This past weekend, my family and I invited some of our close friends over to our house to celebrate the publication of my new cookbook, Healthier Chocolate Treats. (It should be available to purchase on Amazon really soon, and I’ll let you know the exact date the moment that I find out!)
I planned to serve a selection of some of my favorite treats from the cookbook, including…
♥ Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies (page 84)
♥ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 81)
♥ Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (page 114)
♥ Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Muddy Buddies (page 60)
♥ Dark Chocolate Drizzled Coffee Bundt Cake (page 120)
♥ Chocolate Elvis Sandwiches (page 67)
Yes, I know that’s a lot of “favorite” recipes… I’m a huge chocoholic and a really indecisive person!
A few days before, I began baking those cookbook recipes. If you’re following me on Snapchat (I’m @AmyBakesHealthy), you saw a sneak peek of the cupcakes, cookies, and muddy buddies! Over the following days, I finished making the desserts, preparing the savory snacks, and decorating the house. And a huge thank you to my amazing family for cleaning, decorating, and pitching in to help!
On Sunday afternoon, I was blown away by how many people stopped by to say hi, buy a cookbook, and taste the treats. Friends from high school I hadn’t seen in three or four years, some old band friends’ parents, my “second” mother, my old baby-sitter from when I was a toddler, my mom’s incredibly sweet coworker, my best friend (and official cookbook taste tester!) who lives 2 hours away, and my blog friends Jane and Ashley.
Wow. ♥
As the hours flew by, the serving platters slowly emptied as people went back for seconds and thirds of the chocolate treats, and we insisted that everyone packed a plate to take home, too. I baked enough desserts to feed a small army!
After chatting, signing cookbooks, and laughing all afternoon, I started to clean up the party remnants after dinner that evening. While putting away the leftover treats, I noticed that the cookies had been one of the most popular platters, so…
I created this holiday-themed version to share with you so you wouldn’t miss out on the “Healthier Chocolate Treats” fun! These Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are incredibly soft and chewy, and they’re full of fresh fruit and melty chocolate chunks. Between my family and me, they disappeared even faster than the cookies from the party!
This recipe is the next installment in my clean eating oatmeal cookies series. Have you tried any of them yet? They’re some of the most popular recipes on my blog because they’re soft, chewy, and made with NO butter, refined flour or sugar! I highly recommend trying the carrot cake, apple pie, and almond joy versions—after you bake these, of course!
Just like the other recipes, this one begins with whole wheat flour and instant oats. Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “minute” oats, but they are NOT the same thing as those little brown packets of flavored oatmeal! Look for large canisters of them right next to the old-fashioned oats on the cereal aisle of the grocery store.
It is very important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using either the spoon and level method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either ingredient, especially the oats (they act like little sponges!), will dry out your cookies and make them cakey instead of chewy. I highly recommend a kitchen scale for measuring! This is the inexpensive one that I own, and I use it to make every single recipe that I publish on this blog. A kitchen scale ensures that your baked goods turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time!
Tip: To make your own instant oats, measure the same amount of old-fashioned oats, and pulse them in a food processor until they’re half of their original size.
Instead of refined sugar, these cookies are sweetened with pure maple syrup. Yes, it’s not just for pancakes or waffles! Be sure to buy the good stuff, not the faux pancake syrup or sugar-free syrup, both of which contain corn syrup and artificial ingredients. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it’s generally sold in a glass bottle.
Now for the best part… The mix-ins! You’ll use fresh cranberries for these cookies, although frozen and slightly thawed will also work. They have a slightly tarter flavor than dried cranberries, which pairs perfectly with the maple syrup and dark chocolate. Plus I love their bright pop of color after baking!
For the dark chocolate chunks, you’ll chop up a bar of regular ol’ dark chocolate. Most people enjoy somewhere between 70% to 72% dark chocolate, although I’ve been gravitating towards 85% lately. Just pick whatever your taste buds prefer! Chopped dark chocolate bars melt better while baking compared to chocolate chips, which contain preservatives that prevent them from completely melting and losing their shape, but you’re welcome to substitute chocolate chips if you’re running short on time.
These cookies do not spread while baking, so you must flatten the cookie dough to your desired thickness and width before popping the tray in the oven. For a pretty presentation and finishing touch, press a few chocolate chunks into the tops right before baking too!
