These are Dave’s favorite cookies that I make. Which is a caveat indicating that his very favorite cookies are those that his mom makes… I do have that recipe but I’ve been sworn to secrecy on that chocolate chip with variations recipe. I’ll ask again because – you too deserve Dave’s very favorite cookies, as well as his favorite that I make. 🤣. These cookies are quite excellent tho. The white chocolate chips, combined with the cranberry and oatmeal – so so so much better than oatmeal raisin. (I’m not a big raisin girl…) The flavors offset each other and seriously can’t say enough about how good these cookies are. Give it a try. I promise you, you won’t be sad when these babies come out of the oven. Get the milk / coffee ready !
Where did these White Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies come from, you ask?
I’ve been making these cookies a long time. 10+ years.
I just asked Dave if he can remember if I made these cookies when we lived in Chicago? Neither of us can recall when we first started eating these babies. All I know is we’ve been eating these as long as I can remember… They are GOOD. Really, a 10 out of 10. (not messing around!) These cookies even give nana’s snickerdoodles a run for their money.
The original recipe came from recipezaar.com which started out in the early 2000’s.
Way back when I was first getting into cooking / recipes – I found RecipeZaar.com and it was my favorite place to look – because it was a community of people like you and me – submitting recipes that we liked and we cooked for our families. (Maybe the original community blog type site?) Then the recipes are searched / found and reviewed, again, by other people like you and me. Obviously the more people that make that recipe – the more reviews. You could trust the reviews and people were for the most part helpful. The reviews provide insight into changes or tweaks that are recommended.
While we discuss changes – note that some people think these cookies are too sweat and reduce the sugar from 1.5 C to 1 C. But in our house – I do no such thing. We don’t think they are too sweet. Once you make these – leave me a comment – will you be reducing the sugar or leaving as is ?
The person who submitted this recipe is @Julesong. She has 233 reviews of this recipe – many of which have suggested certain changes. Two of the changes were my recommendation.
Food.com could shut down next week …
Scripps network (Food Network) bought RecipeZaar long ago and changed it to genius kitchen and then to food.com. As you know if you’ve read my ‘about me’ – changing business tides could close down the site / remove recipes / change terms / remove comments / require annual fees at a business whim. So – it’s another reason why it’s important for me (and you!) that I get these favorite recipes ‘written down’ in my blog for safe keeping!
Cookie Recipe is Written as a double – Appx 5 Dozen Cookies
When I make these cookies – I make a double. I mean, what are we doin’ here ? If you are making cookies, and you are going through the effort – double this baby up. So – if you only want a ‘couple’ cookies ~2.5 dozen – then make 1/2 a batch. Use the adjustment buttons below.
What else do I need to know about these White Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies?
There are four things I suggest you do regarding these cookies.
First — Plump the Cranberries!
Get those cranberries plumped up by pouring hot water on them and let them soak for about 10 minutes. I generally do this as my first step – and allow them to soak until I need them to mix into the cookie dough.
Second — Consider Pulsing the Oatmeal in a food processor
I pulsed half of the oatmeal (for the first time – based on some of the reviews) and I really liked the ease of integration and I didn’t pulverize the oats.
Third — Consider whether you want to refrigerate the dough
We like the cookies when the do is refrigerated after it is mixed – this allows the flavors to develop and intensify, similar to marinating meat. The flour hydrates more from the eggs and the enzymes in the flour and egg yolk break down carbs into sugars. This results in a richer and a more well-rounded flavor profile with extra depth in the vanilla and sugar. Also importantly – the chilling also solidifies the fat in the dough, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking. The cookies therefore hold their shape better, resulting in a chewier center and crispier edges.
You can refrigerate cookie dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours before baking. Once chilled, you can keep most cookie dough in the fridge for 3–5 days, or freeze it for longer storage. (Yet another reason to make a full batch as written – which is essentially a double – because – what are we doin’ here ? 😀)
Example of refrigeration on heating:
This last time baking – I was in a hurry to get them made and into the USPS postal system for my Dad’s 88th birthday. (Along with some of Nana’s Snickerdoodles). And I didn’t plan well enough and only had an hour or two for refrigerating the dough. See the pics below on the dough behavior after a couple of hours vs. overnight. So consider if you want flatter / crispier cookies like on the left – only cooled a short time (you could skip the refrigeration bit entirely). Those on the right were refrigerated overnight – and held their shape better – providing a more dense cookie with a chewier middle. It’s up to you – what adventure will you choose???
Fourth / Last — Temp of the oven
I wrote the directions for a temp of 350 degrees. The original recipe had 375 and I thought that was too high – created too much spread – quick melting of the butter – thinner cookies. We really like our cookies at 350 degrees for about 12 min. Directions say 11-13 to accommodate oven variations.
White Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Get your ingredients out and prepped.
- Hydrate the Cranberries – by pouring HOT water over the cranberries – and allow them to sit about 10 minutes.
- Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and whisk together and set aside.
- Zip up 1/2 (or more) of the oatmeal in your food processor or mini food processor. Set aside oatmeal.
- In the bowl of your mixer – combine the sugar, brown sugar and butter. Cream the sugars and butter together.
- Add in eggs one at a time and mix well between them.
- Add in vanilla extra and mix well.
- Mix in the flour mixture that was set aside – mix only till combined.
- Remove the bowl from your mixer and add the oatmeal, white chocolate chips and DRAINED cranberries. Stir up the mixture – a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula works well. Make sure all is well combined.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least a couple of hours – or overnight.
- When ready to bake – set the oven to 350℉
- Prepare your cookie sheets. One time I wrote that the refrigerated dough stuck to the cookie sheet. I therefore recommended using parchment on the cookie sheet. Either use parchment – or Grease / Butter up your cookie sheets for the first use.
- Use a cookie scoop and roll 1" balls of dough. Place 12 on each cookie sheet.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes depending on your oven / temp etc. Rotate cookie sheets half way through cooking time.
- When cookies are golden remove and let the cookies set on the cookie sheet for 2- 3 minutes – before allowing them to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Mouth watering on the first bite! Delicious