Peanut butter cookies are my weakness. I love them soft, I love them crispy, I love them with chocolate in them, I love them with actual peanuts in them… I love them all. This recipe is one of my favorites because it has oats in them and I love oats too.
My goal was to have the perfect bite sized oatmeal peanut butter cookies and I think this is it. I took a recipe that I already liked and tweaked it to include whole wheat flour, more oats, and more vanilla and voila! Because they are so small they are really addictive. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself eating them by the dozens. You have been warned!
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
The type of peanut butter you use in this recipe will affect the flavor and texture of this cookie since different peanut butters contain different amounts of salt, sugar, oil, etc. I like using Simply JIF or natural peanut butters (the type that you have to stir and refrigerate) in these cookies. Also, you really don’t want to over-bake them. They are best when they are tender and chewy, so avoid the temptation to wait for their edges to get brown or crispy (they will be overdone by then).
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups rolled oats
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl cream together the butter, peanut butter and the sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and stir until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Then add the rolled oats and stir until the oats are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Use a small cookie scoop (or 2 spoons) to scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between each cookie. Flatten each mound of cookie dough with your fingers or a fork.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden; do not over-bake. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will stay fresh for a couple of days stored in an airtight container.
Makes 4 1/2 dozen 2-inch cookies.
