Orange cranberry oatmeal cookies feel a bit special and come together quickly. They are soft and chewy with crispy edges, loaded with dried cranberries and packed with real orange flavor from orange zest. This easy cookie recipe requires no chill time and will have two dozen cookies ready in about 30 minutes. The cookies feel fresh and a little festive at the same time, making them perfect for a summer day or a holiday cookie plate!
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I’ve always been honest about my love of oatmeal cookies. Brown butter oatmeal cookies, coconut oatmeal cookies and classic oatmeal butterscotch cookies are some of my faves. But I wanted something new and a little unexpected and these orange cranberry cookies fit the bill perfectly.
After baking cookies for more decades than I care to admit, these chewy oat cookies hit all the right notes. The orange zest gives them a bright flavor that keeps you coming back for more. The orange glaze is optional, but honestly, it is worth making. It takes just a few extra minutes and adds a sweet citrusy finish that makes them a little more special. If you love a good cranberry recipe, my cranberry white chocolate scones, orange cranberry cake, and orange cranberry sugar cookie bars are other good recipes to add to your list.
♥️ why make these orange cranberry cookies?
- The orange flavor is REAL, coming from fresh zest worked into the sugar.
- The mixture of orange sugar and dark brown sugar gives them a balanced richness.
- Loaded with dried cranberries for a chewy, tart bite in every single cookie.
- One bowl for the dough, cold ingredients and no chill time!
- The optional orange glaze is simple to make and makes the cookies look bakery worthy.
🍊 ingredient notes
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
Butter ~ this recipe starts with cold, cubed unsalted butter. Cold butter helps control the spread and gives you a thicker, chewier cookie. If you only have salted butter, leave out the kosher salt.
Orange zest ~ fresh zest is the key here. I use a Microplane zester for the finest zest. You will work the zest right into the granulated sugar with your clean fingers, which releases the oils and gives the whole dough that bright orange flavor. Set a teaspoon of zest aside if you plan to make the glaze.
Dark brown sugar ~ I always reach for dark brown sugar in my cookie recipes. It adds more moisture and a deeper, almost caramel-like flavor. Light brown sugar will work if that is what you have.
Cornstarch ~ a tablespoon of cornstarch helps keep these cookies soft and reduces spreading. It can be left out if needed, but the cookies may spread a little more without it.
Old-fashioned rolled oats ~ use old-fashioned oats, not quick oats. Old-fashioned oats give you that classic chewy oatmeal cookie texture. Quick oats will make the cookies softer and a little less chewy, which changes the whole experience.
Dried cranberries ~ these add chew, tartness, and a beautiful pop of color. Save a few to press onto the tops of the cookie dough balls before baking to give them that bakery look that everyone notices.
🥣 how to make soft and chewy oat cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare baking sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a bowl, use your clean fingers to work the zest of 1 orange (hold aside a teaspoon for the icing or leave about ¼ of the orange unzested until you make the icing) into the granulated sugar.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cold and cubed butter and kosher salt until softened. Scrape up and down the bowl.
Then add the dark brown sugar and orange granulated sugar, and beat until light and fluffy.
Scrape down your bowl and add pure vanilla extract and the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined. Scrape up and down your bowl again.
With the mixer on low, add the baking soda and cornstarch and mix on low, until fully combined. Then add the all-purpose flour and blend until a few large streaks of flour remain. Scrape up and down the bowl.
Add in the old-fashioned oats and dried cranberries, save some aside if you want to put them on top of the cookie dough and mix until just combined.
Using a cookie scoop (I use a size 30 scoop), place cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Add a few dried cranberries to the top of each cookie dough ball, if desired.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges are lightly browned, but centers still look soft and unset.
💬 frequently asked questions
do I have to chill the dough?
Nope! This recipe does not require any chilling time, which means you can have warm cookies on the table in about 30 minutes. Starting with cold butter does a lot of the work that chilling usually does, helping to control the spread and keep the cookies thicker.
can I use quick oats instead of old fashioned oats?
You can, but the texture will be different. Old-fashioned rolled oats give you that classic chewy bite. Quick oats will make the cookies a little softer and less textured. I most often reach for old-fashioned oats in my oatmeal cookie recipes for the best result.
can I swap the dried cranberries for raisins or craisins?
