Oatmeal cookies can take you back to childhood where maybe your Grandma or a favorite aunt created oatmeal cookies from scratch and would serve you warm, delicious cookies with a tall, cold glass of milk. The smells of the oatmeal and cinnamon wafting through the kitchen and the fun of being with a favorite person can combine to make oatmeal cookies a favorite, nostalgic treat.

Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Cookie Baking Sheets
- Large bowl
- Electric Mixer
- Medium-Sized Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup Softened Butter or 2 sticks
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 pcs Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon this is optional
- 3 cups Rolled Oats
- 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter with the white sugar and the brown sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and beat again until fully combined.
- Add the vanilla and beat one more time. Set this mixture aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda with a fork to mix them fully. You can add in the cinnamon if desired and stir again.
- Pick up the medium-sized bowl and carefully pour the dry ingredients into the bowl containing the buttery mixture.
- Using your electric mixer, combine the two mixtures until the dough is light and creamy.
- Add the oatmeal one cup at a time, stirring after each addition. To incorporate the final cup of oatmeal, you may need to switch from using an electric mixer to using a wooden spoon. Some mixers do not have enough power to mix a dough that is as thick as this cookie dough will be.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in the pecans and the cranberries until they are fully incorporated into the dough.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheets into walnut-sized balls about two or three inches apart.
- Place the cookie sheets into the oven and bake the cookies for eight to ten minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before scraping them off with a spatula to cool on a wire rack. Let the cookies sit on the racks until they are completely cool before storing in an airtight container.
Frozen Cookie Dough Balls
- To create frozen cookie dough balls, when you get the cookie dough completely mixed up, spoon the dough balls onto a baking sheet. Don’t worry about spacing them very far apart; you simply do not want the dough balls touching.
- Place the cookie sheet in the freezer and let the dough balls freeze for about two hours.
- Remove the frozen cookie dough balls from the freezer and place them in zip-top freezer bags, pressing out as much air as you can before sealing the bags.
- You can store the cookie dough balls in the freezer for up to three months.
- To bake after freezing, simply remove the dough balls from the freezer, place the balls frozen on a cookie sheet about two or three inches apart.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned.
Notes
April Freeman enjoys creating all kinds of recipes for her friends and family from her country kitchen in Middle Tennessee. She and her family raise beef cattle, chickens, and all sorts of fruits and veggies on their farm, and she specializes in featuring farm-fresh foods in the recipes that she creates and serves. April says that her slogan is “Are you hungry?” and she feels that one way of showing love and connecting with others is to serve delicious favorite foods to others. Her favorite thing to cook is pies of all kinds.