Cranberry oatmeal white chocolate cookies are as much a mouthful to say as they are to eat. You might also know them as Hooty Creeks. Chewy oatmeal cookies with a crispy edge are filled with tangy dried cranberries, buttery toasted pecans, rich white chocolate chips, and a burst of citrus flavor from a combination of Triple Sec and orange zest.
As Kyrie would say, "Boom, y'all!"
My mom did not bake except at Christmas so growing up the lowliest cookie was considered a holiday cookie. Oatmeal, chocolate chip - whatever she made meant Christmas was on ins way! These cookies are in that category. They are perfect in lunch boxes all year long, although I'd leave off the white chocolate glaze. With the glaze and the sprinkles they make a wonderful addition to any cookie tray at Christmas.
I am picky about texture. I like a good, chewy cookie with crispy edges. I can promise you that unless I tell it differently every drop cookie recipe on this blog will have that same texture. I work for it because by golly if I am going to nosh down a couple of hundred empty calories they'd better be delicious ones. These are. The dried cranberries keep them moist so they travel well. This batch will be split up and heading for Las Vegas, Virginia Beach, and Okinawa. I've sent cookies with dried fruit to far off places before -- Korea, Iraq, Misawa... so I am feeling pretty good about them arriving OK. It takes 11 days for a box to get from Dallas to Okinawa so I try to make things that will stay fresh. Cookies with dried fruit are almost always a great choice because the dried fruit releases moisture.
Flavor-wise these are like your favorite oatmeal cookies with a slightly caramel flavor from the brown sugar. The cranberries keep them from being too sweet and the citrus just makes them taste fresh. If you don't want to use Triple Sec then just use about ¼ teaspoon of orange extract. You want it to be a hint of flavor.
Don't over cook them. 8 ½ minutes is just about right -- take the cranberry oatmeal white chocolate cookies out when they are just barely done and the centers will continue to cook as they cool. Once they are cool you can dip them in melted candy coating. I really like the Kitchen Krafts Super White - but you can use what you like. If you do click on that link and buy it helps support the blog -- thanks!
They freeze well, too. Just don't glaze them before you put them in the freezer. I have made this recipe for years but this year I tweaked it and got the inspiration for the glaze from Life, Love, and Sugar.
Cranberry Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
Print Add to CollectionIngredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, , room temperature
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup pure cane sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Triple Sec or ¼ teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups uncooked old fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 12 oz vanilla candy coating
- Holiday sprinkles as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Beat butter and sugars together until well combined.
- Beat in egg, Triple Sec, and vanilla extract and beat well.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, orange zest, and salt.
- Mix until combined.
- Mix oats, cranberries, pecans, and white chocolate chips.
- Add oat mixture to flour mixture and blend well.
- Place heaping teaspoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto a Silpat lined cookie sheet.
- Bake 8-9 minutes.
- Do not over bake. They'll look a little undercooked when you take them out.
- Let cookies cool.
- Once cookies are cool, melt the coating in a bowl in the microwave. It takes about 2 minutes.
- Dip cookies, one at a time, into the glaze.
- Sprinkle with holiday sprinkles, colored sugar, or whatever you like.
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Sarah Walker Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella)
LOVING all the flavors in these cookies! YUM!
Marye Audet
Thanks Sarah!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic
With all of the flashy Christmas cookies around this time of year, sometimes it's nice to see a cookie that's like an old, familiar friend. The white chocolate and sprinkles are sure to bring a little festive cheer to the recipients of your shipments.
Marye Audet
I totally agree! Thank you!
Joanie @ Zagleft
Dried cranberries in cookies are so good! I love how festive these look too.
Kimberly Ann @ Bake Love Give
I love that these are so festive - both in their flavor and decorations!
Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen)
I assume many of these are headed to those who serve. My husband is one of those, and when he's been overseas I've loved sending treats like these his way. Of course, I would have to keep a few of these particular cookies at home, just for quality control of course. :o)
Karen @ The Food Charlatan
Isn't it funny how we all have our own special chewy texture that we are going for? These cookies have all my favorite things in them!!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
Gorgeous cookies Marye and great to know they send well! I love dried cranberries in anything. Boom!
Marye Audet
LOL! I do, too.