↑

Pumpkin 'N Spice

Where easy recipes and lifestyle collide

You are here: Home / Cookies / Easy Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Easy Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies Desserts Fall Recipes

This post contains affiliate links.

These Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies are packed with quick oats, warm spices, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and toffee bits. Soft, chewy, and bursting with fall flavors, this recipe gives you cookies that are perfect to enjoy all year long!

A stack of oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies. The top cookie has a bite missing.

It’s been foreverrrr since I’ve shared some cookies with you!

We can still be friends, right?

Truth be told, I adore cookies, I mean who doesn’t, right? But, I just forget about them sometimes!

Plus, cookies are one of the hardest foods for me to photograph (along with sandwiches and wraps). So, I have lots of cookie ideas floating around, but I just get not-so-excited when I think about taking pictures of them.

But, these loaded oatmeal spice cookies were just too good to pass up!

If you checked out my Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies, you may remember that oatmeal cookies and I didn’t always use to be friends. In fact, I’m still pretty picky when it comes to this type of cookie.

top down shot of chewy oatmeal cranberry cookies on a towel

And I blame that on raisins. See, I love raisins when I can eat them by the handful. But, throw them in a cookie, bread, cake, or muffin, and it’s a big turn-off for me.

I just don’t like them! And most people put raisins in their oatmeal cookies, which is why I never usually eat them.

But, since I’m a food blogger, I call the shots, which means that you will find no raisins in this oatmeal cookie recipe!

And I can’t take credit for the recipe. It came from the Fall Baking issue of Taste of South magazine. The recipe immediately caught my eye, and I made these oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies as soon as I bought the magazine.

If you like oatmeal cookies, then I guarantee you’ll fall in love with this spiced version. Cinnamon and nutmeg give this treat a punch of cozy spices, while the dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and toffee give them a nice texture and sweet flavor.

a pile of oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies on a towel

What Makes Loaded Oatmeal Spice Cookies So Fantastic?

  • They’re full of warm fall flavors and tasty morsels – filling and delicious!
  • These oatmeal cookies are so easy to put together. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ones, fold in the add-ins, then drop them onto the sheet pan and bake!
  • You can easily customize these cookies! Simply omit or add in your favorite chocolate chips or dried fruit!

Ingredients in Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

These oatmeal cranberry cookies are loaded to the max with mix-ins and spices. Here’s what you’ll need to make them: 

  • Unsalted butter
  • Granulated sugar and brown sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla bean paste (or extract)
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda and baking powder
  • Spices
  • Quick oats
  • Dried cranberries
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Toffee bits

Can I Use Different Mix-Ins?

Of course! Instead of dried cranberries, you could use raisins. The toffee bits could be replaced with chopped nuts — and so on! Just stick to the ingredient ratios and almost any mix-in should work well. 

a pile of loaded dried cranberry cookies on a towel

How to Make Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

These easy oatmeal cookies bake up soft and chewy on the inside, while remaining crisp on the outside. And that’s my definition of a perfect cookie!

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line two large baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add in the eggs and beat until everything is well-blended. Add the vanilla and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
  5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating until combined.
  6. Fold in the oats, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and toffee bits.
  7. Use a spoon to scoop out 2 tablespoonfuls of dough and drop it on the prepared baking pan.
  8. Bake the cookies until lightly browned.

One bite and you’ll embrace the warm, fall flavors that are hidden in each chewy oatmeal cranberry cookie. Pair this treat with a glass of milk or hot cup of coffee, and you’ve got the most delicious dessert or snack satisfy your sweet tooth!

Can the Cookie Dough Be Made in Advance? 

Yes! You can make the cookie dough up to 48 hours before you plan on baking the cookies. Refrigerate it in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out. 

You could also roll the cookie dough into balls and freeze it for up to three months. You can bake the dough from frozen, just add a minute or two to the total bake time. 

chewy oatmeal cranberry cookies in a pile with a bite taken out

Recipe Variations to Try

  • Substitute 1 cup of whole wheat flour for the white flour to add a little extra fiber to these cookies!
  • Get a little more crunch in these cookies by adding in some chopped nuts! 1/2 cup of pecans or walnut would work well.
  • Really amp up the chocolate flavor by drizzling melted chocolate over the cookies or dunking the cookies halfway into melted chocolate.

