Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are gluten-free and made with no flour, less sugar, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and natural peanut butter. A cookie recipe that’s perfect for year-round baking whether it be for the holidays or a weekly staple for lunchboxes and afternoon treats.

This post was originally published on October 30,2017. Updated on November 18th, 2020

These Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips are made with only one-half cup of added sugar.

These peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are made with less sugar but without sacrificing the delicious factor.

There is only one-half cup of sugar in this entire recipe which makes about 2 dozen cookies give or take. When you break it down per cookie, that means only 5 g of sugar per serving. That means that these cookies make for a sensible treat when you’re craving something a little sweet.

These cookies have been tested with both coconut sugar and cane sugar, so feel free to use what you have on hand.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies are naturally gluten-free, and options for dairy-free

Unlike traditional cookie recipes, there’s no flour (all purpose or other varieties!) to be found in these cookies. Instead, these delicious treats use oats to provide some chew and structure to the cookie.

Pure oats are naturally gluten-free. However, oats are can be contaminated with gluten if they are  processed in the same facilities as grains like wheat, rye, and barley. If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure to choose certified gluten-free oats! 

We chose to use butter in this recipe, but you can always substitute coconut oil for a dairy-free cookie recipe. 

The combination of chewy oats, nutty peanut butter, and gooey chocolate chips makes these cookies so irresistible, you won’t even think of them as “healthy”! 

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Ingredients you’ll need for these peanut butter cookies

• Oats – old fashioned or regular rolled oats will work for this recipe, use gluten-free if needed.
• Sugar – coconut sugar or cane sugar, both have been tested in our kitchens and work great.
• Baking soda
• Sea salt
• Eggs
• Butter – unsalted butter or a substitute of coconut oil for a dairy-free cookie option.
• Vanilla extract – look for pure vanilla extract with no added corn syrup.
• Peanut butter – use natural creamy peanut butter at room temperature or heated slightly to have a pourable consistency.
• Chocolate chips – use dark or semi-sweet chocolate chip. Use dairy-free chocolate chips if needed.

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How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

First step: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Second step: Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl, except for the chocolate chips. You can also use s standup mixer. Mix until well combined.

Third step: Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fourth step: If the dough is really sticky, let it sit for 10 minutes or place in the fridge until the dough has firmed up enough.

Fifth step: With a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared sheets to make about 2 dozen cookies (give or take). With your hands, slightly flatten each cookie dough mound to form a round cookie shape.

Lastly: Bake for 10-14 minutes or until cookie centers are done and the outsides are golden. Baking time will depend on the size of the cookies.

How to store these soft and chewy cookies

To store these cookies, you’ll want to keep them in an airtight container. You can keep them fresh for up to 5 days.

These irresistible healthy peanut butter cookies are also freezer-friendly! When you make a batch, feel free to double it and stash away half of them to enjoy later. Simply let the cookies cool completely then place them in a freezer-friendly container/bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

To thaw, simply take out the desired amount of cookies and let thaw on the counter until soft. Alternatively, you can defrost in the microwave for that fresh-baked cookie taste with melty chocolate chips!

What is the best kind of peanut butter to use in these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies?

In these Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, the kind peanut butter you use does make a pretty significant difference. You want to use peanut butter that has a nice drizzly, pourable consistency. I like to use natural peanut butter where the only ingredients are peanuts and maybe a little salt.

Now, if the peanut butter you are using is pretty solid at room temperature, no worries. Simply heat it up in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds just until it is drizzly. You don’t want the peanut butter to get too hot, as it will melt the chocolate chips.

Are you ready to give these soft & chewy healthy cookies a try?!

You simply can’t beat a freshly baked cookie right from the oven! Especially one rich with peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, less sugar, and only clean ingredients!

Other cookie recipes to try

• Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies  
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
• The Best Monster Cookies

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This post may contain affiliate links that won’t change your price but will share some commission. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!