These Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are super soft, loaded with milk chocolate mix-ins, and great texture from the chewy oatmeal. They aren’t your average peanut butter cookie or oatmeal cookie but a combination of the best of both worlds.
My friend Marrietta is an incredible cook and baker. So I was not at all surprised when she showed up one day with cookies to share that they would be some of the best I’ve ever had. These completely knocked my socks off with their wonderful flavor and texture.
The secret is the ratio of peanut butter to oatmeal. There is actually less oatmeal than a typical oatmeal cookie because it is mostly there to give texture and chewiness to the cookie, not so much to add an oaty flavor.
Add plenty of milk chocolate chips and a sprinkle of flaky seal salt, then underbake them slightly so they stay super soft and you’re in business. She was kind enough to share her recipe with me so I could share it with all of you.
What You’ll Need
This is just a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make these cookies. For full measurements and instructions, be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card below.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: I recommend using the regular, processed peanut butter like Skippy or Jif rather than the natural peanut butter where you have to stir it together.
- Sugar: An equal amount of brown sugar and granulated sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Butter: I always use salted butter in my baking.
- Flour: Use unbleached all-purpose flour for best results, although I suspect that you could get away with using some whole wheat flour in this recipe if you wanted to.
- Chocolate Chips: Marrietta recommends using a mix of semisweet or dark chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips and I couldn’t agree more. The large milk chocolate chips you see in these photos are from a store called Orson Gygi in Utah but you can also find bags of unwrapped mini Hershey’s Kisses that would work too.
- Oats: You want old-fashioned rolled oats, not minute or quick oats for these cookies. They give a chewier texture.
Let’s Make Cookies!
Here is a step-by-step visual depiction of the process of throwing a batch of these cookies together.
- Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Mix these together in a large mixing bowl using a stand mixer until combined, about 2 minutes on medium speed. It should start looking light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until evenly combined, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so everything gets mixed together well.
- Add dry ingredients. Mix in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt just until combined. It’s okay if a few streaks of flour remain at this point.
- Add mix-ins. Stir in your chosen mix-ins, whether it’s just milk and semisweet chocolate chips or you want to go with something extra like additional peanut butter chips or roughly chopped peanut butter cups.
- Scoop & bake. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out balls of the cookie dough and space them a couple inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 9-11 minutes at 350°F until just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes before moving them so they can continue to set up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely. These work well with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour substitute like King Arthur’s. You will also need to make sure your oats are gluten-free as well though.
These cookies do really well on the counter in an airtight container for 4-5 days. You could also store them in the fridge if you prefer chilled cookies, but they don’t need to be refrigerated.
Yes, you can freeze the cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
Absolutely. Rather than freeze the entire batch of cookie dough, I recommend still scooping them out onto a baking sheet and freezing balls of dough for 2-3 hours, then transferring them to a freezer-safe airtight bag for longer term storage. You can pull them out and bake them straight from frozen just by adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time whenever you have a craving for a delicious treat!
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Whirligigs
- Copycat Levain Bakery Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
- Easy No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Easy Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Reese’s Pieces Cookies
- Butterfinger Cookies
Marrietta’s Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup quick oats
- 2 1/2 cups (353g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips (we use a combo of both semisweet and milk chocolate)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter chips, Reese's Pieces, Justin's dark chocolate PB cups, plain or peanut M&M's (optional)
- Flaky sea salt (like Maldon's) or Fleur de Sel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Sprinkle immediately with flaky salt or fleur de sel. Underbake to preserve a gooey, soft center with crispy edges.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy and light, about 2 minutes.1 cup salted butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing to combine. Stop to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed just until combined but do not overmix. Stir in the chocolate chips and other mix-ins, if using.1 cup quick oats, 2 ½ cups (353g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 cups chocolate chips, ½ cup peanut butter chips, Reese's Pieces, Justin's dark chocolate PB cups, plain or peanut M&M's
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them a couple inches apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until just set and starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool on the pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.Flaky sea salt (like Maldon's) or Fleur de Sel
Notes
- Storage: Keep the cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. You can also freeze balls of the cookie dough and bake them directly from frozen by adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
