Although my mom rarely baked during my childhood, she still kept a kitchen shelf full of cookbooks and recipe clippings, the latter of which she organized into manila folders (for the full-page spreads) and 4×6” photo albums (for the smaller magazine and newspaper cutouts).
When I grew tall enough to climb onto the countertops, I’d lift myself up to pull down the cookbooks and flip through them, one by one, slowly soaking in the recipe titles and staring at the occasional pictures included in each chapter. I pulled down the big red books by Betty Crocker and Better Homes & Gardens the most—they had color photos!
If I lost track of time (or Mom didn’t find me sitting up there), I sometimes reached for the small photo albums to skim through. I usually flipped from cover to cover in a matter of minutes though. Without any images, those were pretty boring… Especially with so few desserts!
However, one clipping eventually caught my eye: a recipe for oatmeal cookies made with peanut butter and packed full of chocolate chips. Since it combined my three favorite cookie flavors (I was really indecisive, even back then!), I put the rest of the cookbooks back on the shelf, hopped off the counter, and asked Mom if we could make them.
She looked a little skeptical, mainly because I wasn’t supposed to climb on the countertops, but she agreed. So we pulled out the mixing bowls, measured out the ingredients, and baked a batch… And another the next week… And another… And another…
By the end of the summer, I practically knew the measurements by heart, and that little sky blue photo album with the teddy bear on the cover started to flip open to that particular recipe clipping near the center whenever someone pulled it off the shelf. Those were my favorite cookies!
However, that particular recipe called for not-so-healthy ingredients, so when I recently had a craving for those cookies, I created my own—and even used my homemade PB. These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies turned out even better than the originals! Super soft, extra chewy, and packed full of two kinds of chocolate chips. They’re the things a Cookie Monster’s dreams are made of!
These cookies are a combination of my ultimate healthy oatmeal cookies and my ultimate healthy peanut butter cookies—perfectly peanut buttery with lots of chewy oats! Have you tried either of those recipes yet? There’s a reason both they and the rest of my clean eating oatmeal cookies are the most popular recipes on my blog… They’re just so darn good!
And they don’t actually taste healthy. Just chewy and sweet—exactly like regular cookies!
Because I often receive the same questions, let’s go over some tips and tricks. It’s really important to measure both the oats and whole wheat flour correctly, using a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method. I highly recommend a scale! They’re really inexpensive, and they guarantee that your baked goods will turn out perfectly with the proper texture every time. I own and love this scale.
Too much of either flour or oats will dry out the dough and make your cookies taste cakey or crumbly. This is especially true for the oats since they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture. So please please please, measure the oats and flour correctly!
Hint: If you prefer gluten-free flour, I included my preferred blend in the Notes section beneath the recipe.
Instant oats work best for these cookies. But no need for a special trip to the grocery store—you can make your own! Add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-15 times, or until they’re about half their original size.
For the sweetener, you may use honey, maple syrup, or agave. They all work just fine! I opted for honey in these oatmeal cookies because I love the way it tastes with peanut butter (did anyone else occasionally eat PB&H sandwiches growing up??). Since these three ingredients tend to be more expensive, you may also substitute brown sugar and milk in their place. Readers have had success with stevia and milk as well.
Unlike most of my oatmeal cookie recipes, this peanut butter version doesn’t require chilling. That means you’re half an hour closer to eating dessert! They don’t spread while baking either, so you must flatten the cookie dough to your desired thickness and width.
Remove the cookies after no more than 14 minutes in the oven. They will look and feel slightly underdone—that’s good! This is my secret to extra soft and chewy cookies: pull them out a little early, then let them cool on the warm baking sheet longer. This trick allows the cookies’ centers to continue cooking through without the outsides turning crisp or crunchy. The cookies should stay chewy for at least a week if baked this way!
Now… Who’s bringing the milk?
My newly released Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook is full of sweet and healthy recipes like these oatmeal cookies! Learn more and get your copy here!
| Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured correctly & gluten-free if necessary)
- ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (64g) homemade peanut butter
- ½ cup (120mL) honey
- 2 tbsp (28g) dark chocolate chips
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) miniature chocolate chips
- Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the honey. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of miniature chocolate chips. (If the cookie dough is very wet, similar to the texture of very thick muffin batter, then chill for 30 minutes.)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten to the desired thickness and width. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 11-14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and a gluten-free flour blend. I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.
