Maple Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Delicious flourless, maple-sweetened cookies full of peanut butter, chocolate chips and oats! These gluten-free cookies are pretty healthy and easy to make!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 19, 2024
We should talk about these cookies. They are tasty, peanut buttery treats stuffed full of chocolate chips and hearty oats. In fact, oat flour is the only flour involved, so these cookies are gluten free.
They’re also naturally sweetened with maple syrup, which has more redeeming properties than the brown sugar called for in the original recipe. I found the inspiration in King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking book, which reminded me of my friend Tessa’s new maple-sweetened peanut butter cookies recipe.
After comparing the two, I thought I just might be able to replace the sugar with maple syrup, and what do you know? It actually worked.
These cookies are more like a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie than a buttery Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie. They’re soft and fluffy, with a creamy interior that almost seems to stick to the roof of my mouth like a spoonful of peanut butter. I brought my first batch over to my friends’ house on Sunday and my friends loved them.
Maple Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Delicious flourless, maple-sweetened cookies full of peanut butter, chocolate chips and oats! These gluten-free cookies are pretty healthy, as far as cookies go. They’re also very easy to make (no mixer required)!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup natural peanut butter
- ⅔ cup real maple syrup, preferably grade B
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats, ground for 30 seconds in a food processor or blender
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with two racks in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (if you don’t have parchment paper, lightly grease the baking sheets).
- Measure out the peanut butter and maple syrup—I found this easiest to do in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Add peanut butter to the ⅔ cup line, then pour in maple syrup until you reach the 1 ⅓ cup total liquid line.
- Pour the peanut butter and maple syrup mixture into a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and whisk until the mixture is well blended. Use your whisk to beat in the egg, scraping down the side of the bowl once it’s incorporated, then whisk in the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Switch to a big spoon and stir in the ground oats, rolled oats and chocolate chips until they are evenly combined. Drop the dough by the tablespoon onto your prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies, reversing the pans midway through (swap the cookies on the top rack with the cookies on the lower rack) until they’re barely set and just beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on the pans.
Notes
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking‘s Nutty for Oats Cookies and Salted Plains’ Peanut Butter Maple Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it dairy free: Readers report that coconut oil and olive oil works in place of the butter in this recipe (I haven’t tried). Use dairy-free/vegan chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand.
Make it vegan: Substitute a flax egg for the regular egg, coconut oil for the butter, and make sure to use non-dairy chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand.
Storage suggestions: These cookies keep well in an air-tight plastic bag for a couple of days. Freeze for longer-term storage.
Change it up: These cookies should be totally adaptable! Use only 1 cup oats, ground, for flatter cookies. Try substituting some chopped pecans or walnuts for some of the chocolate chips, and/or stir in the unsweetened coconut flakes. If you do both, you can call these cookies flourless cowboy cookies!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
P.s. Here’s a banana and honey version of these cookies!
Kate,
This cookie recipe is our new family favorite!! I’ve made them many times with the original recipe, subbed almond butter, coconut oil, added raisins, walnuts, or pecans.. Always a hit with all ages!
Love you blog. Thanks for all the healthy recipes and wonderful stories. Deborah
Thanks, Deborah! Yum, all of your variations sound so good. All my best to you and your family!
great recipe! actually had everything in the cupboard so just up & made em when I read this.
Wanted to share that if you pour the liquid (maple syrup) into the 2 c measuring cup, then you can glop in the PB until you reach 1 1/3 c without having to ‘measure’ the PB.
idea from my mom who ALWAYS measured shortening by filling a large measuring cup with water & then glopped in the shortening!
Thanks, Deb! And thank you for the tip, that’s definitely easier!
I wish I would’ve read this tip first! My cookies turned out yummy, though!
Kate, if possible, could you modify the recipe instructions to include this VERY helpful tip?
OMG.
these
were
amazing!!
made them exactly as listed and they turned out delicious!
These are delicious! I’m eating a warm one right now :) Would definitely make them again.
