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
Hi I just baked it and i don’t like the result cuz its little bit cakey taste to me.
i measured them exactly like the recipe but it turned out dry and sponge texture and can’t smell the vanilla.
I used the chunky peanut butter do you think that is the reason?
after i baked, i read all the comments cuz the result that i dont like and i was also wondering how urs look good and i got it!!! wish recipe says it earlier.
I dont think i want to try this recipe again
my husband said it’s ok taste.
Yes, the chunky peanut butter was the main reason the cookies tastes cakey. The pieces of peanuts took up volume in the measuring cup, so there wasn’t as much creamy peanut butter in the cookie dough to hold it together. Also, did you measure the oats as directed in the link in the Ingredients list, or did you scoop them directly from the container with a spoon? My Oatmeal Cookie FAQ Page (linked to in the Notes section of the recipe) also goes into detail about what causes that cakey texture and how to avoid it, and you can also find multiple videos there that show you what the texture of the cookie dough should look like at each stage of the recipe. 🙂
What is the caloric breakdown? Sound fabulous! I recently
List 80 lbs and don’t want to blow my maintenance with
Cookies that are too good!
Thanks!
Good for you Rose!! That’s amazing! 🙂 The full nutrition information is included beneath the recipe. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cookies!
I tried these today. I opted for coconut sugar. I’ll definitely make them again. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Jan! That means a lot to me that you want to make them again. Thanks for sharing that with me! 🙂
Usually I love what you post. But not these. They were really really dry and the taste of honey was overwhelming. I followed the recipe exactly and even cooked less time. Too bad.
That sounds frustrating Sarah. Did you use homemade creamy peanut butter and measure the instant oats as directed in the link in the Ingredients list? Also, did you watch the video? That shows you what the texture of the cookie dough will look like at each stage of the recipe. We’ll figure out what happened with your batch so your cookies turn out perfectly chewy in the future! 🙂
The Honey flavor was Overwhelming 😉 My thougths exactly. About them being dry… I only baked them for 10 minutes on the first batch… 12 on the second and 8 on the third (Small oven). I had best results with about 1/4 inch thick and 10 minutes. Other than that I found them good.
So I just made these peanut butter oat meal cookies they’re fresh out of the oven and are cooling before i try one. I used whole earth organic smooth peanut butter and instead of wholewheat I used wholemeal flour because i couldn’t find wholewheat. They definitely don’t look as moist as they do in the photo look more on the dry side but I’ll wait to try it. Not sure if i’ll ever make my own peanut butter it seems like a mission to make it from scratch..I hope they come out good even though they look a little dry 🙂
Sorry another comment. They came out crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside they’re amazing. definitely a recipe to keep
No need to apologize for a second comment Ayan — I’m honored that you’d take the time to leave two! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, and that means a lot to me that you’d call the recipe a keeper. Thank you! 🙂 It only takes about 5 minutes of blending in my blender (this one) to make my homemade peanut butter recipe, if you’d ever like to try it!
Hi, I tried this and can’t say I am really tickled. As is, the honey flavor drowns out the PB to being almost non-existent. I also found the dough so sticky it is really a pain to work with. Basically a good Idea but I think the “Healthy” went into bad ideolgy. Why just Egg whites? Whole eggs work Positively on your Cholesterol levels, the belief that this is not true is long outdated and Egg Yolk make Desserts richer. I surely will try again with the following ideas…. Replace 50% Honey with Raw Cane Sugar (and no, Honey is not healthier than Sugar when it is heated), leave the yolk in the egg as well as add 2 tbls. WG Four to compensate the added liquid, and I will roll them out inbetween baking paper and use a Cookie cutter to avoid the mess. I will also try the same recipe substituting Peanuts (totally Unhealthy) for Walnuts (Mixer doesn’t know the difference) and Honey for Maple Syrup (again 50%). I don’t know when but I will post the results.
Oh, and one other thing… when supplying Nutrional information it would be helpful if correct. Their is NOOO way these have 7% Carbs. The main ingredients are almost ALL Carbs and I would bet it ranges around 80%. With the amount of Honey in there I also would never recommend these to a Diabetic.
Disregard that last one 😉 I live in Germany and here they list the % of the Nutritional Value and not the % of recommended. Still, I would like to point out something about health! One thing is.. what is Healthier? Reducing Fat and adding Sugar (Syrup, Honey, Sugar, Agaven Syrup) doesn’t make things better. Using Healthy Fats is important and the average person should be eating 25-30% fat daily. Sometimes I think people are still affected by the Nutritional Propagahnda that is so rampant in the US. Fat doesn’t make fat… eating more calories than you burn will…. and that is the only way.
