Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

4.88 from 33 votes

A perfect blend of two classic cookies, these peanut butter oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and easy to make!

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Peanut butter lovers will love these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies! Crispy on the edges and soft in the middle, these cookies are packed with wholesome oats and peanut buttery flavor. Making these PB oatmeal cookies is fast and easy, too. The dough mixes up quickly with a stand mixer, and after just a few minutes in the oven, these peanut butter oatmeal cookies are ready to eat!

Peanut butter oatmeal cookies with a small jar of peanut butter and a spoon on parchment paper.
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Peanut butter oatmeal cookies bring two favorite cookies–chewy oatmeal cookies and soft peanut butter cookies–together to make the perfect cookie! Peanut butter adds so much flavor, while old-fashioned rolled oats add texture and heartiness. Together, these peanut butter oatmeal cookies satisfy peanut butter lovers AND make the oatmeal cookie fans happy!

Recipe At a Glance

Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Peanut butter
Skill Level: Beginner

Summary

  • Full of flavor: Intense peanut butter flavor, highlighted by vanilla, a touch of salt, and a hint of caramel from the brown sugar, plus hearty oats. It’s a winning cookie combination!
  • Perfect cookie texture: Slightly crispy edges give way to soft-and-chewy, melt-in-your-mouth cookie centers. 
  • Wholesome peanut butter and oats: These homemade PB oatmeal cookies have protein from the peanut butter plus insoluble fiber from thick rolled oats, creating a cookie that’s not only a sweet treat, but provides some filling nutrients too. 
  • Easy and fast to make: The cookie dough mixes up quickly and easily in your stand mixer! Plus, no chilling time is needed.

Ingredients to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients for recipe before baking: Butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg, peanut butter, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and old-fashioned oats
  • Butter: I suggest unsalted butter so that you can better control the salt content in your cookies. 
  • Light brown sugar: The higher moisture content in brown sugar helps give cookies a chewy texture. 
  • Sugar: Cane sugar or granulated sugar will work. 
  • Creamy peanut butter: Creamy, natural peanut butter without added sugar or oils is best in these cookies. 
  • Vanilla extract: Adds a note of sweet flavor that’s perfect in cookies. 
  • All purpose flour: I suggest all-purpose flour for best results. For an even heartier cookie, you can replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat, but the cookies will be a bit more dense. 
  • Baking powder: This leavener helps the cookies puff a bit and spread just enough. 
  • Salt: Highlights the peanut butter flavor and offsets the sweetness of the sugars. 
  • Old-fashioned oats: Use rolled/old-fashioned oats for the best results. Quick-cooking oats are cut smaller and won’t give you the hearty oat texture that thicker old-fashioned oats will.
  • Swap creamy for crunchy. I love creamy peanut butter in these cookies, but crunchy peanut butter is a swap you can make for a bit more crunchy texture. 
  • Add chocolate chips: Add a cup of dark or semisweet chocolate chips for a chocolatey touch that pairs well with the oatmeal and peanut butter. 
  • Warm with spices: A half teaspoon of ground cinnamon and/or a pinch of nutmeg adds a cozy note to your peanut butter oatmeal cookies. 
  • Make them dairy-free: Swap the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil for a dairy-free version of these cookies.

How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

These homemade PB oatmeal cookies are so easy to make! Just mix up the dough in your stand mixer, then scoop onto a cookie sheet and bake. Allow to cool and enjoy!

  1. Place softened butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the peanut butter and combine well.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
  5. Add the oats to the dough.
  6. Mix together just until incorporated.
6-image collage: 1 - Butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer before creaming together; 2 - After creaming with peanut butter added; 3 - After the peanut butter is incorporated with egg and vanilla added; 4 - After mixing with dry ingredients added; 5 - After mixing with oats added; 6 - After combining

Bake the Cookies

  1. Use a cookie scoop to scoop rounded balls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly flatten the top of each cookie with your fingers.
  2. Bake until the edges are set and lightly golden.
2-image collage: 1 - Hand pressing down a cookie dough ball on a parchment paper lined sheet pan with cookie dough balls; 2 - Cookies after baking on sheet pan

Tips for Making the Best Oatmeal Cookies with Peanut Butter

  1. Don’t overbake: Bake cookies just until the edges are lightly golden and the middles are set. They’ll finish cooking once they’re out of the oven, and once cooled, they will have the perfect texture. 
  2. Use room-temperature ingredients: It’s important that your butter is at room temperature so that it will combine easily with the sugars. For best results, also make sure your egg is at room temperature so that it doesn’t cause the butter to solidify when it’s mixed in. 
  3. Mix just until incorporated: When you add your dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until the ingredients are incorporated. If you overmix, you risk developing the gluten in the flour, which can result in a dense, tough cookie. 
  4. Use a cookie scoop for uniform, round cookies: Scoop and place your cookie dough with a cookie scoop for perfectly round, equally sized cookies.
Close-up shot of a stack of 5 peanut butter oatmeal cookies

How to Store Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

After your peanut butter oatmeal cookies have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent them sticking to one another. Store them at room temperature for up to one week.

