I knew I needed an intervention when I came to the bottom of my bottle of molasses. I mean, who finishes an entire bottle of molasses?!? That’s like finishing a bottle of nail polish — it just doesn’t happen. Molasses is one of those things that hangs out in the back of your pantry for decades, waiting with bated breath every time you reach for a sweetener, only to be passed over in favour of its milder cousins, brown sugar and honey.
But there I was, standing in my kitchen clutching an inverted bottle of molasses as I impatiently waited for that last sluggish tablespoon to make its way down the side of the bottle and into my mixing bowl. Needless to say, I was standing there for quite some time. I needed it, though — needed my fix. After all, what good was trying to make a [third] batch of chocolate gingerbread brownies without the molasses? No good at all.
Now, I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so I took that as a sign that it was time to step away from the bottle [of molasses] and move on to a new obsession. Allow me to introduce you to it…
White chocolate and cranberries — a match made in heaven. You’ve got your slightly-too-sweet chocolate on the one hand, and your slightly-too-tart cranberries on the other. Put them together and you’re left with that kind of perfect harmony that seems to only exist in the movies… but better because its edible. And I haven’t even told you the best part…
While white chocolate and cranberries are good, what really sets these cookies apart is the addition of orange zest. I know they usually say three’s a crowd, but in this case three’s what takes things from “Man, this is delicious!” to “holy sh*t… fsssshaaaawlalalala.” Exactly. So… white chocolate, cranberries, and orange — my newest downfall obsession.
It took me three tries (and two meltdowns) to get this recipe right, but it was more than worth it. Batch #1 failed because I had a brain fart and somehow only ended up tossing in half the amount of oats that I was supposed to. Batch #2 failed because there was [apparently] too much butter in the dough and I was left with a solid tray of melted oatmeal cookie bark. But batch #3? Batch #3 was good…
Slightly crisp on the outside while being soft and chewy on the inside, these guys are pretty much everything I look for in a perfect oatmeal cookie. Not only do they melt in your mouth in a way that only the most comforting of cookies do, but they offer up an absolutely amazing shot of flavour in the process. Sweet white chocolate and tart dried cranberries rounded out by an aromatic hint of citrus — feel free to swoon.
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White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the egg, orange zest, and almond extract, mixing until light and fluffy — about 2-3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients. Stir in oats, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 -12 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden brown.
- After removing from oven, allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
I love oats in cookies (and a lot of other things too : ) Lately I’ve been loving the combination of cilantro pesto and mashed avocado – on a slice of toast. so so good.
I love love love white chocolate!! Though we do not have white choc chips here – means I have to pound a big bar to death in a ziploc bag. Fine for me as long as I get this crack!
Absolutely adore the combo – genius girl! Ever thought of opening Amanda’s Sweet Treats Store??
I’m not a huge white chocolate fan but your pics are convincing me otherwise! Beautiful photography, Amanda!
I recently tried coconut butter for the first time and love combining it with a little of peanut butter to top my oats with – delish!
Yum. These look so good! I definitely prefer chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal. Also, I’m sooo jealous of all the snowboarding you get in. I think I need to move out west.
We definitely have some amazing resorts out here! I may be biased, but the Rockies are pretty epic 😉
I know, it is banal, but I in a phase chocolate + peppermint right now. I prepared party of truffles, I drink on a cocoa cup with mint every evening and I do oatmeal with this taste 😀
I think, any thing sounds better together with chocolate. So if to choose between cookies with chocolate and oats and the same cookies without oats… I will choose both! It is necessary to try very much to spoil such cookies 😉
Get in my belly! I like seeing more cranberry popping up here n’ there.
Santa would love these cookies…. and lets face it, ME TOO! I think the milk in the mason jar is such a nice touch. Feels like home!! Your creative touches are great. 🙂
These are amazing!!! I had a cookie meltdown too this weekend. I was making butter cookies and even took the time to pipe them but when they came out of the oven it was one flat tray of cookie. So upset. So the next time I doubled the flour and made shortbread! That meant that I had to polish off the whole tray of flat cookies and then taste test the shortbread….I am supposed to take them to Curt’s family but there’s 5 left. Whoops!