Any natural-style creamy peanut butter may be substituted in place of the homemade easy blender peanut butter. The only ingredients in the peanut butter should be peanuts and salt. (Oil is fine as a third ingredient.) Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter; the cookies will turn out too dry and cakey.
If you prefer, pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted in place of the honey. You may also substitute ½ cup (106g) brown sugar plus ¼ cup (60mL) of milk. Any milk will work.
For all other questions regarding the recipe, including ingredient substitutions, please see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ + Video page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
More peanut butter oatmeal cookies from other food bloggers…
♥ Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies by Bakerita
♥ Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies by Mandy’s Recipe Box
♥ Butterfinger Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies by Sally’s Baking Addiction
♥ Chunky Monkey Oatmeal Cookies by Whole and Heavenly Oven
Not my favourite.
The cookie dough was really crumbly, it tasted to bland.
When it cooked the cookies it nearly collapsed in my hand.
I’m honored that you tried making my recipe! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cookies are supposed to turn out at all, so I’d love to help figure out what happened. In order to do that, I have some questions for you!
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons, especially for the oats, flour, and honey?
Did you use regular whole wheat flour or the gluten-free flour blend that I provided in the Notes section? Or did you happen to use coconut flour, by any chance?
Did you use my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe? If not, what’s the brand of creamy peanut butter that you used?
Did you use the full amount of honey?
How long did you chill the cookie dough?
Did you flatten the cookie dough before baking? If so, how tall/thick was your cookie dough?
How long did you bake your cookies?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!
I did use sugar free peanut butter. I used measuring cups for the ingredients and I did you whole wheat flour. I bought the peanut butter the brand was Bega. I used the right amount of honey. We cooled the cookies for five – ten minutes. I did flatten the dough before cooking. The cookie dough was very crumbly to start with. I cooked the cookies for about 11 to 14 minutes and till it was golden brown on the edges.
Thank you so much.
It’s my pleasure! I’m happy to help. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your answers — this info is really helpful!
Was the Bega peanut butter that you used crunchy or creamy?
When you used the measuring cups to measure the flour and oats, did you dip them directly into the containers?
If not, and you spooned the flour and oats into them, did you shake the measuring cups back and forth while filling them at all?
How long did you chill the cookie dough? What was its consistency like before chilling?
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, were they completely firm in the center? How long did you let the cookies cool on the warm baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack?
I have a pretty good idea of the culprit, but your answers to these questions above will help confirm!
Hi Amy
The peanut butter was the smooth kind.
Yes with the oats and flour I put them strait into the bowl and scraped any leftovers into the bowl to.
I cooled the cookie dough for two to three minutes.
The centre of the cookies were just crumbly.
I cooled them for five to ten minutes.
Thanks for your help
I acutely forgot to chill the cookie dough my bad
Sorry
Thanks for sharing all of this information too!
We found the biggest culprit — how the oats and flour were measured! When measured like that, where you dip your measuring cups directly into the containers and scoop out the flour and oats using the measuring cups themselves, you can end up with 1 ½ times as much flour and oats as when you lightly spoon and level. (In other words, you would’ve added around 1 ½ cups of oats and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough, instead of 1 cup of oats and ¾ cup of flour.) The extra flour and oats are definitely causing the issues that you’ve experienced! This is especially true for the oats. They act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the cookie dough!
If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork, and never shake the measuring cup back and forth either. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the cookie dough, so you’ll end up with soft and chewy cookies.
If you click on the pink “measured correctly” text next to each of these ingredients in the Ingredients list, that will take you to my “Baking Basics” page. There, I cover the best measuring practices for all ingredients in more detail. 🙂
Additionally, if you decide to try making these cookies again, I highly recommend removing them from the oven when their centers still feel slightly soft and underdone! The heat from the warm baking sheet will continue to cook the centers all the way through (without overcooking or drying out the cookies!) while you let them cool for those 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
If you end up baking another batch using these tips, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Thank you so much I will definitely try the again recipe
You’re welcome — I’m happy to help! I’m really looking forward to hearing how your second batch turns out. 🙂