Cranberry Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Lightly spiced oatmeal cookies studded with cranberries and dark chocolate are a not too sweet treat that are sure to have you coming back for more.

These chewy oatmeal cookies have a hint of cinnamon mixed with cranberries and dark chocolate chips. They are a fun more grown up twist on festive cranberry cookies. They would make a lovely addition to your Christmas cookie repertoire but are a perfect dessert all year long.

 I have been on a mission to clean out my pantry. So our menus lately have been based as much as possible on what we have and picking up as few groceries as possible.

I want to make sure nothing ends up shoved in the back corner only to be seen again after Little Dude graduates from high school.  I hate food waste and am a big believer in using what you have to its its fullest.

What does that have to do with these cookies? A lot, in fact!

 I was in the mood for baking (like always!) So I went to my bin of stir ins to see what caught my eye.

There was a bag dried cranberries that piqued my interest and I always have oatmeal on hand. So it seemed some a cranberry version of oatmeal cookies was in order.

I based the dough off of Andrea’s oatmeal raisin cookies because those cookies were such a big hit with my coworkers. I was tempted to leave them just as a cranberry oatmeal cookie, but the bags of chocolate chips were right there staring at me asking to be used.

It was tempting to stir in white baking chips as they seem to be what you see paired with cranberries in cookies most often. For some reason the dark chocolate chips were really calling my name.

I am so glad I went with the dark chocolate chips. They add such a rich flavor and paired with a hint of cinnamon and the cranberry gave a really sophisticated and festive flavor.

It also cut down the sweetness in the finished cookies. The balance of flavors really was amazing!

Tips for storing and freezing your cookies

These cookies can be stored at room temperature for at least a week. If you add a slice of white sandwich bread in the airtight container with the cookies they will stay soft longer.

Cookies like these freeze beautifully as well. Put them in a freezer bag and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

You can also freeze balls of dough to bake later. Scoop the dough onto cookie sheets and place in the freezer for several hours. Then move the frozen balls of dough to a freezer bag and return to the freezer.

When ready to bake, grab the desired number of cookie dough balls and bake as directed. They may need an extra minute or two of bake time, but can be baked right from the freezer.

I brought a tray of these cookies and some cashew bear paw candies to work with me and the whole tray was wiped clean in less than two days. I’d say both were a hit!

For another tasty cookie, try making oatmeal scotchies. They are chewy and bursting with butterscotch flavor.

What are your favorite recipes for using dried cranberries? And what are your favorite cookie stir ins? I’d love to hear about it in the comments or on social media.