Then set the timer, pour a glass of milk while you wait, and…
Does life get any better than this??
| Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured correctly)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (55g) fresh cranberries, chopped
- 3 tbsp (42g) chopped dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the cranberries and 2 ½ tablespoons of the chopped dark chocolate. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width using a spatula. Gently press the remaining chopped dark chocolate into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 9-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times or until they're half of their original size.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
Frozen and slightly thawed cranberries may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, dried cranberries that have been hydrated will work. To do so, add ¼ cup of dried cranberries to a microwave-safe bowl, and cover them with water. Tightly cover the top with plastic wrap, and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit for at least 20 minutes before discarding the remaining liquid and adding them to the cookie dough.
Dark chocolate chips or miniature chocolate chips may be substituted for the chopped dark chocolate.
For answers to all other questions regarding substitutions and tips, see my Oatmeal Cookies FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
These cookies sound amazing Amy, perfect for the holidays! Do you think I could replace the egg with a flaxseed egg (1 part flaxseed to 1 part water)? Pinned!x
Thanks Eve! I’ve baked them with Ener-G as an egg substitute before, so I believe flaxseed should work as well. I’d increase the butter or coconut oil by ½ tablespoon to compensate for the missing egg yolk (this ensures that the cookies maintain their chewy texture!). I hope you enjoy the cookies!
I’ve been waiting to hear more about your cookbook Amy! I’m a huge chocoholic too, the book sounds like it’ll be right up my alley. These cookies look amazing, I’m thinking some peppermint chips or extract will add to the holiday flavor.
Thank you for your sweet words Krithika! I really hope you enjoy the cookbook when it’s released — it should be any day now! 🙂 Peppermint extract sounds lovely, and I’d love to hear how that turns out if you try it!
I soooo wanted to come to your book party, alas…I live kinda far. 😉 These look SO GOOD!
I wish you could’ve come!! If only it coincided with your Disneyland trip… We could’ve made that work! 😉
SO honored to have such a talented bestie WORTH driving the miles to come and celebrate!! <3 (PS… I think many of those disappearing cookies were due to me… they were my favorite! heehee!)
I LOVE fresh cranberries! I love the slightly bitter tang they lend to an otherwise sweet cookie! And those chunks are GORGEOUS! drooool! "See" you this afternoon! 😉
Aww you’re the best!! Thank you Andrea! ♥ We still need to bake these oatmeal cookies together sometime… I still feel badly that the batch you made ages and ages ago didn’t turn out! Can’t wait to “see” you soon!! 🙂
Another great recipe! I loved it! Going out and finding the syrup was worth it 🙂 Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Rennie! 🙂
Hi Amy
These cookies look great, Where do you get those perfectly cut pieces of parchment paper to separate your cookies? Do you cut them yourself?
Yes! You caught me — I cut them myself. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them!
I’ve been meaning to make these for weeks, since I had a partial bag of fresh cranberries sittin’ around. Finally got around to it earlier this week. I was a little short on instant oats (which I’d made myself from old fashioned), so I ended up topping it off with some homemade oat flour. It wasn’t much, so I hope that didn’t affect the results. Used coconut oil and semisweet chocolate chips since that was all I had. The cranberries were fun to chop up. lol I baked them for only 10 minutes, I think, and they came out really soft. If I make these again, I think I’m going to put them in longer so they get more chewy. These are so good, though! I’ve really developed a taste for cranberries after several weeks of eating cranberry chia jams, and these are just amazing. I love the occasional little bite of tartness and the occasional bit of extra sweetness from the chocolate. Thanks so much for the recipe! I might be making more of these this weekend. Not sure yet.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Sherwood! I agree about the flavor of cranberries — that tartness is incredible. 🙂
Lovely recipe! I have one question though, is if okay if I use honey in place of the maple syrup?
Thanks Phe! I answer that question in my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page, which is linked to in the Notes section beneath the Instructions. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the cookies!
yum! thank you for this recipe!
My pleasure Animo! I hope you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Thanks so much for converting in gram!! I`m from germany but when I`m looking for healthy and yummy reciped I always end up on an american website 😀 And since the measuring cups (which I finally had to order) haven`t arrived yet it`s so nice not to have to spend a hour converting. 🙂
It’s my pleasure Natalia! 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you think of these cookies!
Oh my gosh! These are the best cookies I`ve ever made!! Putting coconut oil into the batter is the best idea ever, you can only taste it lightly but it`s such a perfect mixture with the cranberries and dark chocolate… I`m in love…
Oh goodness, thank you SO much for your sweet words Natalia!! I’m truly honored that you’d call these the best cookies you’ve ever made! I’m so glad you loved them! 🙂