Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Fresh cranberry and white chocolate loaded and stuffed oatmeal sandwich cookies bursting with festive Holiday flair!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup fresh cranberries coarsely chopped
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 8 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Mascarpone (or Cream Cheese) Frosting
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted, room temperature
- 2 ounces mascarpone softened (or cream cheese)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean pod scraped out or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor with the dough blade, cream the butter and both sugars until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix to combine. Add the flour and baking soda and mix again
- Remove batter into a large bowl and fold in fresh cranberries, white chocolate chips and oatmeal.
- Scoop dough into 1-inch balls, rolling between your hands to make them perfectly circle. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving 1.5 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cookies will look underdone and still pale, but this is what you want! Allow to cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Put the cranberries, granulated sugar, and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer the cranberries, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until they've popped and the mixture is quite thick. Let cool slightly.
- While the cranberries are simmering, combine cream cheese and butter in a food processor with the dough attachment (or use a standing mixer if you have one unlike me) and cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract and whip for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the cooled cranberry mixture to the cream cheese and whip for an additional minute.
Vanilla Mascarpone (or Cream Cheese) Frosting
- Combine Mascarpone (or cream cheese) and butter in the bowl of a food processor with the dough attachment (or use a standing mixer if you have one) and cream until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla bean (or vanilla extract) and whip for an additional 30 seconds.
To Assemble the Cookies
- Assemble the cookies by slathering about 2 tablespoons of frosting on the flat side of one cookie, then sandwich with the flat side of another cookie! Repeat with remaining cookies. Use all a combo of both frostings, just one or none ~ your choice!
Notes
- Be sure to use old fashioned oats for the cookies, not steel cut or any other variety.
- Cranberries love to roll around when you’re trying to chop them. Use a large cutting board and be on your toes for escapees.
- For light and airy frosting, let butter, mascarpone, and/or cream cheese come to room temp before whipping.
- Let the cookies cool completely before frosting. Warm cookies will make an oozing frosting mess.
- You can bake the cookies a few days ahead, but they are best filled within a few hours of serving.