These Healthy Cranberry Cookies are chewy, soft, and deliciously sweet, with a subtle tartness from the cranberries. You'll love how easy and tasty they are!
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Why This Recipe Stands Out
We all love a good cookie, but when it's packed with healthy ingredients, we can't help but have one (or two) guilt-free. Here's why this recipe stands out:
- Soft and Chewy: Almond flour is the key to the soft, chewy texture of these cookies. It's a great gluten-free alternative to white flour.
- Packed with Fiber: We use quick rolled oats in this recipe. They add a lovely texture and a healthy dose of fiber.
- Fresh Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are a superfood packed with antioxidants. They add a tart, refreshing flavor to the cookies.
- Easy to Make: The recipe is straightforward and uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients. It's a great recipe to make with the family on a lazy Sunday.
- Versatile: These cookies are perfect for any occasion - from a quick breakfast bite to a healthy snack, or even a dessert at a party.
Key Ingredients
- Butter – The softened unsalted butter not only adds a rich, buttery flavor to the cookies but also helps in achieving a soft and chewy texture.
- Brown Sugar – We use brown sugar for its molasses content, which adds a lovely caramel-like flavor to the cookies and keeps them moist.
- Almond Flour – This gluten-free flour not only adds a nutty flavor to the cookies but also helps to keep them soft and chewy.
- Rolled Oats – We use quick rolled oats for their slightly finer texture, which helps bind the cookies together and adds a lovely oaty flavor.
- Fresh Cranberries – The star of our recipe, fresh cranberries add a tart and fruity flavor that balances out the sweetness of the cookies. We quarter them to ensure that their flavor is evenly distributed throughout the cookies.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are some of our favorite variations and substitutions to try:
- Nuts: If you’re a fan of nuts in your cookies, feel free to add in some chopped almonds, pecans, or pinenuts. They will add a nice crunch to the cookies, just like in our Healthy Vegan Chocolate Brownie Cookies.
- Spices: The spices in this recipe are quite flexible. Feel free to play around with them. You can add a dash of cinnamon, cloves, or allspice for a warm, cozy flavor.
- Chocolate: If you're a chocoholic, try adding white chocolate chips or even dark chocolate chunks to the dough. The sweet and tangy cranberries will pair perfectly with the chocolate.
How to Make Healthy Cranberry Cookies with Oatmeal and Almond Flour
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Beat butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the egg and beat well.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk almond flour, baking powder, and nutmeg.
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir in the oats and cranberries.
Step 5: Form small dough balls and place them on the parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use frozen cranberries if fresh ones are not available. However, we recommend thawing and draining them first to remove any excess moisture. This will prevent them from making the cookie dough too wet.
The cookies are done when the edges turn a beautiful golden brown. This usually takes about 12-15 minutes in the oven.
For this particular recipe, we recommend sticking with almond flour to maintain the texture and flavor. However, if you have a nut allergy or simply prefer a different type of flour, you can try using a gluten-free flour blend.
These cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you refrigerate them, they should last for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe
Healthy Cranberry Cookies with Oatmeal and Almond Flour
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter ½ cup, softened
- ¾ c brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 c almond flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ c quick rolled oats
- 1 c fresh cranberries quartered
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until slightly fluffy. Add egg and continue beating until fully mixed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk almond flour, baking powder and nutmeg.
- Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Stir in rolled oats and cranberries.
- With wet hands form small dough balls, about 1 ½ inches (about 4 cm) in diameter. Place them on a parchment paper and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie edges are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool the cookies for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
Notes
- When beating the butter and sugar, make sure the butter is softened but not melted. This will help the cookies to have the perfect texture.
- Quarter the fresh cranberries for the best distribution in the cookies. This also ensures that you get a burst of tart cranberry flavor in every bite
- Wet hands help in forming the dough balls without the dough sticking to your hands.
- Be careful not to over-bake the cookies. They may seem a bit soft when you take them out of the oven, but they will continue to set as they cool, giving you the perfect chewy texture.
Nutrition
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Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Nina Kulish says
These cookies look amazing. I wanna try the recipe. Just a couple of questions in case. Can I substitute some of the sugar with molasses? Or will I need to adjust the amount of flour then?
Barara says
Can I use regular oatmeal for these cookies? I don't usually by the quick oats. Also I buy fresh cranberries and freeze them in their original package until I am ready to use them. Would these be okay to use?
Iryna Bychkiv says
Yes, you can use regular oatmeal; however the cookies will be slightly more chewier. It won't affect the taste though. Frozen crawberries should be fine too.