These Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies are thick and chewy with crispy edges and loaded with chocolate chips, peanuts and peanut butter! They're gluten-free and dairy-free and require no chilling time!
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Table of Contents
I've been hanging on to this recipe for way too long, so it's time to share the best oat flour cookies you'll ever taste! They're thick and chewy with a soft center and crispy edges, and packed with melty dark chocolate chips and creamy peanut butter!
This recipe has been well tested with different types and quantities of oat flour and peanut butter, as well as different baking times, chilling times and sizes. I must have made about 10 different versions. But, definitely worth it!
The result of all that testing is a thick cookie that's perfectly chewy and tender, with just the right amount of peanut butter and a ridiculous amount of chocolate chips and a few chopped peanuts for good measure. And the best part? You don't need to chill them before baking.
If you're looking for more of a soft-batch peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, you'll want to try these almond flour peanut butter cookies. They're also gluten-free and dairy-free!
Why you'll love this recipe
- These cookies are made with oat flour so they're naturally gluten-free.
- The whole grain oat flour also makes these cookies high in fibre!
- By using dairy-free butter and chocolate chips, these cookies are dairy-free.
- No need to chill the dough! (Already mentioned but worth repeating!) Just mix up the cookie dough, scoop and bake.
What is oat flour?
If you haven't tried baking with oat flour yet, it's definitely worth a try. Oat flour is a finely ground, whole grain flour made from oats. It has a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. It's also naturally gluten-free and adds a moist and tender texture to baked goods like these oat flour brownies and a chewy texture to cookies!
Ingredients
The following is an overview of the ingredients and recommended substitutions.
- Oat flour - I tried a few different brands of oat flour and I found that the best ones for these cookies had a really fine texture. So, just make sure the brand you're using is finely ground.
- Peanut butter - While I normally use natural peanut butter in my baking, I found shelf stable peanut butter worked best in these cookies. Using natural just made the cookie dough too soft. The recipe was tested with both smooth and chunky shelf stable peanut butter, and both worked well.
- Butter - Butter is creamed together with the peanut butter and sugars for the best cookie texture. For a dairy-free cookie, make sure you use dairy-free or vegan butter sticks (from the blocks, not the spreadable kind found in tubs). I've been using Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks. (Not sponsored, just my preferred brand).
- Cane sugar - White sugar is normally added to cookies for a crispy texture. Since I wanted a hint of crispness on the edges of the cookies, the recipe uses a ¼ cup of cane sugar. You can substitute granulated sugar if you need to.
- Brown sugar - Using brown sugar adds moisture to cookies (more so than white sugar) and a soft and chewy texture. While I normally use coconut sugar and brown sugar interchangeably in recipes, I don't recommend coconut sugar in these cookies. When I tested it, the cookies spread a bit too much.
- Egg - The egg is used for binding. Unfortunately, I have not tested this recipe with an egg replacement such as a flax egg.
- Baking soda - Used for leavening.
- Salt - Two kinds are used in this recipe. Kosher or table salt is added to the cookie dough for flavor and a little flaky sea salt is sprinkled on top of the cookies after they come out of the oven.
- Vanilla - Added to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients. Be sure to use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Chocolate chips - I used dairy-free chocolate chips, but if you don't need the recipe to be dairy-free, you can use any kind of chocolate chips.
- Peanuts - These are optional, but I like to add a ¼ cup of chopped raw peanuts to enhance the peanut flavor of the cookies.
How to make chocolate chip oat flour cookies
Preheat your oven to 350F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the peanut butter, butter and sugars until creamy and lightened in color.
Beat in the egg and then the vanilla.
Whisk together the oat flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into the wet mixture until just combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips and peanuts.
Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, place scoops of the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart (the cookies spread as they bake).
Place a few additional chocolate chips on the tops of each cookie (optional).
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops of the cookies are no longer glossy.
Sprinkle on some flaky sea salt (optional).
Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, oat flour is naturally gluten-free, but cross contamination can happen, so make sure the flour you're using is labelled certified gluten-free.
I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flour. Oat flour is lighter than all purpose white flour, so if you decide to replace the oat flour, you will need to reduce the volume of white flour you use. If you need these cookies to be gluten-free, I suggest sticking with oat flour.
I only tested this recipe with a few different store-bought brands and I found the best one was the one with the finest texture. For that reason, I don't recommend using homemade oat flour. While it's easy to make by blending oats in your blender, it's difficult to get a really fine texture.
While this recipe is dairy-free, it hasn't been tested with an egg replacement, so I can't say for certain if a vegan version will work.
No! While I normally store one batch in the fridge while the other bakes, you don't need to chill this cookie dough before baking. (Chilled cookies will be even thicker and will take another 1-2 minutes to bake).
Leanne's tips for recipe success
- I used a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to make large cookies. If you use a smaller scoop to make smaller cookies, you will need to reduce the baking time.
- For thick cookies, don't press the cookie dough balls down. Just leave them as mounds from the cookie scoop.
- Be careful not to over bake the cookies. They firm up as they cool, so if you over bake them, they will turn out dry and hard. It's better to under bake these cookies to keep them soft and chewy!
- If using vegan/dairy-free butter for these cookies, there's no need to let it come to room temperature. Cold butter is actually better. Room temperature butter will cause the cookies to spread too much.
- Make sure you space the cookie dough mounds out on the baking sheet. The cookies spread as they bake, so you don't want them sticking together.
- If you're adding peanuts, make sure they're chopped so they evenly disperse throughout the dough. Also, I recommend using raw peanuts. If they're roasted, they may add too much oil to the cookies and burn. And, if they're salted, they will make the cookies too salty.
- I normally use lighter colored sheet pans when baking cookies as I find darker pans brown the bottoms of cookies a bit too quickly.
Storage tips
Once these chocolate chip cookies are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They'll stay fresh for 1-2 days.
You can also freeze these cookies by arranging them in a single layer or between layers of wax or parchment paper in a freezer-safe container. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before enjoying.
More cookie recipes
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
- Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cookie Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Flour Monster Cookies
- Almond Flour Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat flour, spooned and levelled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt, (kosher or table)
- ¾ cup peanut butter, (shelf stable, smooth or chunky)
- ½ cup vegan or dairy-free butter, (use baking sticks not spreadable kind)
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup cane sugar, or granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup raw chopped peanuts
- Flaky sea salt for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the oat flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the peanut butter, butter and sugars until lighter in color.
- Beat in the egg and then the vanilla.
- Gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and peanuts.
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and place the mounds on the prepared cookie sheets about 3 inches apart (the cookies spread as they bake).
- Place a few extra chocolate chips on the tops of each cookie.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops of the cookies are no longer glossy.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle on some flaky sea salt.
- Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For gluten-free cookies, make sure your oat flour is labelled certified gluten-free.
- I used a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to make large cookies. If you use a smaller scoop to make smaller cookies, you will need to reduce the baking time.
- Be careful not to over bake the cookies. They firm up as they cool, so if you over bake them, they will turn out dry and hard. It's better to under bake these cookies to keep them soft and chewy!
- If using vegan/dairy-free butter for these cookies, there's no need to let it come to room temperature. Cold butter is actually better. Room temperature butter will cause the cookies to spread too much.
- I recommend using raw peanuts. If they're roasted, they may add too much oil to the cookies and burn. And, if they're salted, they will make the cookies too salty.
- I normally use lighter colored sheet pans when baking cookies as I find darker pans brown the bottoms of cookies a bit too quickly.
- The cooking time in the recipe card includes time to bake 2 batches.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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