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Matthew! The dough is supposed to be sticky, so it’s best to use a spoon and spatula when transferring it to the baking sheets and flattening it as it will stick to your hands. From the scientific articles that I’ve read, the cholesterol in egg yolks isn’t actually good for us, so I’d be interested to see where you got your information about the opposite being true. I hope you enjoy your cookies made with those modifications!
Hello Amy! I woke up early this morning so that I could bake these and have them for breakfast; and let me tell you I don’t regret missing that hour of sleep! Of course mine’s didn’t turn as perfectly shaped as the ones shown in the picture, but I didn’t actually care, because I was blown away by the amazing flavour! Even my sister, who isn’t particularly fond of healthy recipes loved these! I’m definitely looking forward to baking these again, as well as trying more of your recipes! Maybe I’ll go with the carrot Cake cookies next. Thank you very much for sharing such a great recipe, and also for all your great tips! Lots of love from Uruguay ?
Oh my goodness Delfina, that means SO much to me!! Thank you! I’m truly honored that you and your sister loved the cookies — and that you think they’re worth losing a little sleep over! ♡ I can’t wait to hear what you think of the carrot cake oatmeal cookies too!
Hey Amy. On the other cookies I asked about the PB&J ones, you directed me to this recipe for my oatmeal peanutbutter base.
I didn’t exactly follow yours, but I used it as a guideline and ended up going kind of…well far.
I don’t have honey on me, but I do have brown sugar.
So here’s the important stuff I added
3/4 cup of all purpose flour; 1 1/4 cup of instant oats; 2 medium eggs; about 3/4 cup of peanut butter, and 3/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and one tablespoon of light corn syrup.
I USUALLY put light corn syrup in my cookies that call for any amount of brown sugar because it’s always made them sort of bendy and chewy. I tasted a bit of the dough (I know it’s bad) just to get an idea, and it seemed too sweet? And it looked so wet, likely from the eggs. So I added 1/4 of the oats.
So when I did a test bake of a few after I made a little thumb print about halfway into the ball and semi-flattened the edges it a little (so it would cook evenly) the centers puffed up anyways. In addition, the test cookies were also very crumbly and dry, despite the dough being wet.
I know it seems complicated but I was wondering if you had any suggestions? I don’t have agave or honey on me…only brown sugar. What would you suggest for my current batch and next one?
Hi Lily! I actually answer the question of what to do if you only have brown sugar on my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page. It’s linked to in the Notes section underneath the recipe. I’d recommend following my recipe as written, using the brown sugar modification from my FAQ page. However, make the well in the center of the cookie dough and fill with jam before baking. Having the jam already in the center will help prevent the sides from puffing up and filling the well. If your cookies were dry and crumbly, it’s because there were too many oats in the cookie dough. (I go over that on my FAQ page too!) Make sure you’re measuring the oats correctly following the instructions given in the link in the Ingredients list. Those modifications should really help with your cookies! 🙂
Hello, Amy! How to make the cookies crunchier with this recipe? I like to eat crunchy cookies! And can i substitute some of the flour with protein powder? How much can i substitute?
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe too Lily! I don’t recommend substituting protein powder for some of the flour. All protein powders behave differently in baking recipes and absorb different amounts of liquid. This recipe is specifically designed for chewy cookies, so I can’t guarantee that they’ll turn out crunchy. However, you can flatten the cookie dough on the baking sheet to be thinner and bake them for longer, which should get them closer to crunchy than chewy! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Yes, I prefer crunchier cookies than chewy cookies. So it means it’s okay to substitute some flour for protein powder?
No, as I mentioned in my previous comment, I don’t recommend substituting protein powder for some of the flour. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Lily!
I see. Do you have recipe for chocolate chips peanut butter using protein powder? Can you please link it to me? Thanks!
I don’t have a recipe for chocolate chips using protein powder, but I do have a recipe for homemade two-ingredient chocolate chips! It’s here. In the future, the best way to find a specific recipe is to click on the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog or use the Search Bar (located on the right side, if you’re viewing on a computer, or the bottom of my blog, if you’re viewing on a mobile device). 🙂
Great! Thank you!!
You’re welcome Lily! 🙂