Copycat Created Recipe
"Ever wonder how the hell restaurants and bakeries make the best damn soft & chewy cookies? If you ever visit a well known J-Deli across the country and love there Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies... Then you have fallen upon the right recipe! After many attempts of disecting thier cookie... I'm not complaining though...I got to enjoy the tasty work. I have finally mastered it! And now I am sharing it here with you!"
Soft and chewy with that trademark homemade flavor, these are the best soft and chewy Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal cookies. Made with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, oats, sweet dried cranberries, and two secret ingredients, this recipe is the final winner of the closest copycat to the famous restaurants cookie.
There’s something magical about the chewy texture, crisp edges, soft centers, plump & juicy cranberries, and the hint of cinnamon flavor. I know I am not alone out there!
The competition is strong, but here’s why you’ll fall in love with these cookies. 🙋🏻♀️ I like to add white or semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chocolate chips are completely optional but highly recommended. These simple ingredients combine to make the best copycat ever!
Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
Servings – 30 Cookies Prep Time – 40 Minutes - includes chilling time Cook Time – 13-15 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons un-sulphured or dark molasses; I prefer Grandma’s brand as well as my grandmother and mother did. And well... You can find it everywhere.
1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oat, you can also use quickoats as that is what most of us buy now for conveneince of quick meals for our families
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional if you don't like or are alergic to nuts
3/4 cup white chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips, optional
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl cream the softened butter and both sugars together until smooth. Add the eggs; mix well until thin batter forms. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add in vanilla and molasses and mix until combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/2 at a time to the wet ingredients and mix well to combine.
Once all indredients are combined, add in the oats, cranberries, and walnuts (if using); mix well.
The cookie dough will be on the thicker side and a little sticky. Chill the dough for 30 minutes to an hour in the refrigerator; this will prevent spreading of your cookies while baking; its one of the most crutial steps. (Trust me, I am very impatient and have learned my lesson over the years. 🙃) If you need to chill the dough longer (up to 2 days), allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. This makes for easy clean up and helps make the bottoms evenly golden brown; Set aside.
Roll balls of dough; about 2 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. I personally like to use the 1" ice cream "cookie" scoop with the quick release handle.
Bake for 13-16 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft and under-baked. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to “set” on the baking sheet during this time.
Notes:
Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions:
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Baked cookies freeze well—up to three months.
Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well—up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Pre roll cookie dough into balls, place on cookie sheet and freeze for 3 hours; until firm. Place frozen dough balls into a ziplock freezer bag and keep frozen until ready to bake. Remove as many cookies as you would like to bake at that time. Bake as normal; no need to defrost.
Bring your cranberries back to life:
Before you start making your dough, you can soak your dried cranberries in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain water and spread cranberries out on a paper towel. Blot very well to dry – this makes them extra plump for your cookies. This extra step is completely optional!
"These cookies are... Sweetened with brown sugar, moist and tender centers, slighty crisp edges, buttery and loaded with oats, jemmed with cranberries, spiced with a hint of cinnamon! They are fantastic!" - CWT Fan
CWT is not a certified dietician or nutritionist. Any nutritional information shared on this site is an estimate counted through measurements and package nutritional information used in each recipe. If calorie, macro counting and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through your choice of nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on national brands used per recipe.