A crowd pleasing cookie, these oat flour peanut butter cookies are packed full of peanut butter! Thick and rolled in sugar, this gluten free version will give your favorite bakery cookie a run for their money!
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I have a soft spot in my heart for anything made with peanut butter (Eatmore Bars and Thai Peanut Salad, I'm looking at you!).
And I also have a cookie weakness. Half and Half Cookies and Snickerdoodles are known to disappear in our house.
And so peanut butter cookies are my kryptonite. Especially these oat flour peanut butter cookies!
Made entirely in ONE BOWL. Ready in half and hour.
Thick and delicious with soft centers and crumbly edges.
Are you drooling?
I am...
The Ingredients
- Oat Flour- I tested this recipe with both boughten and homemade oat flour and got good results with both. If you need this recipe to be gluten free, ensure that you are using certified gluten free oat flour.
- Peanut Butter- I use natural, smooth peanut butter for this recipe (if you have extras, check out these 12+ Delicious Ways to Use Natural Peanut Butter). Sunflower seed butter or a different nut butter will also work.
- Butter- Salted or unsalted butter work. If using salted, omit the added salt in the recipe.
- Brown Sugar- If you don't have any brown sugar, you can use white instead but I recommend adding ½ tablespoon of molasses, maple syrup or honey to make up for the extra moisture that the brown sugar provides.
- Egg- Necessary for binding. Oat flour tends to be crumblier than regular flour so using an egg substitute may result in crumblier cookies.
- Vanilla Extract- For that classic cookie flavor. I always recommend using pure vanilla extract but imitation vanilla will work in a pinch.
- Baking Soda- Gives the cookies a bit of lift.
- Sea Salt- You can omit if using salted butter.
- Granulated Sugar- Optional for rolling (to give the cookies some sparkle!).
The Method
1. Make Dough. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy in a large bowl. Mix in the egg followed by the peanut butter. Add the baking soda, salt and vanilla. Finally, mix in the oat flour. The dough will be quite thick.
* Oat flour is less dense than all purpose flour so when measuring it out, it should be lightly packed into the measuring cup. See this post about baking cookies with oat flour for images and more info.
2. Shape cookies. Scoop 1.5-2 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough.
3. Roll in Sugar. Just like these scrumptious Oat Flour Gingersnaps, we are going to roll the cookie dough balls in sugar and place on a prepared cookie sheet for some sparkle and crunch!
4. Press Down. Using your hand or the back of a spoon, flatten of the cookie dough balls slightly so that they are a wider than tall (about ½ inch / 1 cm tall).
5. Bake. Bake at 350 F for 8-9 minutes. The centers will still be soft but don't be tempted to over bake.
6. Flatten. Remove the cookies from the oven and if desired, use the back of a spoon to flatten the tops a bit more.
7. Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes (don't be tempted to move them sooner- they are soft and will not hold together right out of the oven!) then use a spatula to move to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Enjoy.
Leftovers
Make Ahead: Cookie dough can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered and kept in the refrigerator. You can shape the dough into balls and roll it in sugar before refrigerating or do that when you are ready to bake. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge 30 minutes prior and allow it to come to room temperature. Resume with the recipe where you left off.
To Freeze Cookie Dough: Shape the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place in a single layer on a large plate or cookie sheet and freeze until solid and then package into an airtight container or zip top bag. When ready to bake, remove desired amount of cookie balls from the freezer and place on a cookie sheet. Allow to thaw and come to room temperature (30-45 minutes), squish down slightly and bake as directed.
To Store: Cool cookies completely and store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Make it Your Own
Want to change it up? Try one of these variations or a combination of them!
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip- Mix in up to 1 and ½ cups of chocolate chips (or another favourite add in).
- Peanut Butter Nut Cookies - Add up to 1 and ½ cups of chopped peanuts.
- Peanut Butter Jelly Cookie Sandwiches- Spread jelly on the bottom of one cookie and peanut butter on the bottom of another and sandwich the two together.
Serving Ideas
Enjoy these oat flour peanut butter cookies all on their own, with ice cream (or use them to make a peanut butter cookie sundae!) or dip them in some Chocolate Hummus!
Yes, I tested this recipe with both homemade and store bought oat flour and the cookies turned out well both times.
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And if you liked this recipe...
...you might also like:
- Oat Flour Chocolate Cookies
- Oat Flour Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
- Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe Card
Oat Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup smooth, natural-style peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 and ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 and ½ cups oat flour lightly packed and levelled, certified GF if needed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Prepare a large cookie sheet by lining with a silicone mat.
- Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg and then peanut butter and mix until well combined. Add vanilla, baking soda and salt and combine. Finally, add the oat flour and mix until fully incorporated.
- Measure out the granulated sugar into a shallow bowl.
- Scoop the dough into 1.5-2 tablespoon balls and roll each in the sugar until coated. Place on your prepared baking sheet and lightly squish down so they are about ½ inch/1 cm thick.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes until the edges are just set. The centers will still be very soft.
- Remove from the oven and use the back of a spoon to lightly flatten the tops and then let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Want to learn more about oat flour? Check out these resources!
kushigalu says
WOW! cookies with oat flour sound interesting. I love peanut butter too. SO making this recipe soon.