Hooray! Thanks, Caroline! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Hi Kate, Do you think whole wheat flour can be used instead of Oat flour? Would the amount be the same? Can’t wait to try these!!
I’m sorry for taking forever to get back to you. I really don’t know how whole wheat flour would do in this recipe.
Kate- Your website is my new fav. I love it- then I found out your in KC too and was delighted. Can you recommend a dairy-free chocolate chip for this recipe? I’ve been looking for one and don’t know what to try.
Hi Kristin! So glad you found my blog. I’d try Enjoy Life chocolate chips. I found some at Target on Ward Parkway the other day!
I love your dog! Adorable! I just saw your website today and I love it, fantastic recipes! I am definitely going to be making these for a family gathering and I wanted to know If it really does make 38 cookies because I have invited about 20 people for the party. Also, could I use agave nectar instead of maple syrup? Thanks
Thanks, Carla! Cookie says hi. Yes, the recipe yields about 38 cookies if you make them the same size as mine. I’m not sure about agave nectar—the cookies won’t have as much flavor and the texture could be different.
Thank you for the reply! I will definitely be making these and I’ll send some pictures :)
Awesome, thanks Carla!
Just made these. Cut the maple syrup to 1/2 cup and the chocolate chips to 1 cup. They turned out wonderfully. Soft and creamy on the inside and perfectly sweet. My daughter loves them as well. Thank you for the touching post and the delicious recipe!
Thank you, Tao!
I’ve been trying to make healthier choices – cutting back in sugar and dairy – and I wanted to find a dessert recipe that fit that bill as well as being something I could share with my GF friends. These look perfect! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Wendy! Enjoy!
Just made this because of spontaneous cravings. THEY ARE GREAT. Didn’t have a full 2/3 cups of syrup, was more like a scant 1/2 cup. Threw a bit of cinnamon in, chopped up a dark chocolate bar. These are so good out of the oven. Have to try to stop eating them. They’re so small it seems like I can eat more than 3 and be okay! :-) They are a tad dry, but it’s hardly a problem. so good!
Awesome, thank you Macy! Glad you enjoyed it!
I love the flavors of maple and peanut butter together! I recently made some maple PB snack bites and couldn’t get enough of them. I’m sure my husband would love having these around for a little treat and or snack!
We’re out of (coconut) sugar and so I went hunting online for a maple-sweetened cookie and came here. Just pulled the first batch from the oven. So good! I already ate 3.
Perfect! Glad you’re enjoying the cookies, Shanna!
made these last night & they were great! I didn’t miss the sugar at all! Might use butter instead of sugar next time to make them a big softer, but honestly this recipe is pretty foolproof & I’d take these over sugary, fatty, gluten-y cookies anyday! :) surprisingly healthy but definitely still taste like dessert! Thanks so much for sharing :)
Awesome! Thanks, Christine!
Just wondering if you could sub the old fashioned rolled oats for Steel cut??
Hi Tanya, I think you could make oat flour out of the steel-cut oats, but I don’t think they will work as a replacement for the intact oats. I suspect the dough would be wet and the steel-cut oats would still be tough after baking, but I haven’t tried to find out.
I am gf and mostly dairy and processed sugar free. I made your recipe before and loved it. I have come back to print it off and keep it! It is such a treat for someone who tries to avoid that which usually make cookies yummy. This time I will use PB and chocolate w/o sugar. I may also slightly reduce the maple syrup as being on a no sugar diet, even a little is delicious. Thank you!!
Thanks, Amy! I’m so glad you’re enjoying these cookies!
Hi Kate!
Love this recipe! I was wondering if you could share the nutritional facts with me? Thanks :)
Best,
Samantha
Hi Samantha! I’m sorry, I don’t have the nutritional breakdown for this recipe. Please feel free to run it through a nutrition calculator tool like myfitnesspal.com!
Once again, a hit.
I only used 2.5 Tablespoons of coconut oil and did a honey-maple syrup mix (we had very strong maple syrup) and they turned out great. Thanks!!
