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
These cookies look absolutely amazing, one of my fave flavour combinations is chocolate and peanut butter! but it comes a close second to chocolate and banana, going to check out your other cookies now!,
your blog inspires me to bake more!
Rhianna x
http://www.rhianna-jayne.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks Rhianna! I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them!
Can you substitute chia seed egg replacer for the egg in this or other cookie recipes?
I haven’t worked with chia seeds as an egg replacer, but I do know that Ener-G will work in just about all of my cookie recipes! It’s a shelf-stable white powder, and 1½ teaspoons of Ener-G whisked with 2 tablespoons of warm water is the equivalent of one egg. I hope you enjoy the cookies if you try them Janet!
I just made these! they taste really good, but are really dense. Is that normal? I feel like I can’t eat more than one without needing a glass of milk (definitely not a bad thing, but not so ideal if I want to pack a couple with lunch). Is there any reason why they would be so dense instead of light and chewy?
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! I’m not entirely sure what you mean by “dense” though. Were the oats and flour measured using the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale? Too much of either could make the cookies denser than the recipe is intended to be. The cookies are meant to be soft and chewy, but between the oats and peanut butter, they’re heartier than sugar cookies or snickerdoodles, which are more light and airy. Does that make sense?
Amy, your cookies look amazing.
Tried to make them but my cookies come out bit dry, they are no where close to the moist look as your.
I followed your recipe using the spoon and level method for the dry ingredients (except used 1/2 Cup whole wheat + 1/4 cup all purpose flour, instead of 3/4 whole wheat flour). Used bit less honey as suggested in your recipe.
Would these modification made the dough dry? anyway I can improve the dough to make it more moist?
Thanks,
Lin
If the cookies turned out dry, the most likely culprit would be the reduced amount of honey. The honey is needed for both moisture and sweetness, so if you reduce that, the cookies will turn out more cakey and dry. Also, be very careful with the spoon and level method; I find that the most accurate way to measure with this method is to gently shake the spoon back and forth above the measuring cup to lightly “shower” the flour into the measuring cup. Simply dumping it in will compact the flour and result in adding more than is necessary, which would dry out the cookies as well. Finally, the type or brand of peanut butter will affect the texture of the cookies. Homemade peanut butter is more “runny” than most store-bought varieties, so that may have affected the texture of your cookies as well. I hope your next batch turns out perfectly!
Best cookies ever! Thanks so much for posting this recipe! My husband doesn’t eat butter, and I try to stay away from sugar. This means that most of my cookies include banana and/or apple sauce. This recipe was nice for a change, and so very delicious! And it’s practically medicine (for allergy sufferers) if you use local honey. I’ve just had a double-dose of my favourite new Rx! Thanks again!
You’re so sweet Karen — I’m really glad you enjoyed the cookies! Your husband is very lucky to have you to bake him cookies without butter! 🙂
Just made these cookies! I usually go for healthy cookies with banana but I was honestly getting sick of banana in my cookies & I found this recipe and was dying to try it! The cookies are so soft & chewy! Wonderful recipe, these are my new go to healthy cookies!! thank you for the recipe!!:)
I’m really glad you enjoyed the cookies Taylor! That’s quite a big compliment — thank you so much!
I do not believe in cookies that measure chocolate in table spoons. So i assumed you meant cups instead of tablespoons. My cookies turned out wonderful. Thanks.
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies Emily!
Wow, these look just divine! The hubby wouldn’t even know that they are healthier for you!
Thanks Ashley! I hope you and your husband enjoy the cookies!
where’s the recipe? too much stuff on here. be simpler
Can I use oat flour instead of whole wheat flower?
That should work, but because oat flour can be more absorbent than whole wheat flour, you may need to add a few tablespoons of milk to the cookie dough if it seems dry. I hope you enjoy the cookies Shanna!