Pumpkin Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are a delicious and festive treat that is perfect for Thanksgiving or any fall gathering. They are soft, chewy, and packed with flavor. Plus, they are easy to make and can be customized to your liking.
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These Fall cookies are made with a combination of pumpkin puree, cranberry sauce, chocolate chips, oatmeal, nuts and spices, usually leftover ingredients used to make different dishes for the Thanksgiving meal.
The pumpkin puree gives the cookies a moist and cakey texture, while the cranberry sauce adds a tart and tangy flavor. The chocolate chips and oatmeal add sweetness and chewiness.
💝Why you will love these pumpkin cranberry cookies
- Perfect for Thanksgiving or Fall Gatherings: These cookies are a festive addition to your Thanksgiving or fall gathering, offering a rich flavor and a soft, chewy texture.
- Easy One-Bowl Recipe: With simple ingredients and a one-bowl preparation, the cookies are easy to make, and you can customize them with nuts, seeds, or spices to your liking.
- Ideal for Using Leftovers: This recipe is a great way to use up leftover ingredients from Thanksgiving, such as pumpkin puree and cranberry sauce, making it a practical and tasty choice.
- Perfect As A Gift: While these cookies are perfect for gifting, they are also suitable for a snack after a long shopping day. (Black Friday, anyone?)
📝 What ingredients do you need
- Unsalted butter- I always use unsalted butter in my baking, as I like to control the amount of salt I use inside the recipes.
- Dark brown sugar- I like the depth of flavor that dark brown sugar brings to the recipe. However, you can use instead light brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar- comes to complement dark brown sugar. Both sugars are needed in the recipe as they have different amounts of moisture.
- Canned pumpkin puree- remember that almost used can of pumpkin puree sitting in the back of the fridge, totally abandoned? This is the perfect occasion to use it to make these cookies.
- Cranberry sauce- any leftover cranberry sauce is good, even slightly spicy. I used a somewhat spicy cranberry sauce in the past, and the cookies were divine. The spiciness makes them more interesting.
- Vanilla extract- Use the best vanilla extract you can find. You will thank me later!
- Large eggs- are standard for baking in the US, and this is what we use. You will need only one egg.
- All-purpose flour- Please do not replace it with self-rising flour. If you do not have flour in your pantry, buy some.
- Old-fashioned oats- Rolled oats or quick oats are perfect for this recipe, like in my favorite Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
- Spices- ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves bring flavor and the warmth of late Fall. Delicious!
- Baking soda- please do not confuse it with baking powder. They do different things in a recipe.
- Salt- all baked goods need a pinch of salt to balance the sugars and the flavors. Please do not skip it unless you use salted butter.
- Chopped nuts- walnuts, pecans, and almonds are good, but they are optional if you need to skip them.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips- chocolate chips are always good in cookies, and I would not commit them. You can replace them with dark chocolate chips. (see here Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookies for a fun recipe.)
👩🍳 How to make these Pumpkin Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Step 1. In a standup mixer, cream butter and the two types of sugar until light and fluffy. You can also do this step using a hand mixer or a whisk.
Step 2. Add the egg, pumpkin puree, cranberry sauce, and vanilla one by one. Mix after each addition.
Step 3. Whisk together flour, old fashioned oats, spices, salt, and baking soda in a separate large bowl. Gradually add them to the creamed mixture.
Step 4. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts until incorporated. Do not overmix.
Step 5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.
Step 6. Preheat oven.
Step 7. Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets, or use an ice cream scoop to form a more even cookie. Leave a distance of about 1-2 inches between the cookies.
Step 8. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Cool the cookies on pans for a few minutes, then move them to cool on wire racks.
❄️ Storage Instructions
These Thanksgiving cookies are best eaten on the day that they are made. They are moist, soft cookies that are delicious when slightly warm from the oven. ( Exactly like these soft Banana Walnut Chocolate Chips Cookies.)
They need to be cooled completely before storing them. Place them in an airtight container, and then in the refrigerator to retain the freshly baked flavor for up to a week.
Freeze the cookies
For longer time storage, freeze the cookies on trays and then pack them into an airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper between layers. To thaw, leave them at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Serve them with coffee, tea, or your favorite drink. I like them with a glass of wine sometimes.
🍪 More cookies to make
- 44 Christmas Cookies & Bars From Around The World
- Buttermilk Honey Cookies
- Easy Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
- Easy Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe
🙋♀️ Recipe Faqs
Yes, fresh pumpkin puree works just as well. Ensure it's well-pureed and not too watery.
If you don’t have cranberry sauce, you could use another tart jam or jelly, like raspberry or blackberry, for a similar flavor profile.
For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and ensure your oats are certified gluten-free.
More Recipes To Enjoy
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Cranberry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup cranberry sauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped nuts walnuts, pecans, almonds
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl of a standup mixer, cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy, about 6-7 minutes. (if you don't have a KitchenAid, use a hand mixer or a whisk).
- One by one beat in the egg, pumpkin puree, cranberry sauce, and vanilla.
- Grab a large bowl and whisk together flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add them to the creamed mixture.
- Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons on ungreased baking sheets. Leave a distance of about two inches between the cookies.
- Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown, for about 16-17 minutes. Cool the cookies on pans for 5 minutes, then remove them to cool on wire racks.
Notes
- Leftover-Friendly: Great way to use up that leftover cranberry sauce and pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving.
- Customizable: Feel free to switch up the nuts or leave them out according to your preference.
- Freezer-Friendly Dough: You can freeze the dough for later use, perfect for quick treats.
- Texture & Flavor: Chilling the dough not only improves texture but also deepens the flavors.
- Storage Tips: Keep these yummy cookies in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
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