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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are about to become one of your new favorite cookie recipes. Soft and chewy, they have a rich peanut butter flavor, with whole grain oats sprinkled throughout.
Why You’ll Love Them
They are gluten-free. These cookies are made with oat flour instead of all-purpose flour. You can make homemade oat flour by simply grinding rolled oats in a blender, so this is an easy option when your pantry is running low on supplies. Be sure to look for certified gluten-free oats and oat flour, if needed, to avoid any potential cross contamination during the manufacturing process.
They are naturally sweetened. This recipe calls for coconut sugar instead of white or brown sugar, for a slight mineral boost. If you prefer to use another variety of granulated sugar, you may want to use a little less, since they will taste sweeter than the coconut version.
They taste amazing. My taste testers have reported this cookie to be one of the best peanut butter cookies they’ve ever tasted! The rich peanut butter flavor really comes through in this recipe, since it’s not diluted with too much flour.
They are easy to make. All you need is one bowl and about 10 minutes to stir the dough together. This is a fun recipe to make with kids!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in peanut butter oatmeal cookies?
- Natural peanut butter
- Old-fashioned oats
- Oat flour
- Coconut sugar
- Egg (or flax egg)
- Butter (or coconut oil)
- Baking soda
- Salt
Be sure to use a creamy peanut butter for this recipe, unless you like chunky bites of peanut throughout your cookies. I recommend using a natural peanut butter that you have to stir, rather than a processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. This will give you the most peanut butter flavor!
Note: If you would like to experiment with using less sugar, I’ve tested this recipe using a 1/2 cup of sugar, too. In that case, it’s very important to cut back on the salt, too! (Use just a 1/4 teaspoon in that case.) Using less sugar will create a cookie that is less chewy, and a little more crumbly.
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
1. Cream the butters & sugar.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Mix well, until the mixture looks like a thick paste. (Use a hand mixer or stand mixer, to speed the mixing process.)
Add in the egg, and mix again.
2. Add in the dry ingredients.
Add in the oat flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir well. Then add in the rolled oats and chocolate chips, if using, and stir again.
3. Scoop the cookie dough.
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (You’ll need two baking sheets to bake the dough at once, or bake it in two batches.)
Use a fork to flatten the cookies in a criss-cross pattern, similar to traditional peanut butter cookies.
4. Bake.
Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should spread and puff up slightly.
Let the cookies cool completely on the pan, as they will be very fragile while they are still warm. Once they are cool, they should firm up and be easy to handle. If you need to bake another batch on the same pan, transfer the first batch of cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling, after they have firmed up on the pan.
These cookies have the best taste and texture when you serve them at room temperature.
Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They will become even more firm when chilled. You can also store these in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Common Questions & Substitutions
Can I make these cookies dairy-free? Yes, you can use a 1/3 cup of coconut oil instead of butter for this recipe. Use a refined coconut oil (i.e. expeller pressed) to avoid adding a coconut flavor to your cookies.
Can I use a different nut butter? Almond butter is an easy swap, or you can use sunflower seed butter for a nut-free cookie.
Can I use quick cooking oats? Yes, but they will also thicken these cookies slightly compared to old-fashioned rolled oats. This option is great if you prefer less of a texture from the added rolled oats.
Can I make this recipe vegan? Yes! Swap the butter for a 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil and replace the egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. (This is a flax egg.) This version turns out a little softer in the center, which is great for people who like gooey cookies.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter , softened
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 large egg (see notes)
- 1 cup oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (see notes)
- 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Mix well, until smooth, then add in the egg and mix again.
- Add in the oat flour, baking soda, and salt, and stir until smooth. Then fold in the rolled oats and chocolate chips, if using. (If you prefer a softer cookie, use only a 1/2 cup of rolled oats.)
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You'll need to use 2 baking sheets to bake the whole batch at once, or you can cook these in two batches using the same pan. Use a fork to flatten the cookie dough, just like you would a peanut butter cookie.
- Bake at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies spread and puff up slightly. Use the shorter baking time for softer cookies, and the longer time for more firm and chewy cookies. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan. They will be fragile when warm, but will firm up as they cool.
- Serve the cookies at room temperature, or transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. They will firm up even more when chilled. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months.
Notes
- For an egg-free cookie, you can replace the egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water to make a “flax egg.”
- For a dairy-free cookie, replace the butter with a stick of vegan butter (like Miyoko’s brand), or a 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil. Use refined coconut oil (expeller pressed) if you’d like to avoid adding a coconut flavor to your cookies.
- If you prefer to use white or brown sugar, reduce the amount to just 1/2 cup, since they are sweeter than coconut sugar.
- This recipe was tested with Redmond’s Real Salt. If you use table salt or another brand, you might want to start with just a 1/4 teaspoon of salt, so the cookies don’t turn out too salty. You can always add a sprinkle on top for a more salty-kick later!
Nutrition
If you try this peanut butter oatmeal cookies recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them!
These turned out great! Will make them again. 🙂
I made these with the help of my 2.5 y/o grandson. They turned out great even though I was distracted (lol) while trying to measure & follow first time recipe. They do spread out quite a bit, so Megan’s advice of using 2 cookie sheets was helpful. Everyone loved them. Quick to prepare, especially if the homemade oatmeal flour is grinded ahead. I think I’ll make a double recipe by myself today. I’ll add Enjoy Life mini choco chips this time. Love that they are freezable.
Delicious! Came out perfectly!
These came out great. I used a small cookie scoop and they are the perfect tiny size for kids. The oat and peanut butter flavors go really well together. They were a little more crumbly than I expected but still great. I haven’t refrigerated them yet so I think that might help with the crumbling.