These healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are SO EASY to make and a great dessert to make on the go. Lots of protein too! I love cookies! And, I love easy no bake cookies! Of course, most of the peanut butter oatmeal cookies out there are full of sugar and refined flour. Many of them also have way too many ingredients which means they’re highly processed – even the organic ones.
HEALTHY NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES
Healthy No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies – These 4 ingredient cookies are gluten free, vegan, dairy free and contain no added sugar.
HEALTHY NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES
After the obsession with my 4 Ingredient No Bake Cookies, I needed to make an oatmeal version of the recipe. These cookies remind me of a smashed peanut butter cup with the addition of chewy oats. Oh… let’s not forget the flaky sea salt. HEAVENLY! Do yourself a favor and whip up a double batch because these will be gone in no time.
INGREDIENTS IN HEALTHY NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES
- melted vegan dark chocolate (no added sugar)
- natural creamy peanut butter
- melted coconut oil
- gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
- flaky sea salt – optional
HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE COOKIES
- Mix together melted dark chocolate, peanut butter, coconut oil and oats in a mixing bowl.
- Use a 1 ½ tbsp cookie scoop and drop the cookies onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
- Place the sheet pan in the freezer for about 1 hour or until the cookies harden. Store in the freezer and grab a cookie whenever you are craving a sweet treat!
No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Enjoy a protein-rich treat with these easy No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. They taste like dessert but make the perfect fueling breakfast or afternoon snack!
The most delicious no bake oatmeal cookies
In the mornings, nine times out of ten I’m craving something sweet. Though a nice savory breakfast is sometimes in order, the sweeter mornings are my favorite! So imagine my level of immense happiness when I perfected these no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies. They’re protein-rich, oatmeal nutrient-rich cookies that are as good as eating dessert for breakfast!
Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies (1)
Healthy Funfetti Cookies are a sweet treat that are equally as cute as they are delicious! They’re made using almond flour, maple syrup, and cashew butter for a healthy twist, and they require just 10 minutes of prep time!
Though I love these in the morning, they also make a great nutrient-dense snack or healthier dessert. No matter what time of day you choose to enjoy them, you’re surely in for a treat!
Ingredients in no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies
You will need only seven ingredients to create these easy no-bake cookies. If you’ve created Erin Lives Whole treats before, you’ll find that this list includes many of my favorite staples!
- Peanut butter: The base of the cookies begins with 1 cup of natural peanut butter. This is going to make for a chewy cookie texture.
- Coconut oil: Next, 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil will help the ingredients bind together.
- Honey: Sweeten things up with 1/3 cup of melted honey.
- Vanilla: Complete the liquid portion of the batter with 1 tsp of vanilla. Hardly any cookie is complete without a bit of vanilla!
- Oats: To add texture and density to the cookies, we’ll be using 2 and 1/4 cups of quick oats.
- Chocolate chips: Add chocolate in the amount of 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.
- Sea salt: Last but not least, flaky sea salt sprinkled on top makes the cookies complete!
Tool needed to make peanut butter and oatmeal cookies
These no bake peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are as easy to make as you’d expect, considering baking isn’t required! As far as tools are concerned, you will need a large saucepot, a stirring utensil, and a cookie sheet or plate to chill the cookies in the fridge.
To measure ingredients, you will need 1 tsp, 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup.
How to make oatmeal peanut butter cookies
These cookies involve a very simple recipe that includes less than 10 minutes of hands-on prep time. We’ll start with the liquids (peanut butter, oil, honey, and vanilla) before rounding out the dough with oats. We’ll chill the dough at different points throughout to help the cookies harden up without being baked.
To begin, add the peanut butter and coconut oil to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.
Once melted, turn off the heat and add the honey and vanilla to the pot.
Stir in the oats, and then let the batter chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Once chilled, add the chocolate chips and then form the dough into cookie shapes.
Place the cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Sprinkle with sea salt, and then enjoy!
How this recipe is healthier
Oatmeal peanut butter cookies are a treat for the “healthier” books. By switching out these main ingredients, we’re able to get a more nutrient-dense cookie!
Peanut butter
When it comes to peanut butter, all-natural is the only way to go. Processed peanut butter brands are filled with a lot of chemicals and preservatives. Peanut butter should contain only two ingredients: peanuts and salt! By using a clean version with those two items, we’re able to cut out loads of additives.
Coconut oil
Next up, the oil! Rather than using canola or vegetable oil, I chose to use coconut oil. This is a much more nutrient-rich option and one that works seamlessly into the recipe!
Honey
Last but not least, I skipped out on the granulated sugar and used money as a sweetener. This natural swap cuts out chemicals and preservatives and provides a delicious natural honey flavor.
Oats
Though not a direct swap, oats are a great alternative to flour. Using them in cookies provides loads of extra nutrients like iron, zinc, folate, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and more.
