The Best Soft & Chewy Brown Butter Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies Recipe
Prepare for a truly delightful baking experience with these **oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies**! They are wonderfully soft, incredibly chewy, and burst with rich flavors. What makes them truly special? They’re made with nutty brown butter and a delicate blend of warm spices, all without needing a single electric mixer. This effortless recipe is destined to become a beloved staple in your family’s cookbook, perfect for cozy evenings or festive gatherings.
This irresistible recipe was originally published in October 2021 and has since been thoughtfully updated with an improved recipe and stunning new images to enhance your baking journey.
While I often find myself gravitating towards small batch chocolate chip cookies, there’s something uniquely comforting about oatmeal cookies that I simply can’t resist, especially as the crisp air of Fall and Winter rolls in. These super soft and gloriously chewy cookies, infused with a comforting medley of spices, are more than just a treat—they’re truly a warm hug in cookie form, promising cozy satisfaction with every bite.
These particular oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies draw inspiration from some of my most cherished recipes, including my popular spiced oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, the deeply flavorful brown butter oatmeal cookies, and the delightful coconut oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. However, this rendition introduces a delightful twist with plump, dried cranberries and a hint of rich molasses, adding an extra layer of moisture and a profound depth of flavor that sets them apart.
Whether you’re planning your Thanksgiving feast, prepping for Christmas festivities, or simply looking for an easy yet impressive dessert for any holiday gathering, these effortless oatmeal cookies are an absolute winner. Their exquisite taste and texture make them perfect for sharing, gifting, or simply indulging in yourself.
Why You’ll Adore These Brown Butter Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
These cookies aren’t just another recipe; they’re an experience. Here’s why they’ll quickly become a cherished part of your baking repertoire:
- Irresistible Brown Butter Flavor: The journey to these exceptional oatmeal cookies begins with browning the butter. This simple, yet transformative step, introduces a complex, nutty, and toasted caramel flavor profile that is utterly addictive. If you’ve never experimented with brown butter, prepare for a true baking revelation – it’s an absolute game-changer that elevates these cookies from great to gourmet.
- Aromatic Spices for Ultimate Comfort: Each bite of these cookies is a symphony of warm spices. We use a harmonious blend of fragrant cinnamon, comforting nutmeg, and a delicate touch of cardamom. This trio of spices is my ultimate secret for drop cookies, creating an inviting aroma that fills your kitchen and a cozy taste that evokes the best of fall and winter. Feel free to adjust the amounts to your personal preference, but this combination is simply divine.
- Perfect Balance of Walnuts & Tart Cranberries: The cookie dough is generously folded with vibrant dried cranberries, offering a delightful tart counterpoint to the sweetness, and wonderfully toasted walnuts. Toasting the walnuts is an optional but highly recommended step; it intensifies their earthy, buttery flavor, adding a crucial layer of depth and a satisfying crunch that complements the soft chewiness of the oats and the tartness of the cranberries.
- Effortlessly Simple – No Mixer Required!: Forget the hassle of hauling out your bulky stand mixer or even a handheld mixer. This recipe champions simplicity and accessibility. All you need are two bowls, a whisk, and a rubber spatula to bring these magnificent cookies to life. This no-fuss approach makes baking these delicious treats an enjoyable and stress-free activity for any home baker, regardless of experience.
Essential Ingredients for Your Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Crafting these delectable cookies requires a few key ingredients, each playing an important role in achieving their perfect texture and flavor:
- Rolled Oats (Old-Fashioned Oats): This is crucial for the signature chewy texture of oatmeal cookies. Ensure you’re using whole rolled oats or old-fashioned oats. Avoid quick-cooking or instant oats, as they are processed differently and will result in a drier, more powdery cookie with a less desirable texture. The hearty rolled oats absorb moisture slowly, contributing to that irresistible chewiness.
