These thick, chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are gluten-free, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and made in 1-bowl in just 30 minutes! Stir these simple, healthier cookies together for a tasty treat any day of the week.
It’s officially back-to-school season here in Massachusetts and I can think of nothing better to tuck into lunchboxes, leave on the counter for after-school-snacking (or ravenously eat for breakfast on one of those mornings when nothing is going right and there’s just no time to make breakfast), take into the office for a random end-of-week celebration, or bring to a friend who’s having a rough time transitioning back into their fall routine than a peanut butter cookie. Because, honestly, life is just better with cookies.
These thick, chewy cookies are made from ingredients I always have in my pantry, like oats, peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and chocolate chips. They’re stirred together in 1-bowl, then chilled for a few minutes while the oven preheats, and baked until tender and melty.
Since they’re made from oats and oat flour (which you can make yourself by putting oats straight into your blender or food processor), these cookies are naturally gluten-free and extra tender + tasty.
For this batch, I opted to use chunky peanut butter, since I had a jar in the back of the pantry that needed to be used up- I actually really enjoyed the little chunks of peanuts in every bite, but if you don’t have chunky peanut butter around, or if you’re more of a creamy fan (usually I am!), know that either will work here. Likewise, any all-natural (read: no added sugar or oil) nut or seed butter can be used in place of the peanut butter, if you’re sending these to a peanut-free school with kids, or happen to have an allergy in the family.
If you’re looking for a fun treat to keep around the house for anytime snacking, these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are going to be your new favorite cookies! Make these for all the peanut butter lovers in your life…trust me, they’ll be thanking you.
If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram. I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen!
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats, divided
- 2/3 cup all-natural peanut butter, creamy or chunky*
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (can sub melted butter or ghee, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
- 1. Turn 1 cup of the oats into oat flour by pulsing it in your food processor or blender for 15-30 seconds, until it reaches the consistency of flour. Alternately, 1 cup of oat flour, whole wheat flour, or almond flour could all be used in place of the homemade oat flour in this recipe.
- 2. Put peanut butter, maple syrup, melted oil, vanilla, and egg into a mixing bowl and whisk well to fully combine.
- 3. Add all remaining ingredients (including homemade oat flour) into the peanut butter mixture and stir well to fully combine.
- 4. THIS DOUGH NEEDS TO BE CHILLED BEFORE BAKING. To make it happen more quickly, make space in your fridge or freezer for your cookie sheet. Then, line it with parchment paper, scoop the cookie dough into 12 large cookies (scooping them with 1/4 cup measuring cup divides them up perfectly) and place them into the freezer for 5 minutes or the fridge for 10, just to help them firm up. The entire bowl of cookie dough can also be chilled before scooping, but it will take closer to 25+ minutes to do so. If you skip the chilling step, they will still be tasty, but will spread more and be less thick + chewy.
- 5. While cookie dough chills, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Right before baking, use your fingers to slightly flatten dough balls into 1-inch tall discs (they don't spread much while baking, so pressing down slightly helps with that) and bake for 11-14 minutes, or until cookies are slightly golden on the edges and just cooked though- do not overbake. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before eating, or let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Serve with a pinch of flaky sea salt on top, if desired.
- *Be sure you're using all-natural peanut butter (that's the kind made with just peanuts and salt- no added oils or sugar). If your peanut butter is unsalted, measure a rounded 1/4tsp of salt instead of a level one. Both chunky or creamy works here- I like the added texture of the chunks, but I don't always have chunky PB in the pantry. Use whichever you love!
- This recipe yields 12 large cookies. If desired, dough can be portioned into 2-Tablespoon sized balls to yield 24 cookies. Reduce baking time to 7-9 minutes for smaller cookies.