These healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies made with tangy cranberries, scented with orange, and covered with white chocolate are the ultimate holiday cookies.
They make a healthy sweet treat loaded with rolled oats and whole wheat flour. What's more? These are no chill cookies ready within an hour!
LIf you look for traditional holiday cookies, please, do not look any further.
This oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh is the ultimate one to keep and make during the magical holiday season.
These cookies are an excellent option for you if you are looking for a healthy recipe.
Made with whole wheat flour, old-fashioned oats, and almonds without oil or margarine, they provide you with beneficial nutrients in a couple of cookies.
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Why you should try this recipe
These oatmeal cranberry cookies are healthy since they don't contain any trans fats. There are no such ingredients as margarine or vegetable shortening in the recipe.
Moreover, the recipe is made with whole wheat flour combined with oats that bring nutrients and texture to cookies.
Despite the cookies being made with refined sugars, you will be surprised to find that they aren't oversweet. They are chewy inside with crisp edges outside.
The recipe is easy and quick: there is no need to chill the cookie dough, and you will make about 30 cookies within an hour.
Finally, these healthy oatmeal cookies are a treasure during the holidays.
These are perfect as an edible gift and a great addition to a cookie box or holiday cookie trays.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.
Almonds bring a wonderful nutty flavor to cookies. Use whole almonds with skin on and roast them in the oven at 355 F/180 C for 10 minutes.
Replace almonds with roasted hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, or pecans if desired.
Flour: use all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour (in the US) or wholemeal flour (in the UK and Europe). You can also try to use light in color white whole wheat flour.
Old-fashioned oats are the best oats to make the recipe. They bring health benefits due to proteins and fiber.
Avoid steel-cut oats and quick oats (aka instant oats) since they will not give the right chewy texture to the baked cookies.
Salt: a pinch of salt elevates the taste of cookies.
Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter softened at room temperature.
Sugar: use white sugar (granulated or caster sugar) or replace it with golden brown sugar.
Orange zest: choose an organic, untreated orange and use a zester grater to make fresh orange zest.
It is worth investing in a Microplane zester to avoid adding the bitter pith into the recipes.
Dried cranberries: use sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries if you watch your sugar intake.
Replace dried cranberries (not fresh cranberries) with dried cherries, raisins, or even dried apricots.
Orange juice: make it yourself with a citrus squeezer or use store-bought orange juice.
White chocolate: use Lindt classic white chocolate or Callebaut white chocolate callets.
How to make oatmeal cranberry cookies
To roast almonds, heat the oven to 355 F/180 C. Place whole nuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
Remove almonds from the oven and let cool. Then chop roasted nuts coarsely and set aside.
Increase the oven temperature to 375 F/190 C. Prepare two baking sheets covered with parchment paper.
To make the cookie dough, chop dried cranberries in half and soak them in orange juice for 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine oats, chopped almonds, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt, and set aside.
Place softened butter, sugar, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (photo 1).
Cream butter mixture on medium speed for about two minutes (photo 2). If needed, scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the flour mixture to the butter preparation and mix on a low speed just to combine (photo 3).
Add the drained cranberries and mix for a few seconds (don't overmix!) (photo 4).
Transfer the cookie dough to the floured surface of a table and make a ball with your hands.
You will need to add some flour to facilitate the work with the dough.
Take half of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin to reach the thickness of ⅕ inches (0.5 cm).
Cut the dough into rounds using a round cookie cutter of 2.5 inches (7 cm) in diameter (photo 5).
Arrange cut-out cookies on baking sheets with parchment (photo 6) and bake for 18 minutes until golden brown. Finish the remaining dough in the same way.
Remove ready cookies from the oven and let cool on a wire rack (photo 7).
To decorate cookies, melt white chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave.
Pour one tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each cookie and spread with the back of a spoon (photo 8).
Leave cookies for about one hour at room temperature for the chocolate to set.
Recipe variations
Some recipes are classic, and it is hard to make recipe variations, but these cookies are an exception.
You can add some depth of flavors by changing up the cookie ingredients.
Orange zest and orange juice give the cookies a doubly citrus flavor, but why not try to replace them with lemon flavor? Lemon zest might be a nice twist, but you can omit zest if desired.
The tart sweetness of cranberries beautifully pairs with white chocolate. But you can replace dried cranberries with other dried fruit: cherries, blueberries, or apricots.
Or replace half of the cranberries with white chocolate chips or small chocolate chunks. If you are a fan of raisins, turn this recipe into oatmeal raisin cookies.