Janessa says
I hope you love them!
Andrea says
These are going on my must make list, as I am a huge fan of all kinds of peanut butter cookies. Yummy!
Janessa says
You'll love these!
Jamie says
These peanut butter cookies turned out so delicious! My family loved these with a tall glass of milk!
Janessa says
I'm glad you liked this recipe, Jamie!
Mirlene says
My kids would love these cookies. Love the change of flours by using oat flours to make these gluten free! A more healthier way to have cookies and the peanut butter flavor!
Janessa says
Thank you for your kind review, Mirlene!
Sandy says
Wow , I have never made anything with oat flour, the cookies are so delicious and so easy to make. You can taste so much peanut butter we just love it. Definitely have to make this again .
Janessa says
I'm glad you liked these cookies! Thank you for your kind comments.
Sue says
I love the flavor and texture of these cookies!
Janessa says
Thank you for your kind review, Sue!
Laura Krebs says
Hi there! Not sure what I did wrong. My cookies turned out kind of strange. The flavor is great but they never really expanded. The kept the same shape after I gently pressed down. They also fall apart very easily. I accidentally put a bit of baking powder in because I didn't double check the recipe before I started putting it in the mix. I got most of it out but there was still some. I didn't think it was a big deal because I know some cookie recipes call for both baking powder and soda. I also used crunchy peanut butter because that is all I buy. Do you think those two things made that big of a difference? Oh, and I also hand mixed, but it was very thorough. Thanks for your advice! Love your recipes!
Janessa says
I'm so sorry these cookies didn't turn out for you Laura! I suspect that using crunchy peanut butter may have been the problem as that would have reduced the total wet ingredients in the batter. I haven't tested it with crunchy, but if you do decide to use it again, I would try adding more to compensate for the chunks (maybe up to 1/4 cup). However, I would highly recommend using smooth peanut butter for most repeatable results. The other thing that may have affected the texture is the oat flour measurement. Did you do it by weight? I don't think a small amount of baking powder or hand mixing it would have caused the issue.
I hope that this helps if you decide to give this recipe of a try! Good luck and thank you for your comments!
Regina says
Due to type 2 diabetes can I use less sugar
Janessa says
Hi Regina, you can definitely skip on the sugar for rolling on the outside. You can try reducing the sugar in the actual cookie as well but it is an important for texture and so it may affect how the cookie turns out. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Vicki Stone says
These cookies crumbled on contact. You need another egg or some flaxseed meal.
Janessa says
I'm sorry to hear that these cookies didn't turn out for you, Vicki. I know how disappointing it is to use your time and ingredients.
I retested the recipe a couple of times to ensure that I didn't miss anything in the directions and they turned out well for me as they have for other readers.
However, if they aren't binding well for you, a few things might help:
1. Make sure you are using drippy, well stirred peanut butter (if using natural), otherwise, it might not be providing enough moisture.
2. Weigh the flour for most accurate measurements.
3. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them.
Best of luck if you choose to make these cookies again!
Nicole says
First, I love traditional peanut butter cookies but I hate peanut butter because of the stickiness. This cookie absolutely melts in your mouth in a way I've never experienced with a cookie. BUT, it has all the stickiness of peanut butter. It crumbles apart so you can't store them. The taste is really good! So I don't know if I'll make this recipie again but I enjoyed it enough to eat once.
Janessa says
Thank you for your comments, Nicole! Unfortunately, the nature of working with oat flour makes it a bit more finnicky and prone to becoming dried out and crumbly. In order to best avoid this, ensure that you use well stirred natural style peanut butter (it should be a bit oily- if it is not well stirred, it can be too dry). It is also important that they don't get over-baked since they are prone to drying out. Good luck if you decide to make them again!
Cheryl says
These are decadent! Especially with the dark chocolate chips I stirred into the batter! Ha! I used a monkfruit blend in place of the brown sugar to reduce the carb load, and it worked well. Had to bake them for about 15 minutes though to ensure they wouldn't fall apart (as they did after 8-10 minutes). I'm like your recipes that use oat flour or almond flour, in place of wheat.
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Cheryl! Thank you for your kind review.
Debby Baumel says
Delicious! I made a batch for the little ones coming for Thanksgiving and had to test them out. It was all I could do not to eat several more. I will definitely make these again. Super easy too.
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Debby! Thank you for your kind review.
Susie Moore says
Love these cookies my husband can't stop eating them!
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for your kind review.
Jen says
These are really good. I used flax egg and 1/4 tsp xantham gum instead of an egg and didn't roll in sugar. It doesn't need them. Tried a few with chocolate chips. It's also delicious.
Janessa says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Jen! Thank you for sharing your variation.
Tink says
When substituting the brown sugar which is better, honey, maple syrup, or molasses?
Janessa says
I'm assuming you are substituting the brown sugar with white and adding a half tablespoon of one of these? If so, molasses is best as it mimics the brown sugar flavor but I find it doesn't make a huge difference in these cookies so whatever you have on hand will work. Let me know how they turn out!