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
Just wondering if I can use spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Thanks
I haven’t worked much with spelt flour, but I think that should work. I hope you enjoy the cookies Louise!
Was looking for a guiltfree cookie recipe and i think i hit jackpot with this one! They turned out so well! I cannot stop eating them! I left them a minute longer than required which resulted in crispy bottoms… not complaining tho! 🙂 Thank you once again for posting this recipe. Cant wait to try your other recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Neha, and I’m excited to hear what recipe you try next! 🙂
Made these tonight with my two and five year old sons. My five year old describes them as follows…”They were so yummy, it was like I was on the Sooper Dooper Looper (his favorite roller coaster).” Our two year old just kept asking for more. 🙂 I can’t wait for our seven year old to get home from dance practice with daddy and try them too! Great recipe for the whole family! Easy to make and even easier to devour ever last one! Thanks!
That’s the best kind of compliment — thank you so much for sharing Tina! 🙂 My brother is actually obsessed with roller coasters… As a little boy, he wanted to be a roller coaster designer, and last summer, he and his best friend took a two-week trip driving around the Midwest and East Coast to visit as many theme parks as possible and ride all of the roller coasters there!
Just made these. SOOOOO good!!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Kayleen! 🙂
These are the best cookies I have ever had! My new favorite! I made them in a hurry so I didn’t measure the flour properly (I know! You said not too!) but they turned out great. I can’t wait to make them again and actually do them the right way.
Oh my goodness, I’m so touched that you’d call these the best cookies you’ve ever had! Thank you so much Megan — I’m really glad you loved them!! 🙂
Stumbled on this recipe from a google search and it’s going into my favorites. I did make a couple alterations to suit my tastes. I used the whole egg since I was feeling lazy. Also used a 1/2 cup peanut butter since I like a strong PB taste. Didn’t have any honey but had some organic agave syrup and it worked out great.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Aaron! 🙂
Amy, love this recipe, not too sweet, just the way my husband likes it. I made them this morning and they came out great. I dropped 15 spoonfuls on parchment, wet my hands slightly, shaped into balls and then pressed flat with the damp hands, very easy to work with that way and no sticking. Thanks for sharing a healthful cookie. Happy baking!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cookies! That means a lot to me if they turned out exactly the way he likes his cookies. Thanks for sharing your damp hands trick for flattening, too! 🙂
These were yummy!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I’m a little disappointed- mmy cookies basically taste like rocks :'( peanut butter rocks with chocolate, but still rocks. What a waste of ingredients. I am pretty sure I measured my oats and flour accurately, do you think they came out drier because I may have used a tad too much honey? Thanks for the feedback and the recipe, I’m sure it would have come out nicer if i had done something differently! 🙂
Oh goodness! That’s not how they’re supposed to turn out at all Sophie. If you added more honey, that would not cause the issues that you saw. It would actually be because there was too much flour or oats in the cookie dough. How did you measure them? Did you follow the measuring instructions included in the link in the Ingredients list? Also, what peanut butter did you use, and did you make any other substitutions?
I didn’t make any substitutions, so maybe measured the flour or the oats wrong? I spoon them into a cup to the desired level and level off, maybe something went wrong. I’ll try using the scale next time 🙂 oh and I just used peanut butter from the jar (the normal spread, not the natural ones). Thanks for the feedback Amy, I’m sure they’ll be more tasty next time ^-^
The scale will definitely help!! I cannot recommend that enough! 🙂 Traditional jarred PB will also be thicker than natural/homemade ones, so that will also slightly contribute to the issues that you saw. I’m excited to hear how the next batch turns out for you Sophie!
Could you make these without peanut butter?
This particular recipe requires nut butter, so you could substitute either creamy almond butter or cashew butter if you prefer. I don’t have much experience with sunflower seed butter, but that could potentially work as well. If you prefer oatmeal cookies without nut butter, I have plenty of those recipes here! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try them Anna!