Meet the great cookie equalizer: Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. Whatever the members of your household might agree (or not agree) on, everyone can rally around a soft, chewy cookie that’s made of wholesome ingredients, especially when said cookie includes peanut butter and chocolate.
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5 Star Review
“These are delicious! Soft and chewy and loaded with flavor. And super easy to make! Will definitely make again!”
— Jackie —
This recipe is based on my 5-star Healthy Oatmeal Cookies.
Like those cookies, this recipe is flourless, naturally sweetened with honey (there’s no refined sugar), and they’re a breeze to whip up anytime a craving strikes.
What makes these healthy cookies special is peanut butter. They harness peanut butter’s rich, thick texture and healthy fats to bind the cookies and make them moist.
Thanks to PB, there’s no need to make these peanut butter oatmeal cookies with oil or butter. Peanut butter holds them together!
While I’ve never been one to turn a cookie down (you know it, Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, and the classic Oatmeal Cookies), like many of you, I have my cookie hierarchy (oatmeal raisin cookies trend towards the bottom; anything with chocolate pops to the top).
A few weeks ago, my mom, sister, and I were in a bakery with the most magnificent-looking, GIANT cookies, so we decided to split one.
For the cookie flavor, we each had a different first choice, but you know which one ALL of us felt good about sharing? The monster cookie. Why? Because it contained the trifecta of oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate.
(If you also are a fan, be sure to scope my recipe for the world’s best Monster Cookies.)
When it comes to today’s soft peanut butter oatmeal cookies, there’s no need to share.
Like the other homey, healthy cookies you’ll find here (Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter Banana Cookies come to mind), the ingredients are nutritious, the prep is simple, and the payoff is supreme.
Craving a peanut butter oatmeal cookie after all this talk, but don’t feel like turning on your oven? I got you! Make these Healthy No Bake Cookies instead.
But if you can brave 10 minutes of heat, these chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies are well worth turning your oven to 350 degrees F.
How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies have only a handful of simple ingredients and will be ready to eat in no time!
The Ingredients
- Quick Oats. Oats help give the cookies their shape and perfect oatmeal cookie texture. With oodles of fiber, the oats also help make these cookies extra satisfying (find out more about the health benefits of oats here). I prefer to use quick oats for a more tender texture, but you can use rolled oats if you don’t mind them having a heartier texture.
- Peanut Butter. The star of the show! Creamy, irresistible peanut butter is packed into every bite of these cookies. (If you love peanut butter flavor in cookies, try these healthy Granola Cookies too.)
- Cinnamon. A pinch of cinnamon adds delightful warmth and sets these cookies apart from the rest.
- Egg. The all-important binding agent.
- Vanilla. Accentuates the peanut butter flavor.
- Honey. To keep these cookies free of refined sugar, I used honey as the sweetener. It’s delicious paired with peanut butter and makes the cookies moist. You could also make these healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies with maple syrup instead.
- Chocolate Chips. Because peanut butter + chocolate = BEST LIFE.
The Directions
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. We’re practically done here.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough. 30 minutes will do it.
- Drop cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten.
- Bake the peanut butter oatmeal cookies at 350 degrees F for 9 to 10 minutes. ENJOY!
Cookie Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- To Make Ahead and Freeze. Prepare the cookie dough. Scoop the dough into balls as directed and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookie dough is frozen solid. Transfer the cookie dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake as directed. You can also bake directly from frozen—simply add a few minutes to the baking time.
- To Store. Store leftover cookies an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze. Place baked leftover cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Healthy Cookie Recipes
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Almond Flour Cookies
- Coconut Flour Cookies
- Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies
These peanut butter honey oatmeal cookies are here to be your healthy snack, dessert, or even breakfast (I won’t tell!). Whenever you choose to enjoy them, I know they’ll hit the spot!
Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats*
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, egg, vanilla, and honey. Whisk until blended.
- Scrape the liquid mixture into the oat mixture and stir just until combined. The dough will be wet and sticky. Fold in the chocolate chips. Place in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if it is very stiff, you may need to let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes). With a cookie scoop or spoon, drop the dough into 2-inch balls and arrange on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space around each. With your fingers, gently flatten each cookie to be about 3/4-inch thick.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and firm around the edges and set on top, about 9 to 10 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
Notes
- *I prefer quick oats for the most soft, chewy cookies. Rolled oats will also work, but the cookies will just have a heartier texture. Do not use steel cut oats or instant oatmeal. To make your own quick cooking oats: pulse rolled oats in the food processor 3 or 4 times to lightly break them up (do not pulse all the way into a flour).
- TO STORE: Store leftover cookies an airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- TO FREEZE: Place cookies in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: If you are making this cookie for someone who cannot tolerate gluten, be sure your oats are certified gluten free.
- TO MAKE VEGAN: Use maple syrup instead of honey. For the egg: I haven’t tried this with a flax egg instead of the regular egg yet, but I’d love to hear how it goes if someone does play around!
I haven’t made these yet, but clicked the link for the peanut butter which contains palm oil and sugar. Can i use natural peanut butter that only contains peanuts?
Hi Karen, for baking, I use either creamy Jif Natural or Skippy Natural (the kind that is stable at room temp). The ingredients include a little oil and molasses to keep it stable, which means it’s more consistent and works well for baking. So yes, a natural peanut butter will work! Enjoy!
I did just that, and it worked perfectly fine!
Exactly what I was wanting for the week with two kids and a husband! Thank you!!!
Great to hear, Tanya! Thank you!
Can we please have the metric conversion for this recipe.
Hi Elsie,
Unfortunately, I’m not able to provide metric measurements. There are several online conversion sites—one good one is from King Arthur! Here’s the link: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart.
Hello, the cookies were easy to mix up. So far I’ve just baked one pan of them, and unfortunately, they are a bit bland. I wonder if it is because of my peanut butter? Should I add more, or I wonder if adding more salt might help? Open to any suggestions to fix the remainder of my dough. I also used honey, kind of wish I had tried maple syrup instead. Not sure what might help them have a little more flavor.
I’m sorry to hear these weren’t to your taste, Kay. Typically peanut butter and chocolate alone have great flavor together. I’m not sure which kind of peanut butter you used, so can’t say for sure. Also these are a wholesome type cookie so they won’t be overly sweet like typical cookies which can throw the anticipated flavor off for some. Adding more (sugar, any kind that is use) might do the trick, but I am not sure how that will affect the batter. A dash two or more of salt also brings out more flavor so that might help you as well.
I’m glad I tried these! Thank you Erin. Being advised to watch my sugar intake recently I’ve been looking for low sugar recipes. I used a little less honey, all-natural peanut butter and added a pinch more salt. These satisfied my cookie craving this morning! They are a little more dense than my regular flour recipe, but the taste is there. Wondering if beating the egg beforehand would help lighten the texture. I will make these again!
So glad you enjoyed them, Judy! Thank you!
It tastes great! Straightforward instructions. I put some dough in an ice cube mold for later!
Thank you Allison1
Can I use Crunchy Peanut Butter?
Hi Barbie! I haven’t tried it but I think you can! Enjoy!
When making these, I accidentally left them in the oven too long, however, I have found that if you crumble them up, they make an excellent granola/cereal. I now use this recipe to make this for my breakfast, granola/yogurt :) A lovely recipe, very easy to make, my thanks to the recipe author!
Glad it still worked out for you, Abbey!