Soft and chewy, full of warm spices and buttery oats, with just enough sweet cranberry sass and melty white chocolate to make you feel like you’ve got your life together (even if you don’t).
Okay, full disclosure: I wasn’t planning to make cookies today. I was going to be productive. I had a list. There were goals. But then the cranberries looked at me with those little raisin-ey eyes and whispered, “What if… you didn’t?”
So I didn’t.
And thank goodness, because these cookies turned out to be exactly the kind of magical kitchen accident that deserves its own parade. They’re soft. They’re chewy. They’re the perfect mix of tart and sweet, hearty and delicate. Basically, they’re the cookie equivalent of wrapping up in a fluffy blanket, lighting a candle, and deciding you can survive this week after all.
If you’ve never made cookies with almond extract and nutmeg before — you’re about to enter your main character era. These two flavors sneak into the background and make everything taste just a little more special. Like your cookies got dressed up for a party and still remembered to bring snacks.
Here’s the part where I pretend I made these to give to a neighbor or a teacher or that one friend who keeps adulting like a pro… but let’s be real. I made these for me. And I regret nothing.
Feel like regretting nothing with me?
White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Cookies
Soft and chewy, full of warm spices and buttery oats, with just enough sweet cranberry sass and melty white chocolate to make you feel like you’ve got your life together (even if you don’t).
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened like your resolve on a Monday morning
- 1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 extra large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond flavoring
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups oats (old-fashioned, please—no speedy flakes here)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- First things first — Take those cranberries and toss them in a small pot with 1 cup of water. Bring it to a gentle boil (like your emotions during the last episode of your favorite show). Drain them completely and let them cool.
- In a big mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy enough to nap on.
- Crack in those eggs and beat until everything is smooth and unified, like a well-behaved sibling group. Add the vanilla and almond flavoring and mix again.
- Toss in the salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Stir stir stir. Then slowly add your flour and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the oats, cranberries, and white chocolate chips. This is the moment it becomes a cookie party. Chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, because we are civilized cookie humans. Gently flatten each cookie.
- Bake at 375°F for 11 minutes or until the edges are just barely golden and the middle still looks a little soft. Trust the process.
- Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then move to a wire rack… or directly to your mouth. No judgment
These cookies freeze beautifully, ship well, and will earn you immediate “favorite child” status at any holiday gathering. Or you can just hide them in the pantry and whisper “mine” while eating them in fuzzy socks. Again—no judgment.