Thank you, Kelly! :)
Kate, you look beautiful in the picture with the pies! You have such lovely hair! If only I could tame my crazy unruly Indian tresses that way.
Quick question, why Grade B maple syrup? I have Grade A stuff can I use that?
Thank you, Deepthi! It took a while before I figured out how to manage my hair. If I don’t put product in it, it’s just a big frizzy mess. You can definitely use grade A. I like grade B better because it has a little more maple flavor.
Hi! I really love your blog and I really love the name! Will be visiting often!! So much fun!!!
Thank you for saying hello, Sharnise! Glad you found my blog!!!
These cookies are so good!!
Thanks, Eija!
This recipe is awesome. I loved these cookies. I used the coconut oil and they were perfect. I had been using a different recipe but it resulted in crumbly cookies. These hold their shape nicely.
Thank you, Luana! :)
Oh, my!
This certainly fulfilled my itch to bake some yummy cookies! It’s been a long road for me, being gluten free and I so appreciated putting together “actual” ingredients.
And the taste…I literally closed my eyes as I enjoyed my first one.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe! I really appreciate the attention to detail and the accuracy!
Thank you so much, Ailene! Yay!
I may be a heretic, but I made these using almond butter and (gasp!) raisins! They turned out amazing! I added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon as well because, well, oatmeal raisin cinnamon….. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Thank you, Genevieve! That sounds like a great idea to me!!!
I love this recipe, and make these cookies by default. However, I’m feeling like mixing it up (a little). Do you think I could replace some of the oat flour with cacao powder in these cookies? Chocolate chocolate-chip peanut butter cookies sound reeeallly good right now :)
I made these today during my toddler’s nap time and they couldn’t be more delicious or simple to make. I love how you mix everything in one bowl! I’m now addicted to your blog. Thanks again for another great recipe!
Thank you, Megan! Happy to hear that, on both accounts!
These cookies are THE BEST EVER!! I make them all the time and they are always a favorite. To make them vegan I use a flax egg instead of egg (1 TBSP ground flaxseed mixed with 3 TBSP water-let sit 5-10 minutes). I like to refrigerate the dough until firm, then form into balls and freeze. Whenever we want a fresh warm cookie we bake them right from the freezer for 9 minutes and they are perfect. Thank you!
Thank you, Lori! I really appreciate your feedback and tips!
I also made them with a flax egg instead of an actual egg, and they were delicious!
And, a surprising bonus: I made them for a bake sale and there were a lot of leftovers, so 10 days later we still have cookies–and while the other bake sale items are getting hard and dry, these are as soft as ever! You can’t tell they weren’t baked yesterday. (All the cookies were stored in individual plastic bags as per the rules of this bake sale–not sure how much that matters.)
Made this with Sunflower Seed Butter (from Trader Joe’s) instead of Peanut Butter because no one in my family eats peanut butter. It was amazing! I also didn’t use chocolate chips at all because I didn’t have any at the time, but I’m glad I didn’t because I can’t imagine these cookies being any better!
Oh. My. Goodness. These cookies are delicious. I couldn’t stop myself and just ate six. Six. My kids love them too but they are leaving a huge crumbly mess all over my house. Any suggestions for making the cookies less crumbly? If not, we will just continue to gobble them up and I will follow my kids around with the dust buster. =)
Thank you, Sally! I’m sorry, I’m not sure what to suggest about the crumbles. They’re probably just going to be a little crumbly (although I don’t remember mind being all that crumbly) because they’re made with gluten-free flour.
Another great recipe! It’s always hard to take cookies out before they’re thoroughly set, but you are right on the money with every inch of these directions. So yum.
Kate! I LOVE these cookies!
Actually, I’ve made several recipes from your site and they have all been amazing! I don’t have any food restrictions but there are several different allergies in my Bible study group and your recipes have saved the day time and again. They are always a big hit!
You go girl!
My kids, husband, and I love these cookies!
Thanks!