Optional ingredient add-ins
Want to take your peanut butter oatmeal cookies up a notch? Here are some ideas for ingredients you can add — either in the batter or sprinkled on top — to include extra flavor and yumminess!
- Dried fruit (cranberries, apples, etc.)
- White chocolate chips
- Caramel drizzle
- Crushed pretzels
Storing Leftovers
Leftover oatmeal cookies should be stored in an airtight container and kept either on the counter or in the refrigerator. Left at room temperature, they will stay yummy and fresh for about 2 days. In the fridge, it will be about 4-5 days.
3 INGREDIENT NO BAKE HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
These easy peanut butter cookies don’t require any baking or cooking. The cookies also don’t contain any wheat flour or refined sugar. They make a nice snack when you’re craving something sweet.
These peanut butter cookies are great when you need a quick healthy snack. You can make a batch ahead of time and just grab one whenever you need one.
INGREDIENTS
- Peanut Butter
- Maple Syrup
- Oat Flour, Coconut Flour or Superfine Almond Flour
PEANUT BUTTER
Make sure to use creamy peanut butter. To keep things healthier, I would also recommend that you use natural peanut butter (the kind that needs to be stirred and only contains peanuts and salt in the ingredients). You can use regular peanut butter but it is harder to mix the cookie dough.
MAPLE SYRUP
I tested these cookies with both maple syrup and honey but found that maple syrup works better. It does a better job sweetening the cookie dough and holds the dough together better.
OAT FLOUR
The cookies need some sort of flour to hold together. Since the cookies are not cooked you want to use a flour substitute that is safe to eat raw. I tested these cookies with oat flour, coconut flour and superfine blanched almond flour. All of them work though they do produce slightly different results.
OAT FLOUR VERSUS COCONUT FLOUR VERSUS AMOND FLOUR
OAT FLOUR VERSION
Oat flour was my favorite version. If you don’t have oat flour you can make your own by grinding up rolled oats in a food processor or high-powered blender. The oat flour is softened by the peanut butter mixture so that the cookies don’t taste grainy.
COCONUT FLOUR VERSION
Coconut flour produces the sturdiest cookie. Because coconut flour is so absorbent you only need half the amount compared to the other two flour options. Similar to the oat flour, the coconut flour absorbs the peanut butter and syrup so you don’t really taste the coconut flour in the cookie. They feel a little dry at first but once the cookie touches your tongue, it melts and becomes creamy and peanut buttery.
SUPERFINE ALMOND FLOUR VERSION
Almond flour is not very absorbent so this version is the least cookie-like. They are more like fudgy energy balls flattened into a cookie shape. However since almond flour is made completely of almonds, you don’t have any flour taste in these cookies. It just tastes nutty and fudgy.
3 INGREDIENT NO BAKE HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
servings: 13 COOKIES
prep time: 10 MINUTES
total time: 10 MINUTES
course: SNACK
cuisine: AMERICAN
These easy peanut butter cookies make a healthy snack. They don’t contain any wheat flour or refined sugar and don’t require any cooking or baking.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter unsweetened
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 8 tbsp oat flour (see notes for substitutions)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and syrup. Mix with a spatula until completely mixed and a smooth paste forms.
- Add in oat flour, one tbsp at a time. Stir and completley mix in 1 tbsp before adding the next. You may need less than the amount stated (explained more in the notes) so do not add the whole amount at once. Add in enough until the mixture becomes thick and looks like a cookie dough that you can roll and shape.
- Scoop 1 tbsp of dough and form into ball. Place onto prepared cookie sheet and using the palm of your hand, flatten ball into a round cookie shape about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough. Use a large fork to make criss cross indent pattern on surface of cookies.
- Refrigerate cookies for about 1 hour or until cookies are firm. You should be able to peel the cookies off of the parchment paper. Store uneaten cookies in the fridge.
NOTES
- Instead of oat flour, you can also use coconut flour or superfine almond flour. If using coconut flour you will only need half the amount (about 4 tbsp). If using superfine almond flour, it is a direct substitution for oat flour. Please see the post where I discuss the different results using each of these flour substitutes.
- The amount of flour you need to add may vary. Different peanut butter brands can produce different consistency of peanut butter and some are runnier than others. Also, brands can vary in the consistency of oat flour. This is why I recommend you add the flour in one tbsp at a time as you may need less.
- If you don’t have oat flour you can make your own with rolled oats. Pulse them in a food processor or high powered blender until they become the consistency of flour.
- I made this recipe using natural peanut butter. It will work with regular peanut butter but it is much harder to stir and the amount of flour added may be different.
- The cookies are sweet but not super sweet as these are meant to be a snack rather than dessert. If you want to add more sweetness you can add 1 more tbsp of maple syrup (stir it in at the end after tasting the dough), but you don’t want to add too much more than that because adding too much syrup will make the dough too soft. You can also add some chocolate chips to the cookies for additional sweetness.
- The cookies should be stored in the fridge. If left out too long the dough will become soft.
- I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour.*