These peanut butter oatmeal cookies are the kind of cookies I like when I want something a little more substantial than a regular peanut butter cookie to satisfy my cookie cravings. The rolled oats give them plenty of chew, and the peanut butter comes through without making the cookies dry or crumbly.
The dough also isn't difficult to make. There is an hour of chilling involved, but the actual prep only takes about 20 minutes, and the cookies bake in 10-12 minutes. If you want delicious cookies without the oats, try my chewy Peanut Butter Cookies as well. Below, I'll show you why the type of oats and peanut butter matter here, and why this has become one of my new favorites to make.
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Try These Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
In the mood to try new recipes? If you like regular peanut butter cookies, adding oats makes them so worth trying. They’re soft and chewy, with plenty of peanut butter flavor, and the rolled oats give them a little more texture.
The chocolate chips are also my favorite addition. They’re optional, but I love the chocolate with the peanut butter and oats. You can also leave them out when you want to keep the cookies simple.
Why You’ll Love It
- They're properly chewy: The old-fashioned oats make a noticeable difference here. They give the cookies more texture without making them hard or dry.
- There's plenty of peanut butter flavor: Half a cup of creamy peanut butter goes into the dough, so you can actually taste it rather than having the taste disappear behind the sugar and chocolate.
- The chocolate is optional: I like the semi-sweet chocolate chips in these, but the cookies still work without them. You can also use peanut butter chips if you'd rather keep the flavor more peanut-heavy.
- You can make the dough ahead: The covered dough can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, which is handy when you don't want to mix and bake everything at once.
- They freeze well: You can freeze the shaped dough or the baked cookies for up to 3 months, so making the full batch doesn't mean you have to eat 16 cookies in three days.
Ingredients
- Old-fashioned rolled oats: These are important if you want chewy oatmeal peanut butter cookies. I don't substitute quick oats or instant oats because they don't give the cookies the same texture and can leave them dry and crumbly.
- Creamy peanut butter: I use Skippy creamy peanut butter for baking rather than all-natural peanut butter. Natural peanut butter can separate and doesn't behave the same way in the dough, which can give you a much drier cookie.
- Butter: Make sure the unsalted butter is at room temperature before you start. You need to cream it properly with both sugars, and cold butter makes that much harder.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: They're technically optional, but I think they're worth adding. One cup gives you plenty of chocolate without completely covering up the peanut butter and oats. Peanut butter chips are another option.
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
1. In a medium bowl using a handheld or electric mixer, combine the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined and creamy.
3. Mix in the peanut butter until combined.
4. Then add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
5. Stir in the oats just until combined.
6. Then add the chocolate chips, if used, and mix just until well distributed. Cover and chill. Scoop equal-sized balls of cookie dough, roll into even balls, place on the prepared baking sheets, flatten with your fingers, and bake.
Recipe Tips
- Stick with old-fashioned rolled oats. This isn't one of those recipes where whatever oats happen to be in the cupboard will give you the same result.
- I use regular creamy peanut butter rather than all-natural peanut butter. The consistency is more reliable for baking, and you're less likely to end up with dry, crumbly cookies.
- Don't keep mixing once you add the flour. About 30-60 seconds on low should be enough to incorporate it.
- Give the dough the full hour in the refrigerator. Chilling makes the dough easier to portion and affects how the cookies behave once they're in the oven.
- Weighing each portion to around 50g is useful if you want all 16 cookies to bake at roughly the same rate.
- Flatten the dough before baking. These aren't meant to go into the oven as tall, untouched balls.
- The chewy center is supposed to look underdone when you take the cookies out. I know it's tempting to give them another couple of minutes, but remember they're staying on that hot baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Bake one sheet at a time as instructed rather than putting both trays in the oven together.
What Can You Serve With This?
- A cold glass of milk
- Coffee
- Hot chocolate
- Vanilla ice cream
- Fresh berries
- Sliced bananas
FAQs
The dough needs to chill for 1 hour before you shape and bake it. Don't skip this step just because the dough looks ready to scoop. The chilling time is part of the original recipe and also makes the dough easier to work with.
