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These Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are stuffed full of some of my absolute favorite things ever!
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you probably know that I’m obsessed with peanut butter.
So when I was recently hit with a craving for peanut butter oatmeal cookies, I took to the kitchen!
The first batch I made was plain, with no chocolate chips. They were good.
The second batch I made I threw in some chocolate chips. I just couldn’t help myself.
But then I started to worry about my habit of adding chocolate to almost everything, and the idea of having ‘too many’ chocolate recipes on the blog.
So I took to Instagram and my Facebook community to poll you guys on which variation of this recipe you preferred: plain or with chocolate chips?
I think you can tell by now which option won! But if you prefer this recipe plain, feel free to omit the chips.
I hope you’ll enjoy these sweet, nutty, soft yet chewy, craggly cookies as much as I do!
How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
What Type of Peanut Butter Should I Use for Baking?
- This Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe has been successfully tested with conventional peanut butter (Skippy / Jif).
- I haven’t tried these specific cookies with natural peanut butter, but I’ve tested my classic Peanut Butter Cookies with conventional vs. natural, with some surprising results!
- Check out the peanut butter experiment here.
- Feel free to experiment with using natural peanut butter in these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – but be sure it’s VERY well stirred to be completely smooth and cohesive with no oily or dry bits before using.
How to Make Chewy, Soft Cookies & Avoid Hard, Dry Cookies
I highly recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital scale. Scales save you time in the kitchen, save on dishes, and ensure your ingredients are accurately measured every time. This ensures you avoid accidentally adding too much flour, producing a harder, drier cookie. Learn more about using a scale to measure, or the alternative ‘spoon and level’ method, here.
Can I Reduce the Sugar in These Cookies?
There’s a fair amount of sugar in this Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. It’s doing so much more beyond lending a sweet flavor. It’s actually helping to keep these cookies perfectly moist and soft. If you were to reduce the amount of sugar, the cookies would likely be crumbly and dry. Learn more about the role of sugar in baking here!
Why Use a Cookie Scoop?
- Using a stainless steel spring-loaded cookie scoop when portioning out cookie dough is one of the KEYS to beautiful, uniform, evenly-shaped, and evenly-baked cookies.
- My cookie scoop is one of my most frequently used kitchen gadgets. It saves you *so much time* in forming the balls of dough, and you ensure each ball is evenly sized so the cookies bake evenly, meaning you don’t have any small overbaked cookies or large underbaked cookies.
- Learn more about Cookie Scoops and how to use them here!
Do I Have to Use Chocolate Chips?
Nope! Feel free to omit the chocolate chips, or replace them with peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter M&Ms, or any other mix-ins you desire!
How to Tell When Cookies Are Done Baking
- Remove these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies cookies from the oven while they still look ever so slightly ‘wet’ or underdone in the center.
- The residual heat will continue to finish cooking them to soft perfection.
- I highly recommend using an oven thermometer, to verify that your oven’s temperature is accurate. Many home ovens are actually off by up to 25°F!
- Learn more about ovens and oven thermometers here.
How to Store Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Store the Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. These cookies will stale relatively quickly because oats are such a drying ingredient. Place a tortilla, piece of bread, or apple core in the container to help keep them softer for longer.
How to Freeze Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Simply scoop the balls of Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie dough and place them on a tray in the freezer for an hour or two, or until solid. Remove to an airtight container or a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. See my full article here for how to freeze cookie dough and bake it from frozen.
More Easy Cookie Recipes:
-
2
cups
(254 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1
teaspoon
baking powder
-
1/2
teaspoon
fine sea salt
-
1/2
teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/2
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
(optional)
-
2
sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter,
at cool room temperature
-
1
cup
(269 grams) creamy peanut butter*
-
3/4
cup
(150 grams) granulated sugar
-
1 1/4
cups
(250 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
-
2
large eggs,
at room temperature
-
1
large egg yolk,
at room temperature
-
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
2
cups
(180 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
-
1 1/2
cups
(255 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl with a spatula in between each addition. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Add in the oats and chocolate chips until just combined.
-
Using a large spring-loaded scoop, drop 3-tablespoon sized balls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a measuring cup.
-
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
*This recipe was tested with conventional peanut butter (Skippy / Jif). I haven't tried these specific cookies with natural peanut butter, my classic Peanut Butter Cookies work perfectly with conventional OR natural PB. Feel free to experiment with using natural peanut butter in these cookies - but be sure it’s VERY well stirred to be completely smooth and cohesive with no oily or dry bits before using.
