Orange Cranberry Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

Name: Orange Cranberry Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 2900 min
Ingredients: 115 g Butter ((softened at room temperature - salted or unsalted is fine)); 120 g Granulated Sugar; 80 g Brown Sugar; 1 Egg; 100 g Sourdough Starter ((can be discard or active starter)); 5 g Orange Extract ((can use vanilla if you prefer)); 1 tbsp Orange Zest ((approx. one orange)); 100 g All Purpose Flour; 1 tsp Cinnamon; 2 g Salt ((just a pinch)); 3 g Baking Soda ((1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda or bicarb)); 150 g Rolled Oats; 100 g Cranberries ((fresh or frozen)); 250 g Powdered Sugar; 3 g Orange Extract; 40 g Butter ((very soft)); 25 g Orange Juice; 2 g Salt; Orange Zest ((to decorate))

ByKate Freebairn Modified: January 26, 2026

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These orange cranberry sourdough oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and full of bright citrus flavor with pops of tart cranberry in every bite. With warm cinnamon, hearty oats, and a simple orange butter glaze, these cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and tangy. You can bake them straight away for a quick treat, or let the dough ferment in the fridge for extra depth of flavor and an even better texture.

Orange cranberry sourdough oatmeal cookies on a cooling rack topped with an orange butter glaze and orange zest.

One of my favorite things about sourdough discard cookies is how flexible they are. These orange cranberry oatmeal cookies work with either sourdough discard or active starter since the baking soda provides the lift. The sourdough adds tenderness and a subtle tang that pairs so well with citrus and cranberries.

And if you're looking for more sourdough oatmeal cookie flavors, you may want to try my sourdough oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (great any time of year!), these sourdough oatmeal raisin cookies, or apple cinnamon sourdough oatmeal cookies.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Bright Flavor - Fresh orange zest, orange extract, and tart cranberries give these cookies a really nice flavor that's perfect for the cooler months.

Use Sourdough Discard - This is a great way to use up sourdough discard without needing a long fermentation or complicated steps. You can bake right away or let the dough rest for up to two days.

Perfect Texture - Thanks to the oats and butter-rich dough, these cookies bake up with lightly crisp edges and soft, chewy centers.

Three orange cranberry sourdough oatmeal cookies stacked on a cooling rack to show cookie texture.

Ingredients

Butter - Softened butter creates a rich, tender cookie base and a rich glaze. I use salted butter butter, but unsalted is fine too.
Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar - I always like to combine these two sugars in my cookies. The combination helps with sweetness, moisture and the perfect texture.
Egg - I've used one large egg.
Sourdough Starter - Discard or active starter will both work in these cookies.
Orange Extract - You'll use orange extract in the cookies and the orange glaze. You can use vanilla in the cookies if you prefer.
Orange Zest - Fresh zest adds bright, natural orange flavor and makes a nice decorative topping on the glaze.
All Purpose Flour
Cinnamon
Salt - Just a pinch of salt helps to pull all the flavors together.
Baking Soda
Rolled Oats - Use traditional rolled oats for the best texture. They add chew and heartiness. Steel cut oats won't work.
Cranberries - Fresh or frozen both work. Frozen cranberries can be added straight from the freezer.
Powdered Sugar - Makes the glaze smooth and sweet.
Orange Juice - Gives the glaze an orange flavor that ties in with the cookies.

How to Make Orange Cranberry Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

Cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl. You can use a stand mixer or electric mixer if you like, but I have just done this with a whisk.

Now add the egg, sourdough starter, orange extract and orange zest to the bowl and whip together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Again, you can use a stand mixer or electric mixer to do this, but to keep things simple, a whisk is fine to save dishes!

Two photos to show mixing the wet ingredients together to make orange cranberry sourdough oatmeal cookies.

Now add all of the other dry ingredients - all purpose flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, rolled oats and cranberries and gently mix together to form a sticky dough. It will be fairly wet and that's ok.

Mix dough in a bowl for orange cranberry sourdough oatmeal cookies.

You can choose to use the cookie dough straight away, or you can place the cookie dough in the fridge for up to 2 days to ferment and firm up. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to stop it drying out.

Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto the cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. These sourdough oatmeal cookies will spread so make sure you leave at least 2" between each dough ball (see my tips for sizing and baking times).

Scooping cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet to make orange cranberry sourdough oatmeal cookies.

Place trays into the oven and bake for around 10 minutes at 190C (375F) or until the edges of the cookies are starting to brown but the middles are still soft. Don't let them overcook!

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie tray for around 10 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to fully cool.

Fresh baked orange cranberry sourdough oatmeal cookies cooling on a cooling rack.

Once cool, they will have crispy edges and a soft, chewy center - YUM!

To create the orange butter glaze, add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until it's thick and glossy. Spoon onto cooled cookies and decorate each cookie with a little orange zest. Allow the zest to set before serving.

Kate's Recipe Tips

You can use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to create 32 smaller cookies. These will be thinner cookies with crispier edges. Bake for 10 minutes.
For thicker, soft cookies, I recommend using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop. Bake these larger cookies for 16 minutes.

How to Store + Freeze

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If glazed, allow the glaze to fully set before stacking.

To freeze baked cookies, place them in a freezer-safe container with parchment between layers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

You can also freeze the cookie dough. Scoop the dough onto a tray, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.