Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies

Festive enough to be a Christmas cookie, but quick and easy enough to enjoy any time of year.

Easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins.

The texture of the cookie reminds me of the Oatmeal Creme Pies that were popular when I was growing up. Keep in mind that I haven’t had one of those in probably 30 years, though, so I may be off on that. Either way, these Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies are so delicious and I bet you can’t eat just one!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Oats ~ Use old fashioned rolled oats for best texture. Look for certified gluten-free oats if you need this recipe to be gluten-free. While oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often processed in a facility that also processes wheat.

If you can’t have oats at all, try my Vegan Cranberry Cookies made with almond flour!

Flour ~ I use oat flour to keep these cookies gluten-free. Again, look for certified gluten-free oat flour if you need. You could also grind your own using rolled oats in a food processor or coffee grinder.

I haven’t tried it, but all-purpose flour should work as well as an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.

Butter ~ Use vegan stick butter for best results. Use it cold straight from the fridge…no need to soften it first.

I don’t have much luck finding unsalted vegan butter, though I know that Earth Balance makes one. This recipe was developed using the yellow box of Earth Balance Buttery Sticks.

Sugar ~ I typically use a mixture of cane sugar and brown sugar. I have also used all brown sugar. Both options are perfectly sweet and tasty.

Flax ~ This is a binder. Whisk 1 tablespoon of flaxmeal with 3 tablespoons water and let it sit for a few minutes until it thickens.

Spices ~ Just some cinnamon, a splash of pure vanilla extract, and a little salt is all you need.

Cranberries ~ Dried cranberries are sweet and tart and chewy. You could use other dried fruit, like raisins, dried cherries, dried blueberries, chopped dried apricots, or chopped dates.

Chocolate chips are always a good option as an alternative. Or try my recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (oil-free and butter-free!)

Walnuts ~ Chopped walnuts are the perfect complement to oats and cranberries. Chop them into pieces similar in size to, or even smaller than, the dried cranberries. Pieces too big will make it harder for the cookie dough to hold together.

Don’t have walnuts? Use almonds, pistachios, or pecans instead. You can also use pumpkin seeds if you prefer. Or you can just leave them out.

In a small bowl whisk the flaxmeal with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside to let thicken. This is the flax “egg.”

Add the cold vegan butter and sugars to the bowl of an electric mixer (1).

Beat until the mixture comes together creamy and smooth (2). Add the flax “egg” and vanilla and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl add the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt (3). Whisk to combine (4).

Add the oat mixture slowly to the butter and sugar mixture in the electric mixer and mix until well-combined (5).

Add the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts (6) and stir to evenly distribute throughout the dough.

Scoop the dough 2 tablespoons at a time (I like to make these cookies fairly big. You can do smaller ones if you prefer.). Roll the dough into a ball and place on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat until the pan is full, making sure to space out the cookie dough leaving plenty of space for the cookies to spread (7).

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies have spread and the edges have started to set (8).

Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to continue to cool completely (9).

Storage and freezing

Counter: Store leftover oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.

Fridge: Store them up to 10 days in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Freezer: You can even freeze these baked vegan cookies! For best results, place cookies in one even layer on a large plate or baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the cookies to a freezer safe plastic bag. They should keep well for up to 4 months.

You can also freeze the cookie dough before baking. Portion out the dough by rolling 2 tablespoons each into a ball. Then place onto a rimmed baking sheet (no need to space them out) and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to a freezer-safe plastic bag. They will keep well for up to 3 months. Baking cookies from frozen usually takes an extra few minutes.

Pro tips and tricks

~ Use cold vegan butter straight from the fridge. Do not soften it first. Vegan butter doesn’t perform quite the same as dairy butter. The oils tend to separate out when warm, which will happen when creaming with the sugars. Starting with cold butter slows down this process. But don’t worry, it will break down easily, and allow for the perfect creamy texture.

~ Use old fashioned rolled oats for best texture. Not quick oats and definitely not steel cut oats.

~ Measure the flour by lightly spooning it into a measuring cup, then leveling off the top by sliding the back of knife across it. This is called the spoon-and-level method.

~ If the cookie dough is crumbly and won’t hold together, add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing again in between each addition, just until the dough comes together.

~ Space out the cookie dough on the baking sheet. These cookies will spread!

~ After baking, let the cookies rest on the pan for about 2 to 3 minutes before removing them to a wire cooling rack to continue to cool completely. They will be too soft to move straight from the oven.

~ To make this recipe gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats.

~ To make this recipe nut-free, simply leave out the walnuts.

FAQs

More vegan cookie recipes

• Vegan Funfetti Sugar Cookies
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pretzels
• Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Vegan Cinnamon Cookies
• Frosted Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
• Chocolate Molasses Cookies
• Vegan Thumbprint Cookies