- High-Quality Butter: For an unparalleled richness and depth of flavor, I always recommend using European-style butter, such as Kerrygold. These butters typically have a higher butterfat content, which translates to a significantly creamier and more luxurious cookie. The brown butter technique further amplifies this richness, creating a truly gourmet taste.
- Aromatic Spices: Our carefully selected blend of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom provides that quintessential warm, cozy fall flavor. These spices are perfectly balanced to enhance the oats and dried cranberries. While this combination is highly recommended, feel free to experiment with your favorite warm spices like ginger or allspice if you wish to personalize the flavor profile.
- Dried Cranberries: These jewel-toned fruits add a wonderful tartness and chewy texture that beautifully contrasts with the sweet, spiced dough. You can easily swap dried cranberries for craisins, which are a common variety of sweetened dried cranberries, or even raisins for a different flavor profile. The key is their plump chewiness and bright fruity note.
- Molasses (Optional, but Recommended): While not strictly mandatory, a touch of molasses is a secret ingredient for taking these cookies to the next level. It doesn’t just add a deeper, more complex caramel-like flavor; it also contributes to the cookies’ characteristic chewiness and helps create that beautiful, rich brown hue. Opt for unsulphured molasses for the best flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: I’ve extensively tested this recipe using standard all-purpose flour, and it yields consistent, excellent results. It provides the necessary structure without making the cookies tough. For best baking practices, always measure your flour by weight using a kitchen scale for the most accurate results.
- Sugars (Brown and White): The combination of light brown sugar and granulated white sugar is essential. Brown sugar adds moisture, chewiness, and a subtle caramel note, while white sugar contributes to crisp edges and overall sweetness.
- Eggs: Large, room-temperature eggs bind the ingredients together, add moisture, and contribute to the cookies’ structure and rise.
- Baking Soda and Salt: Baking soda helps the cookies spread and creates a soft, tender crumb, while kosher salt balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
Easy Step-by-Step Instructions for Perfect Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Making these delicious cookies is simpler than you might think, especially since no stand mixer is required! Follow these detailed steps for a batch of perfectly soft and chewy treats.
Step 1: Master the Brown Butter. Begin by placing your unsalted butter in a small, light-colored saucepan. Melt it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. As it melts, it will foam and sputter. Continue to cook, keeping a close eye on it, until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn a beautiful golden brown and the butter emits a rich, nutty, toasted aroma. This typically takes about 5-7 minutes. Immediately remove it from the heat to prevent burning, then transfer the browned butter to a heatproof bowl and allow it to cool completely before proceeding. This cooling step is crucial!
Step 2: Prepare the Dry Ingredients. While your brown butter cools, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium-sized bowl. Whisking ensures that the leavening agents and spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is vital for a consistent cookie texture and flavor. Set this bowl aside.
Step 3: Combine Wet Ingredients for the Base. Once the brown butter has cooled to room temperature (it should no longer be warm to the touch, but still liquid), add the light brown sugar, granulated white sugar, vanilla extract, and the optional (but highly recommended) molasses to the bowl. Whisk these ingredients together until they are well combined and smooth, creating a luscious base for your cookie dough. The molasses adds both flavor and chewiness.
Step 4: Incorporate Eggs for Structure. Next, crack in the two large, room-temperature eggs. Whisk them into the wet ingredient mixture until everything is thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened. Ensure the eggs are fully integrated before moving on.
Step 5: Mix in Dry Ingredients & Inclusions. Pour the whisked dry ingredients (flour, spices, etc.) into the wet mixture. Then, add the rolled oats, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold all the ingredients together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Stop mixing as soon as no streaks of dry flour remain.
Step 6: Chill the Dough. Cover the cookie dough bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 45 minutes. This chilling period is critical; it allows the flavors to meld, the oats to absorb moisture, and the butter to firm up, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking and ensures a thicker, chewier final product. While the dough chills, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
Step 7: Scoop and Bake. Once the dough is adequately chilled, remove it from the fridge. Using a 2.5-3 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the dough. Place the cookie dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets to allow for proper spreading. Bake one sheet at a time for 11-13 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are set and lightly golden brown, but the centers still appear slightly soft and underbaked. This ensures a wonderfully soft and chewy interior. Overbaking will result in harder cookies.
