Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (2024)

If you’re a fan of oatmeal and peanut butter, then these peanut butter oatmeal cookies are the perfect cookie for you. They’re tender and chewy on the inside and just the right amount of crispy on the outside. I love how they’re not too sweet and only require pantry staples. They’re so quick and easy that even your kids can help out. Plus, we’re all supposed to have more oatmeal in our daily diet, right?

Make a batch of these cookies to share or enjoy them all by yourself! They always disappear immediately when I make a batch for potlucks. If you want to make more cookies, try my Chocolate Chip Cookies or Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Baking soda — the cookie dough is heavy, so the baking soda helps lift the cookies. Double-check the baking soda to ensure it’s not expired.

Butter — when selecting butter, be sure to use unsalted butter and not salted butter. Salted butter does not have a consistent amount of salt, so you should add your own. Make sure the butter is soft enough so when you press into it, your finger leaves a dent. If it’s cold, it’ll be challenging to cream it with the sugars.

Sugar — the white sugar helps the cookies spread while the brown sugar keeps them moist. Don’t substitute the brown sugar for only white sugar, as it’ll cause the cookies to spread too much and become thin and dry.

Peanut butter — you’ll want to use creamy peanut butter for this, such as Jif or Skippy. I don’t recommend using oily/natural peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter because it’ll change the texture of the cookies.

Rolled oats — you need to use rolled oats and not quick oats or steel-cut oats for this cookie recipe. Quick oats will fall apart, whereas steel-cut oats are not processed enough leading to an undesirable texture.

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES

1. In a large mixing bowl, add butter, peanut butter, and sugars.

2. Beat on medium-low speed until smooth and well combined until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla on medium speed until well combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.

4. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing just until almost combined with the mixer on low.

5. Scrape down the bowl and add the rolled oats. Mix just until combined.

6. Scoop roughly 2 tablespoons of cookie dough onto the baking sheet, placing each cookie about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges are set. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE

• Make sure your brown sugar is soft and moist for the best cookies. If your brown sugar has hardened, don’t worry, it’s an easy fix! I wrote a detailed post on how to soften brown sugar.
• If you don’t have brown sugar, you can follow this post on how to make brown sugar.
• Don’t overbake the peanut butter oat cookies, as they’ll continue to bake as they cool. The middle should still be soft when you pull them out.
• Add a pinch of cinnamon for extra flavor.
• Room temperature egg will mix more evenly into the creamed butter. Place your egg into a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes. Doing so will quickly bring it to room temperature if you have forgotten to take it out of your fridge ahead of time.
• Measure your flour correctly to avoid dry and dense cookies. Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I add add-ins?

Yes! Feel free to stir in a couple of chocolate chips, M&M’s, white chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and raisins. Play around with it to find your favorite combination.

Can I use another nut butter?

You can absolutely swap out the type of peanut butter for something like honey-roasted peanut butter or even a different nut butter like almond butter to accommodate flavor preference or dietary needs. However, I do not recommend a no-stir nut butter for this recipe, so it’ll be too wet.

How do I store leftover cookies?

Store any leftovers oat cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. Alternatively, you can freeze baked cookies in the freezer for up to 2 months. Be sure to allow the cookies to cool to room temperature before storing, or they might get soggy from condensation.

Can I freeze the raw dough?

I love freezing this cookie dough so I can bake a couple peanut butter oatmeal cookies whenever I crave them. To freeze, use the cookie scoop, portion out the raw dough on a lined sheet pan in a single layer. Place the sheet pan in the freezer until the dough is frozen, then transfer the dough balls into a large freezer-safe bag. Store the frozen dough for up to 3 months in the freezer. Bake the cookie dough straight from frozen; all you have to do is add an extra minute to the baking time.

If you’ve tried this Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!