
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
First, let’s mix dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt). Whisk and set aside (Photos 1-4).
In a large mixing bowl, beat together softened butter and brown and granulated sugar for about 5 minutes. It should become very light and airy. This step will help us to have nice soft cookies (Photos 5-8).
Then add eggs and vanilla extract and mix again until well incorporated (Photos 9-11).
Now we can add dry ingredients to the wet. I like to fold it using a spatula. This way we won’t overmix the batter (Photos 12-14).
Add old fashioned rolled oats and fold it in (Photos 15-17).
Add white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and fold again. Try to distribute them evenly without overmixing (Photos 18-20).
Using a 3 tablespoons ice cream scoop, scoop the batter. First roll into a ball, then flatten.
Place flattened cookies on a lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350°F for about 12-14 minutes. The cookies should have a light golden color on the bottom but the top will look slightly underbaked. Take them out of the oven and let them sit on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes. During this time, they will continue to set. Then transfer to a wire rack.
Tips for best results
- The first important step is to beat the butter and sugar very well. Usually it takes about 4-5 minutes and the mixture should look light and fluffy. That will ensure that the cookies will be soft. Also, make sure that your butter is room temperature, so it will cream better.
- Adding brown sugar will help the cookies stay soft and chewy.
- When you roll the batter into balls, it’s better to flatten them. Because the batter is thick and won’t spread much, flattening will help to have even thickness.
- Don’t overbake! When the cookies are done, they should have light golden color on the bottom. The top middle part will look underbaked, but don’t let this trick you. Take them out of the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. During this time, they will continue to set and will be perfectly baked. If you overbake them, they will end up dry and crumbly.
- Because the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries are naturally sweet, we need to use less sugar. Otherwise, the cookies will be overly sweetened.
Options and Substitutions
- I like to use old fashion rolled oats when baking desserts, because they will provide more texture. If you only have quick oats on hand, you can also use them, but they will lose texture.
- If you don’t like white chocolate chips or dried cranberries, you can easily use regular chocolate chips, raisins, chopped walnuts, or any other nuts and dried berries.
- I advise to use a mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar to make them chewy inside and crispy outside. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can use just white sugar, but they won’t be as chewy.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How to store? You can store them in air-tight container or a zip-lock bag at room temperature for a week. If properly stored, they will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
Can I freeze them? Yes. You can freeze baked cookies in a zip-locked bag for a couple of months. To thaw, just take them from the freezer and leave in the fridge overnight or on the counter top for a couple of hours. You also can warm them up in a microwave.
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon,and salt). Whisk and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together softened butter and brown and granulated sugar for about 5 minutes until light and airy.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix again until well incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet. I like to fold it using a spatula. This way we won’t overmix the batter.
- Add old fashioned rolled oats and fold it in.
- Add white chocolate chips and dried cranberries and fold again. Try to distribute them evenly without overmixing.
- Using a 3 tablespoons ice cream scoop, scoop the batter. First roll into a ball, then flatten.
- Place flattened cookies on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350°F for about 12-14 minutes. The cookies should have a light golden color on the bottom but the top will look slightly underbaked. Take them out of the oven and let them sit on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes. During this time, they will continue to set. Then transfer to a wire rack.
Video
Notes
- The first important step is to beat the butter and sugar very well. Usually it takes about 4-5 minutes and the mixture should look light and fluffy. That will ensure that the cookies will be soft. Also, make sure that your butter is room temperature, so it will cream better.
- Adding brown sugar will help the cookies stay soft and chewy.
- When you roll the batter into balls, it’s better to flatten them. Because the batter is thick and won’t spread much, flattening will help to have even thickness.
- Don’t overbake! When the cookies are done, they should have light golden color on the bottom. The top middle part will look underbaked, but don’t let this trick you. Take them out of the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. During this time, they will continue to set and will be perfectly baked. If you overbake them, they will end up dry and crumbly.
- Because the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries are naturally sweet, we need to use less sugar. Otherwise, the cookies will be overly sweetened.
- I like to use old fashion rolled oats when baking desserts, because they will provide more texture. If you only have quick oats on hand, you can also use them, but they will lose texture.
- If you don’t like white chocolate chips or dried cranberries, you can easily use regular chocolate chips, raisins, chopped walnuts, or any other nuts and dried berries.
- I advise to use a mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar to make them chewy inside and crispy outside. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can use just white sugar, but they won’t be as chewy.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2016, but was republished with updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in May of 2020.
Eating as I type! I appreciate your attention to detail and explaining the what/why/how. I would have added walnuts…but not my husband’s favorite…and I made these for him.
Thank you, Laura! So happy you and your husband liked these cookies 😉
These are really good! The recipe uses less sugar because the white chocolate chips and cranberries are sweet – I’m going to add an extra 1\4 cup brown sugar next time as they were a bit less sweet than I like. Walnuts added would be delicious too!
Just made these. They are amazing!
Thank you, Connie! So happy you enjoyed them!
I think that the butter could be reduced by half in this recipe. The taste is great, but they are a little greasy. I’ll make them again, but cut the butter in half.
These cookies look amazing! Cannot wait to try these.
Thank you, Jessica!
What an interesting story about oatmeal cakes/cookies that give people strength! Thanks for sharing it! And the cookies look wonderful
Thank you, Julia!)