How Long Will Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Last in the Fridge?

I don’t recommend storing peanut butter oatmeal cookies in the refrigerator because they will dry out. However, if you want them to last longer than a week and don’t want to freeze them, it’s an option; they will last about two weeks in the refrigerator.

Can I Freeze PB Oatmeal Cookies?

Yes! You can freeze the baked cookies for snacking directly out of the freezer. Just place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and place in the freezer. They will last for up to 3 months. 

You can also freeze balls of cookie dough for fresh-out-of-the oven cookies whenever you like, you can freeze the dough balls. Scoop prepared dough onto your baking sheet, then freeze for a few hours. Transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to a freezer bag and store in the freezer. When the urge for cookies strikes, place frozen cookie dough on a baking sheet and bake! You may want to add a few extra minutes cooking time because you started with frozen cookie dough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my oatmeal cookies hard?

They may have overbaked. Check them at the earliest possible cooking time, and when the edges are just turning golden, and the middles are set, they’re ready to come out of the oven.

My natural peanut butter has separated. Can I still use it?

Yes, but you’ll want to make sure your peanut butter is well-mixed before using it in these peanut butter oatmeal cookies. First, make sure the peanut butter is room temperature so that you can stir it. Next, use a long spoon and stir thoroughly until evenly creamy.

Can I chill PB oatmeal cookie dough and bake it later?

Yes, you can chill the cookie dough for up to three days before baking. Make sure you cover it well before refrigerating so that it doesn’t dry out.

A peanut butter oatmeal cookie with a bite taken out with other cookies on parchment paper.

With protein-rich peanut butter and hearty oats, peanut butter oatmeal cookies are a wholesome treat. They’re soft, chewy, and so peanut butter-y good! These homemade PB oatmeal cookies come together quickly and easily, made from scratch with a simple list of ingredients, and are perfect for freezing to enjoy later on. 

If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!

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Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

A perfect blend of two classic cookies, these peanut butter oatmeal cookies are soft, chewy, and easy to make!
4.9 from 33 votes
Servings 20 cookies
Course Dessert
Calories 156
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
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Ingredients
  

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars, then cream together on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the peanut butter and continue mixing to combine. Then, add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the oats and mix until just incorporated.
  • Using a 1.5 tablespoon spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop a rounded amount of dough and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly flatten the top of each cookie.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just set and lightly golden.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storage: After your peanut butter oatmeal cookies have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent them sticking to one another. Store at room temperature. You can also freeze the baked cookies. Just put them in an airtight container or freezer bag and place in the freezer. They will last up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 156kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 90mg, Potassium: 74mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 155IU, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Dessert
4.88 from 33 votes (27 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Lilo says:

    I would love to try it. Can u please offer the exact quantity indications ?

    1. Yumna says:

      Hi there, if you click on “jump to recipe” at the top of the page it will take you to the full recipe card with ingredients and method.

  2. Janet says:

    I just made this cookies and they are so delicious my kids loved them 😋

    1. Yumna says:

      Yay! Thanks for sharing.

  3. Kelly says:

    This recipe is so delish! Added mini chocolate chips. They were devoured. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Yumna says:

      So happy you loved them!

  4. Wanda says:

    Possible to switch the peanut butter for almond butter?

    1. Yumna says:

      Hi there! I have not tried that yet myself, but I think it would turn out well!

  5. Jen says:

    Quick, easy and delicious! I love the pb & oats combo. These would be great with vanilla ice cream!

    1. Yumna says:

      Yum, love that idea!

  6. Sue says:

    My family didn’t care for these at all. I made as directed and they were dry and bland. The idea of combining peanut butter with oatmeal intrigued me, but not with this recipe.

    1. Yumna says:

      So sorry to hear these did not come out as expected. Is there any chance they might be slightly overbaked? I like to check them at the earliest possible cooking time, and when the edges are just turning golden, and the middles are set, they’re ready to come out of the oven.

  7. Carri says:

    I loved these cookies. They whipped up quickly. Great flavor and consistency.

    1. Yumna says:

      Thanks so much!

  8. Stephanie Novak says:

    These were so good and simple with ingredients I already had on hand. Next time might add some chocolate chips. Thanks for another great recipe!

    1. Yumna says:

      Sounds like a great plan!

    2. Will Ross says:

      Would it change the dynamics of cookie if the pb was crunchy

      1. Yumna says:

        I love creamy peanut butter in these cookies, but crunchy peanut butter is a swap you can make for a bit more crunchy texture.