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    Home » Desserts » Moist & Fluffy Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

    Moist & Fluffy Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

    Published: Dec 17, 2020 · Modified: Dec 6, 2022 by Andrea Howe · This post may contain affiliate links.

    58 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These oatmeal craisin cookies are perfect for the holidays! Sweetened with brown sugar and maple syrup and topped with a simple three ingredient maple glaze, these delicious cookies are perfect for holiday gifting or just hoarding for yourself! They’re a great update to classic oatmeal raising cookies.

    round baking tray filled with oatmeal craisin cookies and a maple glaze

    I decided to simplify my usual holiday baking with this cranberry oatmeal drop cookie, which doesn’t require as much fuss as some of the cookie classics.

    This oatmeal cookie recipe is topped with a simple maple icing and has quickly become one of my favorite cookies. I love how quick and easy it is for the dough to mix up and can eve be frozen! They pair perfectly with my sugared cranberries and pecan snowballs, to make a nice holiday cookie tray for neighbors and friends.

    Jump to:
    • Why this recipe works
    • Ingredients for chewy oatmeal craisin cookies
    • How to make these cookies
    • Expert tips for the best cranberry oatmeal cookies
    • Recipe FAQ’s
    • Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

    Why this recipe works

    • Quick and easy recipe – This is a drop cookie style of dough which means it’s easier to contend with than a cut-out cookie. And they back up in 10-12 minutes.
    • Perfect for packaging and gifting – Are you planning on shipping cookies to loved ones this year? Sturdy drop cookies like this one are ideal for gifting and mailing.
    • Customizable for your favorite tastes – Add in dark chocolate chips or white chocolate chips or your favorite nuts. Or sub out the maple glaze topping for a bit of sea salt.
    ingredients to make oatmeal craisin cookies

    Ingredients for chewy oatmeal craisin cookies

    • Butter – I prefer to use unsalted
    • Brown Sugar – I love the caramel, molasses notes that brown sugar brings to the party.
    • Baking Soda & Salt – Don’t use baking powder as it doesn’t react the same!
    • Maple Syrup – I swapped out the traditional white sugar and used real maple syrup for a healthier natural way to help sweeten these cookies.
    • Egg – Make sure it’s room temperature so it doesn’t seize up the butter in the dough.
    • Vanilla – Of course all cookies need this classic extract to impart wonderful flavor.
    • Flour – I used good old regular all purpose flour.
    • Oats – You can use quick oats or old fashioned oats for this recipe.
    • Dried cranberries – Often called craisins

    How to make these cookies

    Using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, in a large bowl cream the butter till soft and smooth. Mix in the brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. You will cream this all together for about 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

    brown sugar being beaten into creamed butter to make cookies
    brown sugar is mixed into beaten butter
    eggs and vanilla mixed into cookie batter
    wet ingredients are added to butter and sugar

    Now add in wet ingredients of maple syrup, egg, and vanilla and mix until combined.

    With the electric mixer on low, add in the flour and mix till just combined. Now combine oats and cranberries into the cookie batter and stir till just mixed. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop cookies about 2 inches apart. Using an ice cream scoop is a great way to get the perfect size cookie dough balls.

    flour added into cookie batter
    slowly mix in flour
    now stir in oatmeal and craisins

    The cookies should take about 12 minutes in a 350 degrees f oven. Your cookies should be golden brown and slightly firm in the middle, but still soft to the touch.

    oatmeal cookies dropped onto a cookie sheet

    While the cookies are baking go ahead and whip up the glaze. The maple icing is very simple to make! Just mix the three ingredients together until it’s smooth. You want a consistency similar to molasses, so you may need to adjust the consistency with a little water or milk.

    Remove cookies when done baking, and allow to cool on a wire rack. Place rack over a large cookie sheet and drizzle with maple glaze. The cookie sheet catches the drizzle instead of your countertop.

    maple glazed cookies on a wire rack

    While the cookies are baking go ahead and whip up the glaze. The maple icing is very simple to make! Just mix the three ingredients together until it’s smooth. You want a consistency similar to molasses, so you may need to adjust the consistency with a little water or milk.

