Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with dried cranberries and toasted pecans are the ultimate in taste and decadence. The chocolate delicately permeates the cookies while the cranberries and pecans add depth. If you like oatmeal cookies, you’ll go crazy over these Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies!
Ingredients for Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
I used the following ingredients for these delicious cookies which I adapted from a Giada De Laurentis recipe: Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, Craisins, toasted pecans, and bittersweet chocolate bar. For the chocolate bar, I used Lindt 70% cocoa. You could also use Ghirardelli 60% cocoa or other fine chocolate between 60% and 70% cocoa.
Making the Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies
Making the Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal CookiesI started by chopping the chocolate into small chunks with a sharp knife.
Then, I beat the butter with my electric mixer until it was light and creamy. This took about a minute. Next, I added the sugars, and continued beating the mixture for another minute or so.
After that, I added an egg and the vanilla extract. I beat the mixture for another minute until it was light and fluffy.
Then, I sifted in the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. I beat the mixture until everything was well incorporated.
The reason that I sifted in these ingredients was to ensure that they didn’t clump. I know that this goes away the conventional wisdom of adding these ingredients to the dry ingredients. However, I always beat them into the wet ingredients right before adding the dry ingredients. That way, I know that they are well incorporated.
I added the flour, and beat the mixture on low just until the flour was almost incorporated.
Finally, I added the oats, Craisins, toasted pecans, and chopped chocolate. I carefully folded the ingredients with a wooden spoon until everything was nicely incorporated. The ratio of wet ingredients to dry ingredients for this cookie is smaller than for most cookies. This means that the dough is stiffer, and the cookies end up a bit thicker.
I portioned the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets using a 1-¾ inch ice cream scoop. Then, I rolled each of the pieces of dough into a round ball, and flattened it with my damp hand.
I baked the cookies in a preheated 350° F oven for around 11 minutes. After 11 minutes, the edges were slightly golden. I let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
I ended up with around 3 dozen totally amazing cookies. They were crispy around the edges with a taste of chocolate in every bite. The dried cranberries and toasted pecans took this cookie to new level. Yum!
Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Pecans
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (3.75 ounces) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (7 ounces) old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) dried cranberries (See Note 1)
- ¾ cup (3 ounces) chopped pecans, toasted (See Note 2)
- 3.5 ounce bar good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped (See Note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Beat butter in large bowl on high with electric mixer until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugars, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
- Sift in cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until well incorporated. (See Note 4)
- Add flour; beat on low just until incorporated.
- Fold in oats, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and chopped chocolate; mix well.
- Using a 1-¾ inch ice cream scoop, shape into balls and place 3 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Flatten with damp hand. Bake at 350° F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. (See Note 5)
- Bake at 350° F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Yield: 3 dozen cookies.
Chula's Expert Tips
- For the dried cranberries, I used Craisins
- To toast pecans, spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 8 or 9 minutes until lightly toasted.
- I used Lindt 70% cocoa. However, you can also use Ghirardelli 60% cocoa or any other good quality dark chocolate between 60% and 70% cocoa.
- I always beat in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, etc., to the wet ingredients right before adding the dry ingredients. This way I know that they are well incorporated.
- If you don't want to bake all of the cookies at one time, shape remaining dough into individual balls. Freeze in single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. When frozen, transfer to ziploc bag, and store in freezer until ready to use. Thaw, flatten and bake.
These cookies are absolutely great. I did substitute some good quality chocolate chips for the chopped up chocolate bar but made no other changes. The cookies were large and chewy and kept well. We’ll be making these again.
I’m so glad that they turned out well for you! They didn’t last long at all at our house.