Can you make me a couple dozen and go ahead and mail them to me?? They would make the perfect Christmas Eve nightcap 😉
These look great! My cousin gave me a mason jar full of similar ingredients for a DIY Christmas gift last year! They were SOOOO good. So I am excited to see a different recipe for them!
Quick question…I love your new signature! How did you make it???
Just a quick session with Photoshop. You could probably use PicMonkey to make one as well.
Mmmm white chocolate chips + cranberry is an amazing combo! Perfect for the Christmas season! I love oats in my cookies – makes them soft and chewy!
Oh my gosh there are cookie recipes everywhere today and they all look amazing! I love oatmeal in cookies. Classic oatmeal raisin is good, but even better with chocolate chips.
I am shocked you used an entire bottle of molasses! That’s impressive.
But yes, it was definitely a good thing since these were the result. They look fabulous!! I can imagine the orange zest really takes them over the top.
Good job not giving up. I usually quit after one meltdown.
My dad would love these. Well.. he’ll eat anything under the sun really, but he enjoys a good cookie, especially one that uses his fave type of chocolate. I don’t love white chocolate but I will eat it in cookies! White chocolate and cranberries are a great pair, like you said they balance out well.
Girrrllll you are the cookie queen! These look so divine. I may just have to pluck five or seven or a hundred right off the screen and go to town. I feel ya on the failed attempts….I made the weirdest pancakes this morning. Like totally sad and flat and wet. Wahhhhh! My hungry self still ate them….dunked in Justin’s maple almond butter, obvi.
P.S. I can and will plow through my molasses before the nail polish.
Justin’s makes everything better <3 I can't even tell you how many failed recipes I've salvaged with almond butter 😆
These look SO good! There’s nothing better than a fresh, warm, soft cookie. Well, maybe there is, but the cookies here in the office are hard as rocks now. So yeah.. 🙂 Happy Monday!
One of my all time favorite flavor trios for sure. Just added this to my must try list 🙂 How you continue to nail everything I love week in and week out, I have no idea, but please feel free to keep it up 😉
Omg these look amazing! I love all these things. And it will give me a reason to finally go buy a zester!
I used the finer side of my grater if you have one of those!
I love the combination of white chocolate and fruit like cranberries or cherries! I’m definitely making these. Thanks for going through 3 trials so we could have a perfect cookie! 😉
I’ve pinned practically every recipe you’ve posted since I started reading your blog. They always sounds so amazing and this one is no exception! Oatmeal cookies are such a favorite of mine and adding in white chocolate chips and cranberries makes them even better!
I’ll be linking up on Thursday! 🙂
Oatmeal cookies are and will always be one of my fav cookies. I have never made a bad batch! These look great and perfect for the holidays!
Do you know what I love most about you and your recipes. They are proper baking. No substitutes. Just proper, yummy butter-infused baking. I LOVE IT and it can be a rare thing to find these days. These sound and look amazing! I’m rubbing my hands together at the thought of festive baking when I get home for the holidays! My and my mum are already compiling a ‘to be baked’ list!
I’ve never had oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Bog standard oat-free ones are my favourite so clearly this is something that needs to be rectified. *edits Christmas baking list…*
You definitely need to give the oat version a try! They add the most wonderful comforting chewy texture. Gah! So good.
White choc & cranberry is such a good flavour combo. Mmmm. COOKIES ALWAYS NEED OATS – are you kidding me right now?! Hahaha
I love white chocolate and cranberries together! These sound so good, perfect treat to help the sadness of an empty molasses jar. I want to try to make those brownies! I made soft molasses cookies this weekend and was reminded how I love the flavor.
White chocolate with cranberries is one of my favorite flavor combinations too! I actually have a cookie on the blog that is similar, but doesn’t have orange zest or oats. I love the addition of both and any cookie is better with chocolate chips, for sure! Love your pictures too!