This recipe was published in 2020 and updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
These cookies are so delicious and easy to make! I had a different recipe but they never flatten like a real cookie thanks for yet another amazing recipe!
Love this recipe! I’ve started taking the time to weigh my ingredients and the results are so good! I’ve gotten many 5 star reviews from family and friends. Thanks so much Tess!
These came out yummy! I changed the recipe a little by using chocolate peanut butter powder and only 1/2 cup of peanut butter. I also added some oil and reduced the sugar slightly. I didn’t add the cinnamon because I didn’t think the flavors would pair well together, but nonetheless these are fantastic.
I just made these exactly as the recipe states. They are very good- soft in the inside, crispy outside. The only thing I would change is to omit the cinnamon. I LOVE cinnamon but for some reason, I don’t love it in this cookie. My tastebuds could be off. I will try it again without the cinnamon.
could you make these swapping out the AP flour and oats for gluten free varieties? or will it have devastating results on the way it holds together?
Hi Marissa! We don’t test recipes for gluten-free variations, so I can’t say for sure, sorry! Let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
I’m sad to say these cookies did not taste good to me. They didn’t have the lovely oatmeal cookie look like in Tessa’s pictures. They looked like dry biscoff cookies. I have a feeling it was because I used quick oats. I know, big no-no. But I could have lived with the texture, if not for the taste. The cookies were semi-moist. The downfall for me was that I regret putting the cinnamon in the cookies. I knew I shouldn’t have done it as soon as the cinnamon hit the bowl. I thought, “Cinnamon in peanut butter cookies, ew, no way.” It was not a good combo for me. This recipe might work well for others, but it will be an easy pass for me in the future. I always have better luck with honey in peanut butter cookies to add moisture. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like the cinnamon! Feel free to omit that if you’re not a fan, no problem 🙂 Changing the oats could definitely be the issue. Do you weigh your ingredients with a digital scale?
These were yummy! Next time I would bake for 11-11.5 min. They were almost fully cooked at 12 min but not quite. My co-workers loved them too and one of them said they were dangerous.
YAY! So happy to hear your cookies were such a hit, Esther!
These were a crowd pleaser and super easy to make.
I also do not like oatmeal cookies with raisins, so I was excited to try these! They were a big crunchier and I’m more of a fan of soft cookies, but next time maybe I’ll just decrease the baking time.
Hi Nikki! These cookies should definitely be soft, chewy, and a little gooey! Do you have an oven thermometer? If not, I’d suggest getting one to ensure your oven doesn’t bake hotter than you think. Check out our pink tip box above the recipe also that details how to tell when these cookies are done baking, hopefully the next batch you make will turn out perfectly!
So chewy and chocolatey, the oatmeal gives a wonderful texture to the cookies. Perfect balance of sweetness. Blockbuster on our dessert table.
Happy to hear they’re such a hit, Janine!
These were given to us by some friends. We absolutely LOVED them. There is so much flavor to these. Sure to be a hit. Caution: If you don’t like cinnamon, you may want to reduce slightly. Not a problem for us!
So glad you loved these cookies!
Excellent cookie combining all my favorite ingredients. Going to try freezing the dough to have later.
So glad you enjoyed these cookies, Vickie! Be sure to check out my post on how to freeze cookie dough.
Delicious cookies-have made them twice in one week.
I made this for my mom and she loves it! 🙂
Made these with cashew nut butter – absolutely delicious.
Tessa,
Great recipe and a danger to healthy living! I encourage all serious cookieologis’s to put this recipe at the top of their list!
Hallo Ms. Arias,
Pray this finds you well in everyway.
I have a question about the PB chocolate chip cookies.
The size per cookie seems huge compared to other recipes and I am certain they are wonderful.
What might be the smallest or smaller size cookie I could make? How many cookies per sheet as I’m using standard size sheets and not commercial ones.
Of Italian heritage I am more versed in Italian foods and dolce than other kinds of foods and have worked along side some “Old World” Italian cooks and bakers that are friends of the family. Been cooking and baking since the 70’s self taught for the most past.
Anyway your suggestions and help would be deeply appreciated Tessa.
grazie mille signora Arias
Raffaele
Siamo amici come il pane e il formaggio
Is this a cookie that you think would benefit from some flaky sea salt on top?
Tessa these are amazing cookies. The oatmeal gives them a nice chewy quality.
I think it’s just great!! Incredible work!!
Made these tonight! Omg thank you, seriously sooo
Good , quick, easy and delicious!! I will use this one over and over again !
Yuuuummmm!! I just made these for National Chocolate Chip Day. The flavors blend together so nicely, and they are amazing. These will be a new go-to for me.