These oatmeal and cranberry chocolate chunk cookies have to be my absolute favorite cookie of all time! I think what makes them so delicious is that they have a little bit of everything in them: melty pools of chocolate, a slight cranberry tartness, and just a hint of salt on top. Absolute perfection!
As always, you can completely customize this recipe to your liking or to whatever you have on hand — these are just all of my favorites! I will say, though: the sprinkle of fleur de sel (or coarse sea salt) just gives them an extra “oomph” that I wouldn’t skip out on (if at all possible)!
CHOCOLATE CHUNKS vs. CHOCOLATE CHIPS
I use a 300-gram (10.6-ounce) bar of good-quality 70% dark chocolate in this recipe. I also love the big chunks of chocolate throughout — they really give the cookies a much more rustic feel, not to mention that delicious ooey-gooey texture!
You could definitely switch it up for a semi-sweet (50% to 60% cacao) or milk chocolate, if you prefer, or even substitute for 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips instead.
HOW TO PREVENT COOKIES FROM SPREADING IN THE OVEN
The dough for these cookies is quite soft, which gives them that crisp-on-the-outside, soft-and-chewy-on-the-inside texture… but can also lead to a lot of spreading if you don’t chill the dough.
Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge helps the cookies get that signature texture but not spread as much in the oven. Nevertheless, make sure you separate the cookies from one another on your baking sheet (by at least 2 to 3 inches) so they don’t spread into one another!
Start by preheating the oven to 375℉.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Roughly chop up a 300-gram (10.6-ounce) dark chocolate bar into ¼” bite-size pieces. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on a medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add in the vanilla, followed by the eggs (one at a time), until well incorporated.
Turn the mixer down to a low speed and slowly add in the oats/flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
Fold in the chocolate (all of the chunks and smaller shavings), dried cranberries, and chopped walnuts until well distributed throughout the dough.
Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough into balls (roughly 1½” each) and place them (about 3” apart) on a lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the top of each cookie with fleur de sel (or coarse sea salt). Return the cookie dough to the fridge between batches.
Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store in airtight containers to keep them fresh. They also freeze perfectly well!
Oatmeal & Cranberry Chocolate Chunk CookiesThese crisp-on-the-outside, soft-and-chewy-on-the-inside cookies are loaded with oats, chunks of dark chocolate, dried cranberries, and chopped nuts.
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Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups oats (rolled or large flake)
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Fold In
- 300g (10.6oz) dark chocolate, chopped into ¼" chunks (or 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Top With
- ⅛ tsp fleur de sel (or coarse sea salt)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- In a large bowl, with a wire whisk, mix together oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined. Set aside.2 cups oats1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour1 tsp baking soda1 tsp kosher salt
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on moderate speed, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup light brown sugar, packed½ cup white sugar
- Add in vanilla, followed by eggs, one at a time. Continue mixing until well incorporated.2 tsp pure vanilla extract2 large eggs, at room temperature
- Reduce mixing speed to low, and add in oats/flour mixture. Mix just until combined.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer. Fold in chopped chocolate (including any shavings), dried cranberries, and chopped walnuts (optional). Mix, by hand, until well distributed.300g (10.6oz) dark chocolate, chopped into ¼" chunks1 cup dried cranberries¾ cup walnuts, chopped
- To prevent spreading, cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- With a spoon or ice cream scoop, portion out the dough into balls (of 1 ½ Tablespoons each) and place them, three inches apart, on a cookie sheet or sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Lightly sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of fleur de sel or sea salt. Return unused dough to fridge between batches.⅛ tsp fleur de sel (or coarse sea salt)
- Bake in middle of preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on sheet or pan before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To keep cookies fresh and chewy, store in airtight containers at room temperature or in the freezer.
Notes
- Chocolate: I use a 300-gram (10.6-ounce) bar of 70% dark chocolate for this recipe, but you could just as easily swap it out for semi-sweet (50% to 60%) or milk chocolate if you prefer. You can also use 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips instead of chunks.
- Cookie spreading: The dough should chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before baking. This will reduce the amount the cookies spread in the oven. I also recommend returning the dough to the fridge between batches. Additionally, be sure to place them 2 to 3 inches apart on your baking sheet to ensure the cookies don’t spread into one another.