    Once the cookies are cooled, you can drizzle the maple glaze on the cookies. These are truly the perfect cookie for the holiday season and will be a huge hit with your family, neighbors, family and friends.

    oatmeal craisin cookie fresh out of the oven broken apart to reveal center

    Expert tips for the best cranberry oatmeal cookies

    • Soften Your Butter. If your butter is too cold you won’t be able to properly cream the butter and sugar together. This an important step to get the right texture. But make sure your butter isn’t too soft or melted, which can cause your cookies to spread.
    • Use A Room Temperature Egg. Cold eggs will cause your softened butter to seize up! So make sure you take your eggs out ahead of time.
    • Don’t Mix For Too Long. Overmixing at this point can cause very tough cookies in the end.
    • Bake In The Center Of Your Oven. If you bake on a higher or lower rack, your cookies may overbake or end up with burnt bottoms.
    • Make a double batch. Since they are great for gifting, you want plenty to have on hand to give and eat 🙂 They also store and freeze great.
    stack of oatmeal craisin cookies on white plate

    Recipe FAQ’s

    Can I use fresh cranberries?

    I’ve only tested with dried cranberries. Fresh cranberries will release a lot more moisture, obviously. So you may need to adjust the amount of flour you add, and adjust the baking time.

    How do I store cookies?

    These cookies are fine to store at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to a week. But you could also freeze the cookies for up to 3 months.

    Can I freeze the dough?

    If you want to get a hold of your cookie baking this year, you can also freeze the cookies before baking. Just simply scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) and freeze solid. Once they are frozen you can pop them into a plastic bag and they will keep for up to 3 months.

    When ready to bake, just bake as frozen – no need to thaw! You just need to add a few extra minutes of baking time.

    oatmeal craisin cookies with maple glaze on a vintage round cooling rack

    I can’t wait to hear how you like these cookies. I’m guessing they’ll be a hit! If they are, please consider leaving a comment and rating below. And check out these other holiday recipe favorites.

    • Baked Brie Recipe With Jam
    • Braised Christmas Brisket Recipe with Dried Fruit
    • Ginger Sugared Cranberries – 3 Ingredients
    • Festive White Chocolate Holiday Chex Mix

    Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

    These oatmeal craisin cookies are sweetened with rich maple syrup and offset by the tartness of dried cranberries, and are a wonderful treat any time of year!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes
    Total Time: 27 minutes
    Servings: 12 cookies
    Author:Andrea

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup butter unsalted and softened
    • ¼ cup brown sugar lightly packed
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • ¾ cup all purpose flour
    • 1.5 cups rolled oats quick cooking or regular
    • ¾ cups dried cranberries

    For the glaze

    • ¾ cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tbsp maple syrup
    • ½ tsp vanilla
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl beat the butter with a mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Mix in the brown sugar, baking soda and salt and beat on medium for 1-2 minutes, until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
    • Beat in the ¼ cup maple syrup, the egg and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour and beat on low.
    • Stir in the oats and cranberries
    • Drop dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges are slightly brown and firm, but center is soft.
    • Let cool on the cookie sheet for approximately 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

    For the glaze

    • In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, remaining maple syrup and vanilla, until well combined and no lumps remain. Your consistency should be like thick molasses, so add a bit of water or milk if it winds up too thick. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

    Notes

    To freeze dough, simply scoop the cookies onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) and freeze solid. Once they are frozen you can pop them into a plastic bag and they will keep for up to 3 months.
    When ready to bake, just bake as frozen – no need to thaw! You just need to add a few extra minutes of baking time.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
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    About Andrea Howe

    Andrea Howe is the recipe developer and photographer of Howe We Live. She is also a seasoned home cook of over 20 years, for her family of 5. Andrea has spent over 10 years in the food industry, writing for various publications including Babble and Disney. Her work has appeared in Real Simple, Taste of Home, Yahoo, Buzzfeed and ABC News.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. taylor says

      December 19, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      5 stars
      i don’t usually like oatmeal cookies, but these were really good!

      Reply

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