Chewy with a soft center- these "healthy" peanut butter oatmeal cookies are the perfect healthier alternative to more regular oatmeal cookie recipes. Similar to our CCC Cookies they are lower in calories because there are no eggs and no butter or oil included. They are also dairy-free, vegan and flourless.
These "healthy" (they are cookies after all) peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made with a few simple ingredients that you probably already have at home. They include natural peanut butter, oats and almond flour and will satisfy any peanut butter fans out there who are looking for a healthier cookie recipe.
The best part is that there's no special equipment needed- all you'll need is a large bowl. For more peanut butter cookie recipes check out 3 Ingredient Peanutbutter Cookies, 2 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies or 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms.
What makes these cookies a healthier choice?
- These peanut butter oatmeal cookies are made with wholesome ingredients.
- They are made without butter, without eggs and without flour.
- There's no extra oil added- the peanut butter acts as a binder.
- They can easily be made gluten-free (by choosing certified gluten-free oats).
- They make the perfect healthier treat or snack.
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Almond Flour: These chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies are made with almond flour instead of regular flour.
- Rolled Oats: Together with the ground almonds they form the base. We highly recommend using large flaked old-fashioned oats since they add a lovely texture. For a less chewy cookie texture, you could try using quick oats (but we haven't tested this recipe using quick oats!). For gluten-free peanut butter oatmeal cookies, use gluten-free oats.
- Chocolate Chips: We went for vegan dark chocolate chips but you could use any chocolate of choice. You can either use chocolate chips or chop up some chocolate. Just know that depending on the size of your chunks, the texture of these cookies might change slightly. Use semi-sweet chocolate chips for a recipe that's lower in sugar.
- Natural Peanut Butter: Adds the nice peanut flavors we're after and acts as a binder. Since the recipe doesn't include (flax) eggs, butter or oil, we need peanut butter to produce a sticky dough. For the recipe to turn out perfect, use peanut butter that consists of 100% peanuts and nothing else (except for a pinch of salt maybe, then you won't need to add it afterward). Make sure there are no added oils or other additives included. We used smooth, creamy peanut butter but the recipe works just as well with chunky peanut butter. If you don't have peanut butter on hand you could use almond butter or cashew butter instead, but this will result in slightly different flavors.
- (Plant) Milk: To make vegan peanut butter cookies we recommend using unsweetened plant milk. In this recipe, I used oat milk because it's naturally on the sweeter side. You could use any milk of choice though such as almond milk, soy milk or cashew milk. Whole milk would also work if you don't need this recipe to be dairy-free or vegan.
- Peanuts: They add even more peanut butter flavor as well as some texture to these cookies. You could omit them if you don't have them on hand but we highly recommend adding them.
- Brown Sugar: Could be replaced by coconut sugar or regular white granulated sugar.
How to make healthy peanut butter oatmeal cookies
This healthy cookie recipe includes 9 simple ingredients and comes together in less than 30 minutes! There's no special equipment needed, you'll only need one bowl!
STEP 1: Dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry cookie ingredients (almond flour, oats, sugar, pinch of salt and baking powder). Stir until well combined.
STEP 2: Wet ingredients. Add peanut butter and milk of choice and give it a good stir as well.
Add peanut butter and milk of choice and give it a good stir as well. Use your hands to gently knead the dough so that the peanut butter gets mixed in properly and a sticky mass forms. If you feel that the dough doesn't stick together properly add 1-2 more tablespoon of milk.
STEP 3: Add-ins. Add peanuts and chocolate chips and stir again.
STEP 3: Bake. Divide the dough into 26 small or 15 larger cookies using a cookie scoop. Use your hands to firmly press together the dough forming round-shaped cookies. Repeat with the remaining dough. Don't try to form the dough into cookie balls like with regular cookies.
Place them onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake cookies for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let baked cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Serve alongside some vegan Oat Milk Hot Chocolate or homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Top Tips
- Baking time: We found that 10-11 minutes of baking time results in the perfect texture. However, this can slightly vary depending on your oven and preferred texture. Generally speaking, less time in the oven results in softer cookies.
- Natural Peanut Butter: Regular peanut butter often includes additives like palm oil or sugar. For these oatmeal peanut butter cookies to turn out perfectly, make sure to use natural peanut butter without any additives. Smooth and chunky peanut butter both work fine.
- Dough Texture: Make sure to really mix in the peanut butter well using your hands so that you end up with a sticky cookie dough. The same accounts for shaping the cookies. Form round-shaped cookies by pressing them together tightly.
- Damp Hands: Working with damp hands will facilitate shaping the cookies!
Variations
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
- Sweeter: These cookies are lightly sweetened. For sweeter cookies add more sugar or granulated sweetener of choice or add more chocolate chips.
Optional add-ins
- Vanilla Extract: Is optional but for some subtle vanilla flavors you could add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Dried fruits: such as cranberries or raisins make great add-ins.
- Sea salt: Sprinkle the cookies with some sea salt for some extra sweet and salty flavors.
- Chocolate + Caramel: Instead of sea salt, you could sprinkle them with some melted chocolate or homemade 2 ingredient caramel sauce.
Serving Suggestions
- Coffee: Try these pb cookies alongside some Peanut Butter Coffee or Matcha Latte.
- Hot Chocolate: This hot chocolate also pairs very well with these cookies.
- Smoothies: Or try this Peanut Butter Smoothie.
Storage
- Fridge: Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or up to 1 week in the fridge.
- Freezer: I image they could also be frozen in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Defrost on the counter the night before. We have never tried freezing them however.
FAQs
As healthy as cookies can be I'd say. Peanuts are a great source of plant based protein as well as healthy fats (mono- and polyunsaturated). They also contain some vitamins and minerals such as folate, biotin and Vitamin E. So do almonds. Oats are a great source of fiber. The cookies are also made without butter, oil and eggs, making them much lower in (saturated) fat than more traditional cookie recipes.
Absolutely, for these healthy cookies we used peanut butter instead of regular butter. The result are chewy and soft cookies that are lower in (saturated) fat.
Probably yes, and you will end up with a less chewy texture. However, we haven't tested the recipe using quick oats.
Sure, for a cookie recipe that's lower in added sugar, the chocolate chips can be omitted or replaced with something else such as dried fruit. Raisins, cranberries or dried cherries make a great alternative.
For the cookie dough to stick together, the correct ratio of dry and wet ingredients is important. If you feel that your cookie dough is still very dry and the oats don't stick together properly, add 1-2 tablespoon more milk. It's also crucial that you gently press together the ingredients using your hands so that the peanut butter gets mixed in properly and a sticky mass forms.
More recipes to try
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jacquie says
the cookies look great but i'm not sure what you mean by "ground almonds"? just chopped up almonds or almond meal or almond flour?
thanks.
Katie says
Yes, I meant almond meal 🙂