Replacing almonds with other nuts, such as hazelnuts, pistachios, and pecans opens possibilities for customizing the cookies.
If you watch for sugar intake, use unsweetened dried cranberries and omit the white chocolate decoration on top.
Try not to decrease the amount of sugar since it provides sweetness and texture to baked goods.
Finally, you can play with the cookie shape. They are created of round shapes but try other uncomplicated cookie cutters.
Equipment
If you want to succeed with the recipe, it is essential that you have all of the necessary tools and equipment.
Use a kitchen scale or measuring cup to ensure accurate measurements of your ingredients. Make sure to use a level method while measuring dry ingredients.
You will also need a stand mixer or a hand mixer, a set of mixing bowls, a rubber spatula, a rolling pin, a round cookie cutter, a baking or cookie sheet, a double boiler (optional), and a cooling rack.
Discover essential baking tools every baker should have.
Storage instructions
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Can you freeze them? You can freeze the entire batch of cookies but without chocolate topping. Place them in an airtight container or a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Freezing will probably be the best option to preserve your treats if you make a double batch of cookies.
Expert tips
- Beat butter, sugar, and orange zest with an electric mixer, and then mix the dough in a bowl, using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon if you do not have a stand mixer.
- Don’t over-mix: when adding dry ingredients and soaked cranberries, mix gently until just mixed.
- Be sure to read about how to melt chocolate.
- Let chocolate thicken a bit if you prefer to cover cookies with a thick layer of chocolate.
- Allow the chocolate to set for a least one hour before packing cookies.
FAQ
Whole wheat flour is flour that is made by grinding the entire grain of hard white spring wheat and contains the bran and germ. It is healthy and nutritious due to the high amount of dietary fiber.
The combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour works best for this recipe, but you can try to increase the amount of whole wheat if desired.
You can replace some whole wheat flour with white flour, but you will reduce the fiber and other nutrients in your baked goods.
You can make a gluten-free version of cookies by using gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats and a gluten-free flour blend.
Love cookie recipes? Try these next!
- Italian Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Banana Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- French Vanilla Cookies
- Or browse all the Cookie Recipes
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Craving more sweets? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Yummly, and subscribe via email to receive all of the new recipes. Also, have a look at my favorite baking tools I use daily.
Need to adjust your baking pan size?
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Recipe card
Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
These healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies scented with orange and covered with white chocolate are the ultimate holiday cookies. Loaded with rolled oats and dried cranberries, they make a healthy sweet treat. What's more? You will get about 30 cookies within an hour!
- Total Time: 1 hour (plus setting time)
- Yield: 28 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 5.3 oz (150 g) whole almonds with skin on
- 1 cup + 3 ½ tablespoons (150 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (75 g) whole wheat flour
- 5.3 oz (150 g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 pinch of salt
- 7.9 oz (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup + 5 ½ teaspoons (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 4.4 oz (125 g) dried cranberries
- 1 ½ tablespoons (25 ml) orange juice
For the decoration:
- 10.5 oz (300 g) white chocolate
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
-
To roast almonds, heat the oven to 355 F/180 C. Place whole nuts on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Remove almonds from the oven and let cool. Then chop roasted nuts coarsely and set aside.
-
Increase the oven temperature to 375 F/190 C. Prepare two baking sheets covered with parchment paper.
-
To make the cookie dough, chop dried cranberries in half and soak them in orange juice for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine oats, chopped almonds, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt, and set aside.
-
Place softened butter, sugar, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream butter mixture on medium speed for about two minutes. If needed, scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
-
Add the flour mixture to the butter preparation and mix on a low speed just to combine. Add the drained cranberries and mix for a few seconds (don't overmix!). Transfer the cookie dough to the floured surface of a table and make a ball with your hands. You will need to add some flour to facilitate the work with the dough.
-
Take half of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin to reach the thickness of ⅕ inches (0.5 cm). Cut the dough into rounds using a round cookie cutter of 2.5 inches (7 cm) in diameter. Arrange cut-out cookies on baking sheets with parchment and bake for 18 minutes until golden brown. Finish the remaining dough in the same way. Remove ready cookies from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
-
To decorate cookies, melt white chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave. Pour one tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each cookie and spread with the back of a spoon. Leave cookies for about one hour at room temperature for the chocolate to set.
Notes
- Beat butter, sugar, and orange zest with an electric mixer, and then mix the dough in a bowl, using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon if you do not have a stand mixer.
- Don’t over-mix: when adding dry ingredients and soaked cranberries, mix gently until just mixed.
- Be sure to read about how to melt chocolate.