Yes! Raisins or craisins work beautifully here if that is what you have or prefer. White chocolate chips are also a fun addition, the sweetness pairs really well with the tart cranberry and bright orange flavors. My oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies are proof that cranberries and oats are a combination worth exploring in lots of different ways.
may I leave the glaze off?
Absolutely. The glaze is totally optional. The cookies are full of flavor on their own and do not need it. That said, if you love a citrusy finish, the glaze is quick and easy and really does make the orange flavor pop.
👩🏻🍳 tips for the best chewy oatmeal cookies
Work the zest into the sugar. This step is worth doing every single time. The friction releases the oils in the zest and gives the dough so much more orange flavor than just tossing zest in on its own. I do it for my lemon zucchini cake too and the difference is real.
Use a kitchen scale. Weighing your ingredients is the most accurate way to bake and gives you the most consistent results. This is especially important with flour and oats, which are easy to over-measure.
Don't skip the cornstarch. It helps keep these cookies soft and slows down spreading. You can leave it out, but the cookies will spread a little more and may not be quite as thick.
Save some cranberries for the top. Pressing a few extra cranberries onto the dough balls before baking gives you that beautiful, loaded look that makes these cookies hard to resist.
Don't over bake. Pull the cookies when the edges are set and the centers still look soft. They will firm up as they cool on the pan. Over-baked oatmeal cookies lose that chewy texture fast.
Press them if they don’t flatten like you’d like. If your cookies are puffier than you want, use a flat-bottomed glass to gently press them while they are still hot. It evens out the texture and gives you that bakery-style look.
🫙 how to store
Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Baked orange cranberry oatmeal cookies also freeze well. Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. This is my favorite way to store cookies! They taste just as good straight from the freezer after about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Cookie dough can also be scooped and frozen for up to one month. (Chill the cookie dough balls until firm, before placing into a zip-top bag). Bake straight from frozen. You may need to add a minute or two to the bake time.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
📖 recipe
Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies (soft, chewy & full of flavor)
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
orange cranberry cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed 226g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Zest of one orange
- 1 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed 200g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch 8g
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 219g
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 240g
- 1 cup dried cranberries 100g
orange glaze, optional
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar 60g
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoons orange juice + 1 tsp zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare baking sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a bowl, use your clean fingers to work the zest of 1 orange (hold aside a teaspoon for the icing or leave about ¼ of the orange unzested until you make the icing) into the granulated sugar (1 cup/200g).
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cold and cubed butter (1 cup/226g) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon) on medium-high (speed 6 on KitchenAid) until softened, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape up and down the bowl.
- Then add the dark brown sugar (1 cup/200g) and orange granulated sugar (1 cup/200g), and mix on low until incorporated, then turn up to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, stop and scrape the bowl at least once during this time.
- Scrape down your bowl and add pure vanilla extract (1 tablespoon) the eggs (2 large), one at a time, mixing on medium (speed 4) until combined, about 30-45 seconds per egg. Scrape up and down your bowl again.
- With the mixer on low, add the baking soda (½ teaspoon) and cornstarch (1 tablespoon) and mix on low for about 15-30 seconds, until fully combined. Then add the all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cups/219g) and blend until a few large streaks of flour remain. Scrape up and down the bowl.
- Add in the old-fashioned oats (3 cups/240g), and dried cranberries (1 cup/100g, save some aside if you want to put them on top of the cookie dough) and mix on low until just combined.
- Using a cookie scoop (I use a size 30 scoop, each cookie dough ball weighs 44g), place cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Add a few dried cranberries to the top of each cookie dough ball, if desired.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges are lightly browned, but centers still look soft and unset.
- If the cookies are puffier then you would like, use a flat bottomed glass or your clean hand to lightly press them down when they are hot out of the oven (use caution because they will be hot). Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
orange glaze
- Add the confectioners' sugar (½ cup/60g), vanilla (¼ teaspoon), and 2 teaspoons orange juice and 1 teaspoon orange zest to a bowl. Use a spoon to stir until a thick glaze forms. Add more orange juice if needed.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled cookies in a thin layer and allow to harden.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
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