OATMEAL CHERRY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Cookies are soft and chewy cookies packed with amazing flavor in every bite. Made with oats, and craisins and studded with chocolate chips, these chocolate oatmeal cookies are one sweet treat you won’t be able to resist.

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

We eat a ton of Craisins (Dried Cranberries) in our house. It’s one of the pantry items I always keep on hand or at least try to keep on hand because they disappear fast. My kids adore them as much as I do; they are just so versatile. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert, Craisins® have a tendency to make an appearance many times throughout the week.

Today I want to share a delightful oatmeal cookie recipe with you. It has great flavor, and I love the crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside texture. These cookies use Cherry Craisins instead of raisins, giving us a sweet-tart flavor experience that we can’t seem to get enough of. I especially love that 1/4 cup of craisins is about 1/2 a serving of fruit, so I usually justify that as a reason to eat the cookies by the handful. Gotta get those fruit servings in, right?

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You can use any craisin variety. I used Craisins® – Cherry Juice Infused, but feel free to swap in any type of Craisins® that you’d like!
• No dough chilling is required. These cookies come together quickly and easily. With no added steps or wait times like dough chilling, you can have a cookie in your mouth in under an hour!
• They’re great year-round. While cranberries is often thought of as a winter berry, Craisins are available in the store year-round so truthfully, you can make these cookies any time of the year. So next time you’re craving a delicious cookie, whip up a batch of these chocolate cherry oatmeal cookies and enjoy!

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies Ingredients

Butter– You will need 1 cup of softened butter, this is equal to two sticks.

Sugars– Use 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of packed brown sugar to make the cookies sweet and chewy.

Eggs– You will need 2 eggs to help bind the dough together well.

Vanilla extract– Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to enhance all the wonderful flavors.

Flour– The gluten structure of these cookies is created from a base of 2 cups of all-purpose flour.

Leavening agents- You will need 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of baking powder to make the cookies puff up nicely as they bake.

Salt– Adding in ½ teaspoon of salt will help to bring out the flavors and really make the cookies taste great.

Oats– You’ll need 2 cups of old fashioned oats to give us the nice texture we’re looking for.

Craisins– You’ll need 1 cup of craisins. I used the Craisins cherry infused variety, but you can use any variety or brand.

Chocolate chips– Use 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips so that there is plenty of chocolate to stud every cookie.

How to make Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Cookies

Prep

Get started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Make dough

Next, in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Then add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

After that, add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and stir until incorporated. Continue to stir in the oats, Craisins, and chocolate chips until combined.

Bake

Proceed to drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10-11 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for an additional minute, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.

What to do with leftover craisins?

Find yourself not using them fast enough? Here’s an idea to help you eat them a little faster- add them to your favorite foods and snacks. I love to add them to my morning yogurt and also to some trail mix to snack on. They’re small enough that even my little kids enjoyed them, and I love the flavorful crunch they add to foods!

Where to find craisins

Craisins® Dried Cranberries and Craisins® Fruit Clusters can be found in Walmart’s dried fruit section, which is on the baking aisle for my store.

How long are these cookies good for?

These cookies will be good for 3-5 days, if stored properly. To keep your treats as fresh as possible they should be kept in an airtight container or a ziplocked bag. A trick I learned to keep them extra fresh and soft is to put a piece of bread in with the cookies. The cookies absorb the moisture from the bread and stay soft and chewy a couple of days longer. Try it, you will be amazed!

HOW DO YOU SOFTEN BUTTER?

I like to soften butter by using the defrost function on my microwave. If you need the full 1/2 cup cube of butter, you can leave it in the paper wrapper, otherwise, place the amount of butter you need in a glass or porcelain bowl. I use the lowest defrost setting on my microwave and just let it run for 20 seconds. Check the butter and see how soft it is by pressing it with a rubber scraper. If it is still not soft to the touch, meaning it doesn’t indent when you press into it, let it warm for another 5-10 seconds. Watch it closely! Butter softens very quickly.

Need more cookie recipes? We’ve got you covered!

• HOT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW COOKIE CUPS
• DARK CHOCOLATE APRICOT COOKIES
• SOFT PUMPKIN GINGERSNAP COOKIES
• FROSTED SNICKERDOODLES
• HALLOWEEN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE PIZZA
• APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL COOKIES
• CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA OATMEAL COOKIES
• LEMON PUDDING COOKIES
• LEMON ICEBOX COOKIES
• DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES
• FIVE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES
• EASTER EGG SUGAR COOKIES

Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Cookies are tender cookies loaded with incredible flavor in every bite. Made with oats, and cherry craisins and chocolate chips, these chocolate oatmeal cookies are one treat you won’t be able to resist.