- Let chocolate thicken a bit if you prefer to cover cookies with a thick layer of chocolate.
- Allow the chocolate to set for a least one hour before packing cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 175
- Sugar: 8.1 g
- Sodium: 67 mg
- Fat: 11.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.8 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 17 mg
Keywords: healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies, healthy cranberry cookies
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The recipe was adapted from https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/. It was originally published on December 02, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
Beth says
These cookies are a must have around the holidays! So delicious and perfect for gift giving!
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
Beth, I have a few cookie ideas as Christmas gifts this year. Cannot choose what to make:) Maybe I will go with these Cranberry Oatmeal cookies...
Tawnie says
Can't wait to make these again and enjoy during the holidays at parties! SOOO good!
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
Thank you Tawnie! I am happy to hear that you will make these cookies again:)
Beth says
These cookies look so pretty! Great for holiday parties or I'm thinking gifts for all my kids teachers!
★★★★★
Sapana says
These turned out amazing! Love that you used whole almonds in there - so much flavor.
★★★★★
Chichi says
This recipe is a keeper. Totally love it. Thanks for the tips.
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
You are very welcome! Enjoy!:)
Matt Freund says
These look super yummy. I want to make these for Thanksgiving.
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
Thank you! Happy baking and enjoy!:)
Anita says
These are so good. So easy to make, and really delicious. They are not only perfect for Christmas, but is perfect for gifting, or just because I'm craving it. 🙂
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
Anita, thank you. I just make these cookies for every day:) I agree with you.
Tara says
Cranberries and white chocolate were made for each other. So good!
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
Tara, yes, this combo is amazingly delicious!
Emily says
These are the perfect cookie for the holidays! Love the white chocolate in them!
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
Emily, white chocolate on top of these cookies "completes their look and taste.":)
Veena Azmanov says
Awesome presentation and best gifting option too. These cookies have all the awesome combinations and flavors to it. I love the white chocolate frosting on the top.
★★★★★
Irina Karulina says
Thank you Veena. These cookies are my favorite ones.:)
Tonje says
Yum! We loved these, will be making them again!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Tonje, for letting me know that you enjoyed these cookies!
Sapana says
These cookies turned out delicious and were so easy to bake!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you, Sapana, for letting me know how your baking went. I am happy to hear! Thanks:)
Jennifer Allen says
I made these a few weeks ago and am making them again - they're that good! THIS time, I'm making a double batch and keeping one just for myself!
★★★★★
Irina says
I know, I know what you mean by taking about a double batch of cookies:) Thanks you for your comment, Jennifer:)
kim says
Yes, please! These are amazing for the holidays!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you Kim. Enjoy!:)
Sara Welch says
What a decadent cookie-perfect for the holidays! Adding this to my baking line up for Christmas, indeed!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you Sara! By the way, my baking line up is huge this holiday season:)
Patty at Spoonabilities says
I've never tried using cranberries for an oatmeal cookie! These look amazing! What a wonderful Christmas cookie!
★★★★★
Irina says
Geoffrey, I am happy to serve you with a great idea! Enjoy!:)
Chris Collins says
I'm an absolute sucker for oat cookies and these cranberry versions look absolutely divine!!! 🙂
★★★★★
Cyndy says
Cranberries always a hit around the holidays! Can't wait to make these for Christmas!
★★★★★
Irina says
I agree, Cyndy! Happy baking and enjoy!:)
Mary says
I'm loving the combination of cranberries and oats in these! So good!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you Mary! This combo is great in cookies. I agree:)
Mirlene says
I can't wait to build my own cookie tower using this recipe. They look too good not to make them these holidays!
★★★★★
Irina says
Oh, WOW! I did not build a tower while baking. It is an interesting idea! Just let me know how high will be your cookie tower! Thanks a lot.
Kerri says
I love the cranberry and chocolate combo. These were a huge hit in our house... they didn't even last a day!
★★★★★
Irina says
I am happy to hear that. Thanks for your comment, Kerri!
Janelle says
It is an easy recipe to follow - thank you!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Please, enjoy it, Janelle!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
These cookies sound absolutely amazing. I love that they're healthy too so you can indulge without any guilt. Delicious.
★★★★★
Charla says
We made these last year for Christmas and loved them, looking forward to making another big batch again.
★★★★★
Irina says
I agree that these meringue spheres are lovely to serve on the Christmas table. Thanks for your comment, Charla!
PF says
I never heard of rolling oatmeal cookie dough. Will these end up thick? Thanks.
Irina says
The baked cookies are about 1 cm thick, less than 1.5 inches.