Step 8: Cool and Enjoy. Once out of the oven, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. This allows them to firm up slightly before you transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy these warm, spiced, and utterly delightful brown butter oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies!
Expert Tips & Tricks for Baking the Best Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Achieve cookie perfection with these insider tips and tricks, designed to help you get the most out of this delightful recipe:
- Precision with a Weighing Scale: For consistent and professional baking results, I cannot stress enough the importance of using a digital kitchen scale to measure your ingredients, especially flour and oats. Recipes are often developed using metric grams, and measuring by weight is far more accurate than using volume (cups), which can vary significantly depending on how you scoop. This precision will make a huge difference in the texture and outcome of your cookies.
- Perfecting the Brown Butter: Don’t rush this step! Ensure your butter is fully browned – you’re looking for amber-colored milk solids at the bottom of the pan and a distinct, fragrant, nutty aroma. This rich, toasted flavor is what sets these cookies apart. Once you see those golden flecks, remove it from the heat immediately to avoid burning, and allow it to cool completely before mixing with other ingredients.
- Flavorful Add-In Variations: While cranberries and walnuts are a classic combination, feel free to get creative! You can easily swap the walnuts for white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips for an extra layer of sweetness, or even caramel chips for a decadent twist. Chopped pecans or macadamia nuts would also make excellent substitutes for walnuts.
- The Secret to Soft & Chewy Cookies: Slightly Underbake: My golden rule for achieving extra soft and perfectly chewy oatmeal cookies is to always slightly underbake them. Take them out of the oven when the edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers still look a bit soft, gooey, and barely set. They will continue to cook slightly from residual heat on the baking sheet as they cool, leading to that coveted tender texture.
- Crucial Chilling Time: Do not skip or shorten the chilling time for the cookie dough! This step is essential for several reasons: it allows the dry ingredients, especially the oats, to fully hydrate, developing deeper flavors and preventing a gritty texture. More importantly, it firms up the butter in the dough, which significantly reduces spreading in the oven, ensuring your cookies are thick, chewy, and hold their shape beautifully.
- Room Temperature Eggs: Ensure your eggs are at room temperature. This helps them emulsify better with the butter and sugar mixture, creating a smoother dough and a more uniform texture in your baked cookies. If you forget, you can quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough: Once you add the dry ingredients and inclusions (oats, cranberries, walnuts) to the wet mixture, mix only until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can lead to tough, dense cookies instead of soft and tender ones.
Frequently Asked Questions About Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
For those picture-perfect round cookies, here’s a clever trick: immediately after taking your baked cookies out of the oven, use a large circular cookie cutter (or even the rim of a glass) that is slightly larger than your cookies. Place it over a cookie and gently scoot or swirl the cutter around the cookie’s edges. This smooths out any irregular shapes and coaxes the cookie into a perfectly round form while it’s still warm and pliable.
Hard oatmeal cookies are often the result of a few common baking mistakes. Firstly, you might have added too much flour, leading to a dry dough. Always measure flour by weight if possible for accuracy. Secondly, overbaking is a primary culprit; if the cookies stay in the oven for too long, they lose too much moisture and become crisp rather than chewy. Lastly, overmixing the cookie dough can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in a dense and tough cookie texture. Remember to mix only until just combined.
I strongly advise against using instant oats or quick-cooking oats for this recipe. I have tested these oatmeal cookies with instant oats, and the results were consistently disappointing; the cookies turned out extremely dry and lacked the signature chewy texture that rolled oats provide. Instant oats are pre-cooked and finely cut, meaning they absorb liquid much faster and don’t offer the same structural integrity or bite as old-fashioned rolled oats. Stick to rolled oats for the best outcome!