Ok these look so good!! But besides that, your story telling skills are impeccable. I feel like a fly on the wall and I’m watching you and your last bottle of molasses haha
I’m glad no one was there to witness the level I stooped to! It was a sad day 😉
Swooning now. You never cease to amaze me with the creative combinations and your passion for getting the recipe just right! Thanks from all of us!
Those look delicious!
So when will your cookbook be available? Seriously, you could publish a cookbook complete with your recipes, well-written descriptions, and enticing photographs.
Favorite flavour/combo? (Words like flavour look so much better written as flavour versus the dull American flavor.) I’ve been on an apple kick lately. I enjoy Ezekiel cereal topped with diced apple, raisins, almonds, and milk.
I’m an anomaly, I actually do not like chocolate chips (blasphemy, I know) but I do like oatmeal cookies especially with raisins.
I actually -adore- oatmeal raisin cookies. And have you ever tried them iced? GAH! Perfection.
No, never had them iced. I’ll have to take your word for it. Do you participate in any Christmas cookie exchanges?
I have in the past, but not this year — no one I knew was hosting any and the idea just kind of fell through the cracks. Shame 🙁
white chocolate and cranberries certainly are a match made in heaven!!
These literally look like perfection! I have a feeling they will be well worth the 2 failed attempts
Here’s the thing with me – I love oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies (I think I make the best there is btw) and I love love love chocolate chip cookies. I enjoy a simply oatmeal chocolate chip but nothing compares to an original chocolate chip….I can’t even say that I have a favorite combo at the moment because if you give me orginal cc, that’s my fave. But if you give me a peanut butter chocolate chip, I will tell you that’s my fave. There are worse things to be so indecisive about.
The -best- oatmeal raisin cookies? That’s quite the claim, lady! I’m afraid I’m going to need a batch for testing purposes 😉
White Chocolate and Cranberries are soooo good together and those cookies look delish!
We usually make our chocolate chip cookies without oats but I like them both ways. Oh and pretty love anything that is Salted Caramel!
Mmmm I love adding oatmeal to cookies! Right now I am digging butterscotch coconut oatmeal cookies. Weird combo, but good!
Oh daaaaang those look amazing. I love chewy cookies and I love the texture of oatmeal in baking. YUM! I totally want some of these!
These are gorgeous girl! When I was a little gir, white chocolate and I were BFF’s. I’ve been meaning to buy a block of cacao butter to try something like this with since I can’t do sugar. I love cranberries this time of year too, but oddly enough, it’s the only time of the year they excite me!
i meant marvelous cookies – sorry bout that brain fart of mine…clearly I need mo than 3 hrs of sleep!
3 hours?! Gah! I don’t know how you do it Shashi! I’d be dead on my feet. But clearly it’s the magic of the PB/chocolate/oat combo 😉
I adore oatmeal cookies – and these ones with white chocolate, cranberries and orange jest sound fantastic Amanda!
A flavor am eternally and forever in love with is peanut butter! I know you are allergic – but could you imagine these cookies with AB? Gawwwsh!!!!! 🙂
Chocolate chip cookies with/without oats is an ongoing hot debate in my house – my daughter does not like oats and well – oats, PB and chocolate chips are 3 of my main food groups!
Happy Monday lovely lady and thanks for suffering through 2 failed batches to share these marvelous muffins with us!
Woah! The name of these cookies sure is a mouth full. Ha Ha! I do wish I had a mouth full of them though. Bummer about having two failed attempts, please don’t tell me you threw the batter away though? If you did, keep it a secret =)
Wow these look heavenly! At this rate do not be surprised if I show up at your door one of these days 😉 ..but on second thought whipping up a batch would be much more convenient since this recipe looks awesomely easy.
Hot food combo of the moment : Nut butter & honey/jam
Choc chip cookies with oatmeal for sure.
Nut butter and honey — a girl after my own heart <3 I tried adding a little orange zest to my normal AB/honey oats this morning and I think I'm obsessed. Talk about taking things to a WHOLE other level.