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 were fantastic! At first I was kind of skeptical about how the texture and sweetness would be, but they turned out delicious. Great and easy recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
JUST made these, ….added a few chopped pecans, turned out PERECT! Thank you =)
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Tammy! 🙂
These look amazing! Would i be able to substitute almond flour for the whole wheat flour?
Yes, I think that should work Lindsay. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hello! These look great – I’m wondering what would happen if I put a whole egg in instead of separating out the yolk? Did you do so simply to make it healthier or is it important for the recipe?
Thank you!
Yes, you’re right — it’s mainly to make the cookies healthier. They’ll still turn out fine if you include the yolk. I hope you enjoy the cookies Emily!
This recipe is EXCELLENT! I can’t stop eating them! I did make some modifications. I substituted 1/3 of the flour with vanilla protein and another 1/3 with IMO powder. I only used 1T of honey and used 1/4t of EZ Sweetz no calorie sweetener with 1/4 cup water. Last, I had cashew butter on hand, so used that for peanut butter. Was able to bake with protein powder without the drying out. Even my husband who doesn’t like sweets devoured these. Beyond perfect!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for sharing your recipe modifications — I always love hearing what works! 🙂
Loved this recipe and can’t wait to try it again! When I made it this time the cookies came out a bit dry. Do you have any recommendations on how to make them less dry?
Yes! I include all of my tips for that on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page, which is already linked to in the Notes section beneath the Instructions. I hope your next batch turns out even better Jessica! 🙂
Hi could you use agave as the sweetner? Thanks!
Yes! I answer that on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page, which is linked to in the Notes section beneath the Instructions. 🙂
Had fun making these today with my Mom and little toddler! So happy to find a healthy recipe for cookies and this recipe is sooo good! We used the brown sugar and milk sweetner suggestion and worked great. So nice to have a recipe that doesnt call for butter or shortening haha. Thank you so much for posting this recipe, looking forward to trying others on here too!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies London! And I hope you saw my response about agave for the future. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
Do you have an estimate on the calories in these? They are incredible cookies and some easy to make 🙂
All of my recipes include the full Nutrition Information beneath the recipe box Alyssa! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the cookies!
My two year old son and I made these last night. They were fantastic! We’ve tried so many “healthy” cookies, but these were the first ones that were actually good! The only change that I made was to use maple syrup instead of honey. My picky son, who loves to cook, but refuses to eat anything we make, actually ate these. He was so proud of them that he keeps offering cookies to everyone. It’s adorable! We’ll be keeping this recipe to make for years to come. Thank you so much!
Oh my goodness Aimee, your son sounds so precious!! I’m truly touched that he enjoyed the cookies, especially since he’s on the pickier side, and started offering them to everyone. That makes my heart smile! 🙂