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Perfectly soft and chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are made with simple ingredients – quick oats, peanut butter, and brown sugar – and baked to cookie perfection. These comforting cookies are an irresistible treat that’s ready in just 30 minutes!

A white plate piled with peanut butter oatmeal cookies sits on a blue rustic table. In the background, two glasses of milk are visible, one with a cookie resting on top.


 

🥜 These cookies are super soft and packed with oatmeal cookie and peanut butter flavors, which I love. They are so great warm, and they store well, too! If oatmeal cookies and peanut butter cookies had a baby, this would be it!

Table of Contents

My 2 Best Tips For Making Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Let the Dough Rest: The resting period allows the oats to absorb moisture from the wet ingredients, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking and creates that perfect chewy texture. Skipping this step can result in flatter, less cohesive cookies!

Watch the Baking Time Carefully: These cookies can go from perfectly golden to overbaked quickly…ask me how I know!! Look for edges that are set and lightly golden brown, but centers that still look slightly underdone. They’ll continue cooking on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven.

Melissa in her kitchen smiling in front of the starting ingredients for the chicken the quinoa salad and skillet chicken on the wood block in front of her

🩷 Melissa

From start to finish, these cookies come together in about 30 minutes. The simple mixing method and quick bake time make them perfect for last-minute treats, after school snacks, or when you need to satisfy a cookie craving fast!

You probably have most of these pantry staples on hand already, plus these cookies store well, so you could make a ton and keep them for later, meal prep for the week’s lunches, or even send as a gift.

A white plate piled with peanut butter oatmeal cookies sits on a blue rustic table. In the background, two glasses of milk are visible, one with a cookie resting on top.
4.96 from 44 votes

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

By: Melissa Griffiths
Perfectly soft and chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are made with simple ingredients – quick oats, peanut butter, and brown sugar – and baked to cookie perfection. These comforting cookies are an irresistible treat that's ready in just 30 minutes!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 48 cookies
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Ingredients 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats, (also called instant or minute oats)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
  • In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer beat together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (You can also use a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer.)
  • Add the two eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
  • Add the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and mix to combine well.
  • Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes and then stir again to give the oats time to absorb some of the moisture so you get a nice cookie dough texture.
  • Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, place a large tablespoon of dough on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart for each cookie.
  • Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing from the sheet and placing on a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Thick Peanut Butter: I like to use the thicker peanut butter here that is not the natural kind. If it’s too drippy your cookies will spread when baking
Best Oats to Use: I prefer instant or quick-cooking oats for this recipe; they tend to be smaller pieces than old-fashioned oats, and the texture is a little lighter. You can substitute old-fashioned or rolled oats in equal amounts; pulse them in a blender or food processor for a few seconds to make them more like instant oats.
Storing Cookies: The key to keeping cookies fresh and soft is to seal them in an airtight container, like a resealable freezer bag. And here’s a nifty little trick: add a piece of bread to the bag.
Freeze the Dough:
  1. To freeze the oatmeal cookie dough, make the dough into balls and then let them freeze for a few hours on the cookie tray (or in a dish so that they aren’t touching much).
  2. After the cookie dough balls have frozen through, add them to an air-tight container or a freezer zipper-top baggie.
  3. When you are ready to bake the dough, simply preheat the oven, place the frozen cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet, and bake, adding 2-4 minutes to the suggested cook time, as needed. No need to thaw ahead of time!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 48 cookies, Calories: 130kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 89mg, Potassium: 53mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 181IU, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

A food processor bowl containing a thick, light brown dough mixture pressed against the sides, viewed from above on a white countertop.

Step 1: Cream together the butter and peanut butter.

Close-up of oatmeal cookie dough being mixed in a white food processor, showing a crumbly, golden-brown texture with visible oats.

Step 2: Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla and mix. Next, add all of the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

top view of baking sheet of oatmeal peanut butter cookie dough on a baking sheet

Step 3: Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, place a large tablespoon of dough on the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart.

A baking tray lined with parchment paper holds twelve freshly baked oatmeal cookies, with a metal spatula lifting one. Glasses and a jar of milk are seen in the background on a wooden surface.

Step 4: Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing from the sheet and placing on a wire rack to cool.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use old-fashioned oats instead of quick-cooking oats?