Tips for the Best Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

  • This recipe calls for quick-cooking oats, so be sure not to use the old-fashioned ones!
  • Make sure not to over mix the dough as it can make your cookies tough or gummy. Mix just long enough until your dough is uniform.
  • If you don’t have a large enough oven that distributed heat evenly, you may want to cook one sheet of cookies at a time.

Looking for more oatmeal cookie recipes? 

I’ve got quite a few easy cookie recipes on my site, but here are my favorites that use oatmeal in the dough: 

cookies in a pile with a bit taken out
Print Pin

Spiced Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies are packed with oats, warm spices, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and toffee bits!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword oatmeal cookies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 186kcal
Author Gayle

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1½ cups light brown sugar packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
  • 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup toffee bits

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line two large baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat until well-blended. Add vanilla and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until combined.
  • Fold in oats, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and toffee bits.
  • Drop dough by 2 tablespoonfuls about 1 inch apart on prepared pans. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly browned.
  • Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Then, move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Lightly adapted from Taste of South Magazine - Fall Baking edition

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 268IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @pumpkin_n_spice or tag #pumpkin_n_spice!

 

By Gayle |

Comments

  1. Mir says

    I think your cookie photos are great! I cannot photograph cake for the life of me. Or pie. So I avoid those when it comes to posts. 🙂
    And these are a fall classic!

    Reply

  7. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    I don’t know why you don’t like taking photos of cookies, Gayle, because these came out great!! I LOVE me some oatmeal cookies, even with the raisins, but I like oatmeal cookies without them all the same! These look absolutely delicious, girlfriend! They are really packed with so much yum – oats, spices, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, AND toffee bits! Wowza, I need at least a dozen! Pinned! Cheers!

    Reply

  9. Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss says

    I think these cookie photos are lovely! Also I am a raisins-in-cookies hater as well, and I’m always wary about poking in and taking an oatmeal cookie because there’s usually a 90% chance of a raisin being inside. Your add ins sound much MUCH better 😀

    Reply

  11. Demeter | Beaming Baker says

    Go, you, calling the shots like a boss! Hey, if you don’t like those raisins in oatmeal cookies–give ’em the boot! It’s all the more exciting to what you ended up replacing them with. I LOVE cranberries! These cookies look utterly amazing, Gayle. As such, we can totally stay friends, and I will totally forgive you for withholding your PnS cookie gloriousness from us for so long. 😉 Pinning and sharing, of course! 🙂

    Reply

  13. marcie says

    I don’t make cookies a lot because I too many of them, which means my blog doesn’t have enough either! While I love raisins in my oatmeal cookie, it’s really because of the chewiness. Since you added dried cranberries, that solves that! I have a huge weakness for oatmeal cookies, and these would be trouble for me!

    Reply

    • Gayle says

      Thank you, Marcie! You are right, the raisins definitely make the cookies chewy, but so do the cranberries…yay! 🙂

      Reply

  16. Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says

    I definitely don’t mind raisins, but they are definitely not my favourite thing in a cookie. Love the cranberries in here instead. And toffee bits? That’s just genius! I totally know what you mean, though, certain things are just more difficult to photograph. I think your pics are perfect, in the meantime 🙂 Pinned, of course. I’ll take a baker’s dozen of these, please 😉

    Reply

    • Gayle says

      Thank you, Dawn! This was my first time adding toffee to oatmeal cookies, but definitely not the last. And thanks for the sweet comments about my pictures, they are a work in progress! 🙂

      Reply

  17. Kelly says

    Oatmeal cookies are my favorite, with or without raisins 🙂 These look delicious, Gayle! I wish I had a batch to munch on now, I love all the warm and cozy spices!

    Reply

  19. Sabrina Zaragoza says

    I totally agree with you about photographing cookies. However, your pictures are good. You did a great job.

    By the way, I like your recipe, too. Oatmeal cookies are always too good to overlook <3 <3 <3

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Featured in:

Featured On