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Oatmeal Craisin Cookies: Chewy oat cookies chock full of dried cranberries and incredibly delicious! This Thomas Keller recipe is a winner.

Once you learn How to Make Oatmeal Cookies, you can swap the craisins for raisins or even chocolate chips. All variations are terrific!!

3 Oatmeal Craisin Cookies on a square white plate next to 2 cinnamon sticks.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 How to Make Oatmeal Cookies
3 Expert Tips
4 Frequently Asked Questions
5 You Might Also Like:
6 Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

Why You Must Make

  • The texture is sublime. A touch of crispness on the exterior, but chewy and almost melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness on the inside.
  • Thomas Keller, of French Laundry and Bouchon fame, had this recipe using raisins in one of his cookbooks.
  • Loaded with butter and a touch of cinnamon, they’re mighty tasty!

How to Make Oatmeal Cookies

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare baking sheets.
  2. Whisk together dry ingredients. Set aside.
  3. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until creamy.
  4. Add brown sugar and sugar and mix for 3-4 minutes (this is a longer mixing time compared to most oatmeal cookie recipes).
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the other ingredients as directed.
  6. Using a cookie disher, scoop out equal-sized cookies and place them onto a baking sheet. Or divide the dough into 6 rounds and flatten with the palm of your hand on the baking sheets.
  7. If making 6 giant cookies, bake for 20 minutes. If using a medium cookie scoop, bake for 10-12 minutes. 
  8. Cool on the baking sheet before moving the cookies to a cooling rack.

Expert Tips

  • Read the recipe thoroughly before starting. Make sure you have all ingredients on hand.
  • For the best-tasting cookies, make sure your recipe contains butter. Shortening is flavorless.  Also, look for a recipe containing brown sugar or dark brown sugar as both provide moisture and will keep your cookies soft.
  • Use old-fashioned oatmeal for this recipe, not quick oats.
  • Line your sheet pans with parchment paper. This will prevent sticking, plus it makes cleanup a breeze!
  • Use a cookie scoop so all your cookies will be the same size and bake evenly.
  • Slightly underbaking is better than overbaking. The cookies will continue to bake as they cool on the hot cookie sheet.
3 Oatmeal Craisin Cookies on a square white plate next to 2 cinnamon sticks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Oatmeal Craisin Cookies Healthy?

The addition of oats adds some fiber and nutrients and the craisins also contain fiber and vitamin C, but they’re not nutritious enough to call healthy. They are healthier than many cookies, though. These cookies have about 180 calories for 2 cookies.

What Are Craisins?

Raisins are simply dried grapes and Craisins are dried, sweetened cranberries. Since cranberries are quite tart, they need the addition of sugar to balance their flavors.

Are Craisins and Raisins Interchangeable?

Yes, you can swap equal amounts of craisins for raisins in most recipes.

Why Do Oatmeal Cookies Get Hard?

Overmixing cookie dough, once the flour is added, can over-activate the gluten and make the cookies tougher. It’s best to mix in the flour with a wooden spoon or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer. Overbaking can also make for hard cookies.

How Do You Keep Cookies Soft and Chewy?

Once your cookies are baked and cooled, make sure to store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. An easy trick is to add a slice of bread to the container of cookies. The bread will add some humidity and keep the cookies soft. Slightly underbaking also helps make for chewier cookies.

How Do You Store Oatmeal Cookies?

As mentioned above, they should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. After that, freeze them for up to 3 months.

You Might Also Like:

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3 oatmeal craisin cookies on a white ceramic plate
The Recipe:

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Yield 36 cookies

Incredibly delicious chewy oat cookies chock full of dried cranberries.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • ⅓ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 ⅓ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅓ teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 11 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 1 generous teaspoon vanilla paste (vanilla extract may be substituted)
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 cup dried cranberries or Craisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325º. Line baking sheets with parchment and set them aside.
  2. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer, Using the paddle attachment, beat till light and creamy.
  4. Add brown sugar and sugar and mix for 3-4 minutes.
  5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add egg and vanilla and mix on low till just incorporated.
  6. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low till just combined. Then mix in oats and cranberries.
  7. Using a medium cookie disher, scoop out 1 ⅓ tablespoons worth of dough. Roll into spheres if needed, then place on prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
  8. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. If making 6 giant cookies, bake for 20 minutes. If using a small cookie scoop, bake for 18 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet while the next batch bakes, then remove to cooling rack.

Notes

Adapted from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook.

May substitute raisins for craisins.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

2 cookies
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 195mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Cookies