Walnut Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Walnut oatmeal cranberry cookies are soft, chewy brown butter cookies filled with dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. This easy recipe comes together without a mixer. They're perfect for fall and the holiday season!

Prep Time30

Cook Time11

Chill Time30

Total Time1 12

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: cookies

Calories: 173kcal

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter melted or browned, see instructions
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil optional
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats old fashioned or whole rolled oats
½ cup walnuts toasted then chopped
½ cup dark brown sugar packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup dried cranberries

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Melt or brown the butter. To brown it, add butter to a medium skillet set over medium heat. Stir occasionally as the butter melts. Once melted, reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking the butter, stirring frequently. The butter will get foamy and bubbly then it will get quiet and turn an amber color and will have a nutty aroma. You'll also see brown bits start to form on the bottom. This browning will take around 4-6 minutes once the butter has melted. When the butter reaches this stage, remove it from the heat. Pour the brown butter into a small heat proof bowl. Set aside to cool til no longer warm to the touch.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread oats and walnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, chop walnuts.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, olive oil (if using), sugars, egg, vanilla.
Stir in the dry ingredients with a spatula til just combined then stir in the cranberries and walnuts. Do not over mix. Chill uncovered in the fridge for 30 minutes.
While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop cookie dough with a medium cookie scoop. Roll dough into a ball then set a few inches apart on the baking sheet. Gently press down to about 1/2 an inch thickness. Put the rest of the dough in the fridge.
Bake for 9-11 minutes til the middles are puffed and edges are golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

Extra virgin olive oil (optional): The browning process causes some of the water to evaporate from the butter. A tablespoon of olive oil replaces some of the water lost from evaporation. Olive oil also makes the cookies even more delicious!

Flour: For thicker cookies, use 1 cup of flour. For thinner, flatter cookies use 3/4 cup. I prefer them right in the middle, so I recommend 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons.

Brown sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar. I recommend dark brown sugar for a richer flavor. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh and free of lumps.

Oats: Use old fashioned rolled oats or whole rolled oats. I don't recommend quick cooking oats for this recipe. For thinner, more chewy cookies, use 3/4 cup of oats instead of 1 cup.

Measure flour and oats carefully: Too much flour or oats can make cookies heavy and dry. The best way to measure is with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, gently spoon them into the cup and level off. Don’t scoop or pack it down.

Cranberries: Instead of dried cranberries, use raisins, craisins or Raisinets. For other add in ideas, swap in chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate or butterscotch chips in place of the nuts or cranberries.

Gluten free: To make these cookies gluten free, swap in a 1-to-1 all purpose gluten free baking flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) and gluten free old fashioned oats.

Storage: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Nutrition