That's exactly how they should look when they come out. The edges should be lightly browned and set, but the centers should still be pale, puffy, dry, and slightly underdone. They'll continue baking on the hot tray for another 5 minutes.
Yes. The chocolate chips are optional. You can leave them out completely or replace them with peanut butter chips.
Yes, both the dough and baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. For the dough, chill it for 1 hour first, then portion, roll, flatten, and freeze the cookies. Thaw them at room temperature for 1-2 hours before baking.
Recipe
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- (optional) 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for about 1 minute, until well combined and creamy. Mix in the peanut butter for about 30-60 seconds until combined. Then add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated, about 30-60 seconds. Stir in the oats just until combined. Then add the chocolate chips, if used, and mix just until well distributed. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Scoop 16 equal-sized balls (about 2 tablespoons [50g]) of cookie dough, roll into even balls, and place them 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart, on the prepared baking sheets and flatten with your fingers that they are about ¾ inch (1.9cm) thick. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and lightly browned and the centers look undone, pale, puffy, and dry.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, or until firm enough to move. They will continue baking on the baking sheets. Then, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. The cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Cooking Time and Temperature
Bake one sheet at a time at 350°F (175°C) for 10-12 minutes.Taste & Texture
These cookies have plenty of peanut butter flavor, with brown sugar adding a little caramel-like sweetness. The rolled oats make them chewy, and if you add the chocolate chips, you get pockets of semi-sweet chocolate throughout without losing the peanut butter flavor.Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Room temperature: Keep the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Prepared dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before portioning and baking.
- Freezer: Chill the dough for 1 hour, portion it, roll and flatten the cookies, then freeze them in freezer bags or containers for up to 3 months.
- Baked cookies: Wrap each cookie separately in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Let frozen cookie dough or baked cookies thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours as appropriate before baking or serving.
Serving Recommendations
I like these once they've had enough time to cool and the centers have settled into that chewy texture. A glass of cold milk is the obvious choice with peanut butter and chocolate, but they're also good with coffee. If I'm serving them as dessert rather than just grabbing one from the container, I'd warm one slightly and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Without chocolate: Leave out the semi-sweet chocolate chips for plain Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
- Peanut butter chips: Swap the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips if you want more peanut butter flavor.
- Extra chocolate: For Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, keep the full 1 cup (170g) of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the dough.
- Vegan option: For replacing the butter and egg, use the substitutions from my Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.
- Peanut butter: I wouldn't substitute all-natural peanut butter here because it can make the cookies dry and crumbly.
- Oats: Stick with old-fashioned rolled oats rather than changing the type of oats.
Proper Storage Tips
- Let the cookies cool completely before putting them into an airtight container.
- Don't leave them uncovered on the counter longer than necessary. They'll start losing that chewy texture as they sit exposed to the air.
- If you're making the dough ahead, keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.
- Let refrigerated dough sit out for 20-30 minutes before trying to scoop it if it has become too firm.
- If you're freezing unbaked cookies, shape and flatten them first. That way, they're already in the correct shape once thawed.
- Wrap baked cookies individually before freezing rather than putting them loose into a freezer bag.
Pro Tips
- Bring the butter to room temperature before you start so it creams properly with the sugars.
- Cream the butter and sugars for the full 2-3 minutes rather than stopping as soon as they're mixed.
- Once the flour goes in, switch to low speed and mix only until you can't see dry flour anymore.
- Stir the oats in just until they're distributed through the dough.
- Chill the dough for the full hour before shaping.
- If you want 16 evenly sized cookies, weigh each portion to about 50g.
- Leave 3 inches (7.5cm) between the cookies so they have enough room on the baking sheet.
- Remember to flatten each ball to roughly ¾ inch (1.9cm) thick before it goes into the oven.
- Don't use a browned center as your sign that they're done. I take them out while the middle still looks pale and underdone.
- Leave them alone on the baking sheet for those first 5 minutes after baking. They're still setting, and moving them immediately makes them much easier to break.
Video
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Laura B
Delish. I added vanilla paste & vanilla & added 1 Cup of peanut butter chips.
Anessa
This is the best oatmeal cookie I've ever had. Over the top chewy! I've never baked oatmeal cookies with peanut butter before but won't make it without anymore.