These delicious oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies stay wonderfully fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls. Simply scoop them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, there’s no need to thaw; just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
While this recipe uses all-purpose flour, you can experiment with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend for a gluten-free version. Ensure your oats are certified gluten-free, as oats can sometimes be processed in facilities with wheat. Be aware that the texture might vary slightly, but many 1:1 blends perform very well in cookie recipes.
Expand Your Baking Repertoire: Try These Delicious Cookie Recipes Next!
- Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
- Brown Butter Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip and Marshmallow Cookies
If you’ve had the pleasure of making these delightful cookies, please don’t hesitate to leave a ⭐️ rating and a thoughtful review below! I absolutely love seeing your culinary creations, so be sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can admire your masterpieces! You can also follow along with my latest recipes and baking adventures on Pinterest, Facebook, and TikTok for more delicious inspiration!
Recipe Card
Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
Ella Gilbert
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup cranberries
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon molasses unsulphured
Instructions
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Place your butter in a small, light-colored saucepan and melt over medium-low heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter begins to foam and sputter. Keep a close watch; the white milk solids will eventually turn a beautiful light brown, and the butter will emit a distinct nutty and toasted aroma. This process can take around 5-7 minutes. Once browned, immediately take it off the heat to prevent burning.1 cup unsalted butter
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Pour the hot browned butter into a separate heatproof bowl and allow it to cool completely to room temperature. This is crucial for the cookie dough’s consistency.
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While the butter cools, you have the option to toast the walnuts for an enhanced flavor. Preheat your oven to 350℉/175℃. Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking dish or tray and toast for 5-7 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely before adding to the dough.½ cup walnuts
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, kosher salt, and baking soda until thoroughly combined. Setting this aside ensures all dry ingredients are evenly distributed.1 ¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
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Once the brown butter has cooled, add the light brown sugar, white sugar, molasses (if using), and vanilla extract to it. Whisk diligently until the mixture is completely smooth and well-incorporated.1 cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup white sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon molasses
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Add the two room-temperature eggs to the wet mixture. Whisk again until the eggs are fully integrated and the mixture is smooth and cohesive.2 large eggs
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Pour the prepared dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Then, add the rolled oats, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. Using a sturdy rubber spatula, gently fold all the ingredients together. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix, as this can make your cookies tough. Stop as soon as no pockets of dry flour are visible.2 ½ cups rolled oats, 1 cup cranberries, ½ cup walnuts
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Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for a minimum of 45 minutes. This chilling period is essential; it allows the flavors to deepen, the oats to hydrate, and the dough to firm up, preventing excessive spreading during baking for thicker, chewier cookies.
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While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; this prevents sticking and ensures even baking.
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Remove the chilled cookie dough from the fridge. Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the dough into uniform balls. Place the cookie dough balls 3-4 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets to allow for proper spread. Bake them 6 cookies at a time per sheet, for 11-13 minutes. I strongly recommend baking one sheet at a time for optimal results. You want the edges to be set and lightly golden, but the middles should still appear slightly soft and underbaked. This ensures a beautifully soft and chewy center.
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Once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This resting period allows them to firm up without becoming brittle.
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Notes
Butter: I use European style butter, like Kerrygold, in my recipes. This will make your finished bake much creamier and richer.
Cranberries: You can swap them out for craisins (sweetened dried cranberries), raisins, or even dried cherries for a slight variation. You can also leave them out altogether if preferred.
Walnuts: Toasting the walnuts is optional but highly recommended for boosting their flavor. You can easily swap them out for pecans for a similar nutty crunch, or for white chocolate chips if you prefer a different texture and sweetness.
Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. As a general rule, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt is equivalent to ½ teaspoon of fine table salt.
Storage: Keep the baked cookies fresh by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer-term storage, you can freeze unbaked cookie dough balls. When you’re ready to bake, simply place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet and bake for an extra minute or two until golden.
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