In oatmeal cookies, old fashioned oats will give you a chewier texture, and quick oats will result in slightly less chewy cookies, but the flavor is the same. I like using quick oats for this recipe because they break down more during baking, but you can substitute old-fashioned oats. Just pulse them in a food processor a few times to break them up slightly, or expect a more rustic texture with chewier oat pieces.

My cookies turned out too flat – what went wrong?

Flat cookies usually result from butter that’s too warm, not enough flour, or skipping the resting period. Make sure your butter is at room temperature (not melted), measure flour accurately, and don’t skip the 5-minute rest. Also, check that your baking soda is fresh.

Can I make these cookies gluten-free?

Yes! Simply substitute the all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten-free flour blend in a 1:1 ratio. Make sure to check that your oats are certified gluten-free as well, since regular oats can be cross-contaminated during processing.

top view of an oatmeal peanut butter cookie on a glass of milk, next to a plate of cookies.

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About Melissa Griffiths

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4.96 from 44 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




64 Comments

  1. Brooke says:

    5 stars
    Hi Melissa! Loved the cookie recipe. I made a batch for my husband to take to his crew Monday morning. I also rated it a thumbs up on Samsung Food app with a photo.

    Reply
  2. Pam G. says:

    I made these cookies yesterday. Your recipe is realldy good. My husband loves his sweets. The batch I made yesterday is almost gone. Now I get to make the oatmeal
    raisin cookies tonight!!

    Reply
  3. Melissa says:

    5 stars
    My husband is THE Cookie Monster, and he said these are the best cookies he’s EVER had!!
    I had to use margarine and old fashioned oats, we also added milk chocolate chips. They turned out amazing!!
    Chewy and soft and a little crispy all at the same time.
    A nice, sturdy and substantial cookie that does not fall apart.
    I love the predictability of both shape and cooking time for these cookies. Perfect!!
    THANK YOU!!!

    Reply
  4. Sanstre55 says:

    5 stars
    These were a hit at my house! Thank you for the best cookie recipe!!

    Reply
  5. Liana says:

    5 stars
    I made this recipe for my elderly mother when I was visiting her from out of state. She loved them so much, I made a batch, rolled and froze them so she could have fresh cookies whenever she wanted. I think she let them cook too long, so next time I’ll bake them up and we can freeze the baked cookies for her to eat whenever she wants.
    Thanks for the great recipe, I’m making them for the holiday season and will be shipping some to mom. Everyone in the family loves these, it’s hard to keep any around!
    God bless!

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      How kind of you! That’s such a great idea. Thank you for sharing it with us!

  6. Martee says:

    OMG. This is the second batch I have made in the last 3 days. Followed the recipe to the letter. Was so easy and so quick. The second batch I added white chocolate chips to. DELICIOUS! Thank you for this. It’s one of my go to’s now. Happy Holidays and Good Cooking!!!

    Reply
  7. Kay says:

    5 stars
    Turned out amazing on the first try! Will be adding to my favorites.

    Reply
  8. Cindy says:

    Hi! I only have chunky PB at the moment. Will that work or will it mess with the texture too much?

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      You’ll have some peanut chunks in it but I don’t mind it. I’ve made these with chunky peanut butter before and quite liked it.

  9. Esther says:

    5 stars
    Delicious! A hit with my whole family

    Reply
    1. Melissa says:

      These are always a hit here too! Enjoy Esther!

  10. Sue says:

    5 stars
    I have made these the first time as instructed except used old fashioned oats as that’s all I had, and they were great. I made the next time, cutting down the sugar and substituting half the unbleached all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, old fashioned oats, and chocolate chips (some batter with semisweet chocolate and some with dark chocolate chips). Husband preferred no chocolate chips but the dark chocolate chip cookies were enjoyed more than the semisweet. Great recipe, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Bri says:

      5 stars
      Thank you for this recipe. I took a little liberty to suit my dietary needs and they taste good to me! Due to my LDL, I skipped butter and used egg substitute instead. I did not use baking soda nor brown sugar but used a couple of packets of Truvia and 4 teapoons of vanilla coffee syrup instead. Also added a scoop of peanut butter powder and sea salt. May not bake it for others but again, I enjoyed the finished product. Thanks again.