These soft cookies made with oat flour and fresh cranberries are buttery and rich with white chocolate chips and cashews. The perfect balance of tart and sweet makes them one of my go-to cranberry recipes every holiday season. Made with entirely oat flour, they melt in your mouth with bits of tang and creamy white chocolate, making the best combination of flavors for a delightful cookie this Thanksgiving season.
I love how easy this cookie recipe came together. But I warn you ahead of time that chilling the dough is imperative to have great cookies vs. puddles of crispy cookie mess. I learned the hard way with my first batch. The oat flour has less gluten than traditional whole wheat or white flour, but I chose to invent this homemade cookie with oat flour as its base because of the flavor. If you’ve never baked with oat flour, I encourage you to try it. The nutty flavor it lends to baking can be quite a pleasant treat.
Try my triple chocolate chip cookies if you love baking with oat flour. They are delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Cookie Recipe
Flavor. Is there any other reason to make cookies other than they are super yummy? I have to brag: This is one delightful combination of sweet, tangy, buttery goodness.
Large Batch. Nothing is worse than baking a cookie that takes the extra chill time only to discover that it is all eaten within one day. This large batch of cookies makes 36! That’s three whole dozen of delicious cookies.
Healthier Ingredients. The use of oat flour means more fiber and whole-grain goodness than white flour. Plus, the cashews bring healthy fats and protein.
Taste of Canadian Tradition: Cranberries in Holiday Baking
In Canada, cranberries are more than just a side for turkey—they’re part of our food identity. Long before grocery stores stocked shiny bags of berries in late fall, Indigenous communities harvested wild cranberries from bogs and marshes across Eastern and Northern Canada. These tart berries were dried, mixed with game and fat to make pemmican, or simmered into sweet preserves that lasted through the cold months.
As settlers adopted the fruit, cranberries quickly became a hallmark of holiday baking. By the late 1800s, cranberry puddings, sauces, and tarts appeared on Christmas tables from Nova Scotia to Manitoba. Their bright red color came to symbolize celebration and warmth during long winters—an edible reminder of the harvest just past.
Today, Canadian bakers still weave cranberries into festive recipes, from quick loaves to delicate cookies. Fresh berries lend a perfect balance of tang and color that pairs beautifully with sweet white chocolate or buttery pastry. It’s that same contrast—tart meeting sweet—that keeps these cranberry cookies timeless for the holiday season.
Let’s Get Started Making These White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
You are going to need two bowls. I know you home cooks are groaning, not more dishes. But this is one time when it is necessary; believe me, I am all about shortcuts if they work. You will also need a small food chopper, or you can be silly like me and cut the cranberries by hand. First, wash your fresh cranberries and go through them for any that aren’t good. Buying fresh cranberries usually means there are a few that are getting squishy. We don’t want those, although you can still use them for sauce making. You also want to remove any bits of stem from the berries before cutting them up.
Cut up one whole cup of the bright red festive berries and set aside. You can also measure out the unsalted cashews and chop them in half or break them with a meat mallet in a baggie. I prefer chopping as it leaves them in larger pieces, which is what we are going for without having just whole cashews, which is a bit much in the cookie dough.
Next, measure the dry ingredients minus the sugars in the first mixing bowl, stir them together, and set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients — the flour mixture, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the white sugar, brown sugar, and butter until smooth using a hand mixer.
Then, blend the dry ingredients into the wet. Yes, it is very soft cookie dough. Don’t forget we will be chilling the dough, allowing the butter to harden back up and keep the cookies from making a mess on the cookie sheet.
Once the wet ingredients are smooth, fold in the chopped tart cranberries, white chocolate chips, and cashews until evenly distributed.
When ready to bake, use a cookie scoop (Or large tablespoon-old fashioned trick) to portion tablespoons of dough onto a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Space cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet to allow them to spread some. About one inch on either side should be enough. Bake in preheated oven (350F) until the edges turn golden brown, about 10–12 minutes of bake time, depending on your oven.
When fully baked, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies sit for a minute to cool slightly before attempting to lift them. Oat flour may taste great, but it’s not overly strong to hold the mix-ins. After a minute or two, you should be okay lifting the cookies off carefully and transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
The result? White chocolate cranberry cookies with crisp edges and a soft center. That mix of sweet white chocolate and bright berries gives the perfect combination of chewy and crumbly texture — a truly wonderful recipe for your holiday cookie tray.
Ingredients:
Note to my Canadian readers: You’re not alone if you’re sourcing these ingredients without relying on U.S.-based imports. Given our country’s current challenges, supporting Canadian-owned businesses and Canadian-made products matters more than ever. Every little bit helps keep our food systems strong, our neighbors employed, and our dollars in our communities.
You will now find more Canadian content on the blog as I continue to source Canadian food brands and products.
And to our American friends—we still love you! We always have and will. But when possible, we’re leaning toward local to keep our shelves stocked and our people supported.
Oat Flour: This lower gluten flour has a great nutty flavor and crumbly texture that melts in your mouth.
Baking Soda: Gives the cookies a beautiful golden brown color when baked as well as reacts to help with the rise.
Salt: Makes all the flavors of the cookie more pronounced.
Salted Butter: The butter gives the cookie dough a distinct butter flavor while also adding to its soft texture.