Baked them today!! They are awesome! They are not too sweet! Just perfect! Can’t wait to share with my coworkers and friends tomorrow!!
can you make a completely sugar free recipe?
Hi! Thank you for this recipe!! These cookies were a hit with my family. We are gluten free but also trying to keep the saturated fat and sugar low. When I googled this receipe, I specifically was looking for one using maple syrup only. The chocolate chips (1cup) I used were Lily’s Dark Chocolate Stevia sweetened(no sugar added) Vegan chips. I substituted almond butter. The recipe made 24 cookies the way I spooned them out. Baked more like 17 min in my oven. I liked the fact that they didn’t fall apart when taking them off the baking sheet.
Estimated Per Cookie Sugar and Fat totals:
Sugar: 6grams from 1.5 teaspoons of maple syrup
Fat Total: 6 grams from 1/2 tablespoon of almond butter and 20 mini chocolate chips
Saturated Fat: 2 grams from the almond butter and chocolate chips
I like your other ingredient options. Next time I’ll try peanut butter, walnuts or coconut and I like the option of using 1 cup ground oats for the total flour to get less carbs per cookie.
Great recipe! Quick and easy! Thank you!
Hello :)
Just made these and the only thing I changed was that I added cacao nibs for a little crunch. They are SO good!! Totally keeping this recipe :D
Thank you!
Ahh, tried these today but they came out dry and tasteless…I used a mixed nut butter and coconut oil, and whole grain flour instead of ground oats. Do you think one of these might have messed it up?
I have a question, Kate. Can almond butter be used in place of peanut butter? Unfortunately, peanuts are one of my food allergens but I would love to make these cookies. Thanks!
Great recipe, as always!
Amazing cookies! easy to make and thank you for the tip with the PB and syrup! Made me look like a pro while baking with my girls ;)
Thank you, Sara! :)
These look great! It’s a perfect Sunday afternoon bake to be enjoyed with a cup of tea and mad family
Hi Kate! Is there a way to make this recipe without the peanut butter? Thank you! By the way I love your recipes and website!
Hi Kailie, can you use almond butter or sunbutter instead? Otherwise, I am not sure.
I appreciate your reply! Unfortunately I’m trying to make them nut free but thank you! I’ll try your other chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Oh well, hope you love that one!
Thank you so much for your gluten free recipes. I am trying to cook for my grandson, who is organic, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and egg free. Most recipies I have tried end up in the trash. I can usually sub out one ingredient but when I’m trying to change three it just doesn’t work. I added a little cinnamon, flattened the cookies and they came out crispy and flavorful. My first keeper. Thank you so much.
I’m glad these cookies are working out well for you, too! You’re in a good place for finding recipes that fit. I think this page would be the best place to reference, since all of those recipes are vegan (so dairy free and egg free) and gluten free as well. Some require some slight substitutions, which are in the recipe notes. It seems like you have found those already. :)
seriously you guys, these are the most friggin delicious cookies EVER!! I saved it and plan to make these for the rest of my life lol. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD.
Hooray! Thank you!
I love these cookies! I added sunflower seeds and pecans for a little crunch. Wonderful!
Yum! Thanks, Amanda!
I just made these but used whole wheat flour instead of the ground oats, and half the amount of chocolate chips. They turned out great, kind of a crumbly texture (maybe the peanut butter?) Thanks!
Hmm, I’m not sure! I haven’t tried them with regular whole wheat flour, but that might be the problem.
Thanks for this recipe! They were delicious ☺️
Kate, I am a fan of your blog (and of pictures of Cookie!) and always enjoy your recipes, but haven’t commented before now. I was looking for a treat that could be sweetened with maple syrup, and these fit the bill and exceeded expectations. I made them with almond butter and added walnuts, and they are delicious! Thank you!
Made these for a Christmas party and they were a HUGE hit. A child with celiacs disease at the party was so happy that she was able to have cookies!!! Thanks for the recipe:))
I absolutely love these cookies! I recommended them to a friend and she recommended them ti someone else.