These cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookie bars have all the good flavors in one single bite! Sweet and tart cranberries go very well with festive white chocolate morsels!
If you're looking for an easy cookie bar recipe for the holidays, try these oatmeal cookie bars with cranberries and white chocolate. They're as tasty as our cranberry oatmeal cookies and white chocolate cranberry scones. They're easy to make and can feed a crowd!
About this recipe
I'm all for making treats from scratch. However, it's always a good idea to keep some of your favorite baking mixes in the pantry just in case you need to whip something up quickly, like we do with these brownie cheesecake bars when we don't feel like making the brownies from scratch.
I usually have a bag or two of our favorite oatmeal cookie mix in case we want to make these delicious cookie bars. These are fudgy and gooey with the right amount of tart and sweet flavors. They're so easy to make and you can even have kids help you! The hardest part is to wait for them to cool so you can slice and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Oatmeal cookie mix: Use your favorite oatmeal cookie mix, I prefer ones with less sugar and not many preservatives.
- Butter: Make sure you're using unsalted butter since the cookie mixes already contain salt. Margarine or plant based spreads won't work in this recipe.
- Egg: You only need one large egg, substitutions such as flax eggs won't work.
- Dried cranberries: I prefer unsweetened cranberries since the cookie mix is already sweet enough.
- White chocolate chips: You can use regular or mini or even chop a bar of white chocolate into chunks.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, coat a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter and egg until fully mixed. Add in the cookie mix and mix to combine.
- Mix in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Spread the dough in the baking pan.
- Top with more cranberries and chocolate chips, then bake in the oven for 25 minutes until it's set around the edges and a bit gooey in the middle.
- Let it cool completely before slicing.
Variations
When it comes to bars and cookies, the variations are endless. Here are a few suggestions to jazz up these oatmeal cookie bars:
- Nuts: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts, almonds, pistachios or pecans to the cookie dough.
- Chocolate chips: Leave out the cranberries and use regular chocolate chips instead of white ones.
- Dried fruit: Leave out the cranberries and white chocolate chips and use ½ cup raisins instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store these in an airtight container in a cool and dry place for up to 3 days.
Yes, once they are completely cool, place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw them at room temperature.
Each oatmeal cookie recipe is different and some might not work out as bars. Therefore I recommend using mixes so you can go with the recipe provided.
Fresh cranberries contain more liquid and would change the texture of the cookie bars, therefore it's best to use dried cranberries.
More cookies and bars recipes
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 egg room temperture
- 17 oz oatmeal cookie mix
- ¾ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Coat a 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.
- Mix the butter and egg until fully combined, about a minute. Add in the oatmeal cookie mix. Mix until well incorporated.
- Add in ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup white chocolate chips and mix to combine.
- Spread the cookie mixture in the baking pan.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup dried cranberries and ¼ cup white chocolate chips on top.
- Bake in the oven for 25 - 27 minutes until the edges are set and the middle is a bit gooey.
- Let cool completely then cut into 16 squares.
Notes
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and keep in a cool and dry place for up to 3 days.
- If desired, add ½ cup chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, almond or pistachios.
- I don't recommend making the oatmeal cookies from scratch since each recipe is different and some might not turn out well as bars.
- Fresh cranberries contain too much liquid therefore they won't work for this recipe.
Karly
LOVE these! White chocolate and cranberries are one of my favorite winter combos. Such a tasty way to switch up the holiday dessert routine!
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Me too Karly! I'm getting obsessed with them!