If you can’t tell, I LOVE holiday baking. I love all of the flavors that come with Thanksgiving and Christmas, I love all of the possibilities, I love how there are things that just aren’t made except for this time of year, making them extra special and amazing. And one of my favorite flavor combinations is cranberry and orange. The tart cranberries complement the sweetness in the orange, especially when combined with a sweet vehicle, like these cookies!
While I personally am not a fan of oatmeal cookies, the one aspect of them that I do love is how moist and chewy they are, and that they stay that way even when they’re not fresh out of the oven. These cookies do the same thing – the batch I made days ago, that I’m snacking on while I write this, is still just a moist and delicious as the day I made them. The oats aren’t overpowering, and the orange comes through beautifully.
And because they keep so well, I’m willing to bet they would travel well too. So if you’re doing a socially distanced holiday this year but want to send your friends and family a treat, I offer these up as strong contenders! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Chewy Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies – makes about 40 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 sticks (282 g) butter, softened
- 150 g brown sugar
- 100 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- zest of 1 orange
- 180 g flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, optional but encouraged
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 240 g oats
- 1 C dried cranberries
How to do it
- preheat the oven to 350*
- cream the butter and sugars: in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. this will take several minutes, but be patient!
- combine the dry ingredients: in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, salt, and oats
- add the other wet ingredients: add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. then add the vanilla and orange zest and mix well
- finish the dough: add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 3 increments, mixing just until combined. fold in the cranberries
- bake and enjoy: using a 2 Tbsp scoop, or a couple of spoons, place mounds of dough 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. bake for 8-10 minutes until set on the edges. let cool and enjoy!