Brown Sugar: Helps to brown the cookies as well as sweeten them. Using brown sugar also creates a nice caramel note to the cookie’s base.
White Sugar: Sweetens the cookies while helping to stabilize the dough. Good Lantic Rogers white sugar has been a staple in my home kitchen for baking for over 40 years!
Eggs: Add much-needed moisture as well as richness and color. Fresh local farm eggs are best but when you can’t I have always loved Grey Ridge Farms eggs.
Vanilla Extract: Balances the flavor from the white chocolate chips and sugars while lending the distinct yet subtle vanilla essence.
Fresh Cranberries: These bring a vibrant tang to each mouthful of cookie. This seasonal fruit is also rich in antioxidants, adding to the cookie’s wholesome nature. Supra Foods out of Quebec has great fresh cranberries!
Unsalted Cashews: These nuts are softer than others, lending a pleasant textural component to the finished baked good.
White Chocolate Chips: Creamy sweet, with a distinct flavor, they pair beautifully with the cashew and cranberry. Camino’s vegan white chocolate chips are great in these cookies.
Substitutions And Add-Ins For The Baked Cookies
Oat Flour: You can use all purpose flour if you prefer. The finished cookie will have a different flavor profile but still be acceptable.
Baking Soda: This should remain the same as the recipe has not been tested.
Salt: *See above
Salted Butter: You can use unsalted or even margarine.
Brown Sugar: Can be replaced with a coconut sugar which also will lend a nice caramel flavor to the cookie base.
White Sugar: Should remain the same.
Eggs: *Must remain
Vanilla Extract: This can be omitted or replaced with an almond extract.
Fresh Cranberries: Frozen cranberries will have too much moisture. If you can’t find fresh cranberries, it’s better to omit them altogether. Alternatively, try adding tart dried cranberries to the cookie dough.
Unsalted Cashews: Can be switched out for macadamia nuts.
White Chocolate Chips: You can switch to white chocolate chunks or white chocolate morsels.
Expert Tips, Serving And Storing Suggestions For The Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tip #1: Ingredient Preparation: When prepping your fresh cranberries, take your time to wash and inspect them thoroughly. Remove any soft or squishy berries and bits of stems to ensure your cookies’ best flavor and texture. This attention to detail prevents undesirable textures and flavors from affecting the final product. Additionally, chopping your cashews to the desired size enhances the overall eating experience, ensuring the nuts are well-distributed without overwhelming bites.
Tip #2: Chill for Better Results: Chilling the dough is essential for achieving the perfect cookie texture. Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or longer if possible) firms up the butter, resulting in cookies that maintain their shape during baking. This prevents excessive spreading and helps the flavors meld together, leading to a richer taste. Don’t skip this step, as it makes a noticeable difference in the final outcome.
Tip #3: Baking Techniques: Pay close attention to the baking time and cookie doneness. The cookies should have a golden brown base and a slightly drier appearance on top. If your dough appears unevenly colored or wet in spots, it likely needs more time in the oven. To ensure even baking, use uniform scoops for your dough pucks and space them adequately on the baking sheet (about an inch apart) to allow for spreading. After removing them from the oven, let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This helps them set properly and reduces the risk of breaking.
It’s a treat to serve these cookies warm with a tall glass of milk fresh from the oven. Or let them cool and serve them as part of a delicious after-school or work snack with your favorite hot drink. Anyway, you cut it, these delectable cookies are hard to resist.
The cookies are more brittle and need careful handling when stored in a container. Let cookies cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Avoid freezing — the moisture can make the fresh cranberries soggy. If sealed well, they’ll keep for several days without losing that melt-in-your-mouth bite.Cover tightly, as added moisture from the air will increase their crumbliness.
If you’ve baked up a big batch of these tasty seasonal treats, I would love to know how they turned out for you. What was your favorite aspect: the fresh cranberries, cashew crunch, or creamy white chocolate chips? Please rate and leave a comment below, as your feedback helps others learn more about the recipe.
Easy Fresh Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies With Cashews
Equipment
- Mini Food Chopper *optional
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- measuring cup
- Teaspoon
- Cookie Sheet
- Plastic Wrap
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Oat Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Salted Butter Softened
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Lrg Eggs
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Cup Fresh Cranberries Chopped
- ½ Cup Unsalted Cashews Broken
- 1 Cup Hershey's White Baking Chips 200 Gram Bag
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl measure the oat flour, baking soda, and salt mix well and set aside.3 Cups Oat Flour, 1 Tsp Baking Soda, 1 Tsp Salt
- In the other mixing bowl add the softened salted butter with the white and brown sugar. Cream together.1 Cup Salted Butter, 1 Cup White Sugar, ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- Add in the eggs and vanilla extract blend until no lumps remain.2 Lrg Eggs, 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Add the dry to the wet ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Measure and add the chopped cranberries, cashew pieces and white chocolate chips. Blend well.1 Cup Fresh Cranberries, ½ Cup Unsalted Cashews, 1 Cup Hershey's White Baking Chips
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap tightly and chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350℉ Using a teaspoon scoop dough a press slightly flat into a puck. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Leave one inch of space around each cookie.
- Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes until cookies edges are golden brown and tops appear dry.
- Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for a minute or two before carefully transferring to wire rack.
