Soft and chewy Healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies studded with bright red cranberries and white chocolate, and flavored with cinnamon and orange zest. Made in one bowl and no dough chilling is required.
Other oatmeal cookies we love are these oatmeal pistachio cookies, sugar free oatmeal cookies and healthy oatmeal cookies.
Reader’s Review
OMG!!! Thank you for the recipe, absolutely delicious. I added in some nuts and chia and they are awesome. Thank you and keep up the GOODNESS!!!
Silvia Sanchez
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe: These healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies come together in one bowl.
- No dough chilling: You can mix and bake cookies right away. Perfect for any last minute holiday parties!
- Healthier: My cranberry oatmeal cookies use less sugar, butter and can be made with fresh or frozen cranberries.
- Naturally gluten free: Perfect for gifting and parties.
- Gorgeous: Studded with bright red cranberries, just like cranberry orange bread, these festive cookies will stand out on the dessert table.
Ingredients for Healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Almond flour or almond meal: Both have the same effect and will result in the same cookie. I prefer almond flour as I buy it in bulk at Costco. Or follow this quick tutorial and make your own almond flour.
- Oats: Old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. Gluten free, if necessary.
- Sugar: Cane sugar or coconut sugar. If you are wanting a sweeter cookie, cane sugar is sweeter. You could also try erythritol like I do in healthy sugar cookies and almond flour shortbread cookies.
- Butter or coconut oil: Both will work. Make sure to measure after it’s been melted.
- Pure vanilla extract: Not imitation, pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Egg: For binding. I have not tried a flax egg in this healthy oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe but it may work.
- Baking soda: Helps leaven the cookie dough resulting in a soft and chewy texture.
- Cinnamon and orange zest: Adds holiday flavor.
- Cranberries: You can use either fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries. See recipe card notes.
- White chocolate chips: They add a lovely chunky texture and added sweetness. The accents of white complement the red cranberries in a very festive way.
How to Make Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Combine wet ingredients with flavorings: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt for about 1 minute. Then whisk in melted butter.
- Add dry ingredients: Stir in the oats and almond flour until just combined and gently stir in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.
- Stir and scoop: Take your cookie scoop to scoop out the dough on the prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart from each other. Cookies won’t spread too much, so flatten them with your fingers into about 1-inch thick discs.
- Bake and cool the cookies: Bake cookies at 375 F for 13 minutes. When the cookies start to turn golden brown they should be done, don’t over bake. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Tips for Best Results
- Line your cookie sheet: I like to use unbleached parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. It helps cookies bake more evenly and slows spreading, prevents cracking when removing from the sheet and most importantly, it prevents sticking!
- Don’t make substitutions: I do not advise using any other flour like all-purpose flour etc. Don’t use applesauce instead of oil or butter. Don’t add liquid maple syrup instead of dry sugar. Baking is a science and making any modifications will result in cake like cookies.
- Let cookies cool down: At first out of the oven, these healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies will be soft but cooling for 30 minutes will give them time to solidify.
- Frozen cranberries: Great results! No need to thaw them first.
Variations
- Raisins: Swap out the raisins for dried cranberries and you’ve got healthy oatmeal raisin cookies.
- Dark chocolate: Skip white chocolate chips altogether or swap them out for dark or milk chocolate chips.
- Nuts: Add pecans or walnuts for a toasty nutty crunchy bite. Depending on what nuts you use, it may add a bit of a salty balance to the sweet and tart combination of the cookie.
- Zest: Cinnamon and orange are in a committed relationship but sometimes lemon just comes along and gives orange a run for its money. Lemon zest might be a nice twist, but you can also omit the zest completely.
- Steel cut oats: Quick cooking steel cut oats can be used, however not regular steel cut oats as they will not have enough time to cook.
- Sugar: You can use brown sugar or even a sugar free sweetener. Just no liquid sweeteners.
How to Store
Store: Healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies store well uncovered in a cool dry place for up to 5 days. If you want to ship them, bake them with dried cranberries instead of fresh ones.
Freeze: Freeze cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Just thaw them on the counter for a few hours before you’re ready to serve and eat!
More Healthy Cookies Recipes
- Dubai chocolate oatmeal cookies
- Breakfast cookies
- Blueberry oatmeal cookies
- Healthy banana oatmeal cookies
- Almond flour chocolate chip cookies
- Oat flour Christmas monster cookies
- Healthy gingersnap cookies
- Healthy skillet cookie
Healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
One bowl Healthy Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are soft, chewy, studded with bright red cranberries and white chocolate. No dough chilling is necessary.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup cane sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, of whole large orange
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, or coconut oil, melted (measured after)
- 2 cups rolled oats, or quick oats
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour, or almond meal
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, or 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries*
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, or chopped white chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add an egg, sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add melted butter and whisk to combine.
- Stir in oats and almond flour until combined. Then stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips. Let cookie dough sit for 5 minutes.
- Using large cookie scoop, scoop dough, place on prepared baking sheet 1-inch apart (cookies do not spread much) and flatten with fingers into a cookie shape, about 1" thick.
- Bake for 13 minutes or until cookies start to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool off for another 30 minutes. Enjoy!
🎉 Last step! If you made this recipe, please leave a review and let us know what you think!
Notes
- Store: Store in a cool dry place for up to 5 days uncovered, otherwise cookies will become too soft.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours.
- *Cranberries: If you use fresh or frozen cranberries, sugar amount will drop to 5 grams per each cookie. They also will be a bit more wet but still good.
- Update 2025: Recipe very mildly updated December 2025 to improve texture. New photos as well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 64mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!
Can I use plain flour instead almond flour!
Unfortunately not, this recipe has only been tested with almond flour or almond meal.
Hi there can you use applesauce instead of oil or butter?
Thanks
Phil
The recipe has not been tested as such, but you could try. Usually in cookies, replacing butter/oil with applesauce leads to a change in flavor/texture – and they are more cake-like rather than cookie.
Hi Olena, can I use jaggery to substitute cane sugar?
Hi Shital. I have never baked with jaggery. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Really good! I love the hint of orange from the zest!
Big thumbs up from my family and I love that I don’t feel guilty about eating them!
Right?! I love me a guilt free treat!
Everytime I want to try a new recipe you are the first place I search. Your recipes are easy for busy working women or moms and they are SO FREAKING delicious. Everything I have tried from your recipes has been nothing short of amazing. Thank you for your passion and great flavors
Thank you so much for your kind words. Means so much to me!
Beautiful recipe…
I have been following you for a while now and I love your no nonsense approach to food. I am on an all plant diet for health reasons and am always looking forward to your recipes. I would comment more often, but your links don’t always work. My all time favorite is your almond chocolate chip cookies. Yes – I do make an exception to my diet for chocolate. After all, I am Belgian 🙂
There is nothing wrong with a bit of sugar sometimes.:) And more plants can’t be a bad thing ever! I wonder what links don’t work for you. Would love to get it solved.
Oh my, OLena! These are the best cranberry orange oatmeal cookies I have ever tried! YUM!
I love this recipe. What do you think I could use instead of coconut oil? Thanks!
Hi Sherry. You could use butter. Are you allergic to coconut oil?