OMG these ooey-gooey salted chocolate chunk peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars. A mouthful, yes, but an absolutely delicious mouthful.
These babies are like a combo of your favorite peanut butter and oatmeal cookie baked into a gooey, delicious blondie. That, plus puddles of dark chocolate in every bite.
What more could you want?!
I tested this recipe countless times to get the perfect texture and ratio of peanut butter to oats to chocolate, etc etc. Trust me when I say these peanut oatmeal butter cookie bars are perfection. Enjoy as-is or with a side of ice cream for the best dessert to share with friends.
What you’ll need to make these peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars
These epic, gluten free peanut butter cookie bars have golden, crisp, cookie-like edges and gooey centers that make that irresistible. You won’t believe they’re both gluten and dairy free! Here’s everything you’ll need to make them:
- Eggs: you’ll just need two eggs in these peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars.
- Coconut sugar: we’re naturally sweetening them with coconut sugar, but you can use brown sugar if you’d like.
- Peanut butter: be sure to use a natural, creamy peanut butter for the perfect texture.
- Coconut oil: some coconut oil ensures that they have an ooey-gooey center.
- Almond flour: you’ll also need fine, blanched almond flour to keep them gluten free and give them the right texture.
- Oats: we’re using rolled oats in these bars because oatmeal cookies = love.
- Baking staples: you’ll also need vanilla extract, baking soda & salt.
- Chocolate: gotta have those dark chocolate puddles in every bite! Feel free to use a chocolate bar, chocolate chunks or chips. Special note on this below!
- For topping: I love sprinkling a little fancy sea salt on top (who doesn’t?!)
How to easily keep them gluten free & dairy free
To keep these peanut butter chocolate chunk cookie bars gluten & dairy free simply use gluten free rolled oats and dairy free chocolate!
The key to melty dark chocolate
I recommend chopping up a dark chocolate bar into chocolate chunks because they will melt even better than regular chocolate chips or chunks.
Ingredient substitution FAQ
As with all recipes, I know many of you will have questions about substituting ingredients in these peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars. I always recommend sticking with the recipe as closely as possible for the best results, but here are some swaps I can recommend (and some that I do not recommend):
- Can I make them vegan? I haven’t tested these peanut butter cookie bars using flax eggs, but I do think they will work well. Let me know if you try it! Learn how to make flax eggs here.
- Can I use a different nut butter? The peanut butter really gives these cookie bars an amazing flavor, but I think an almond or cashew butter would also work.
- Is there a swap for the coconut oil? Feel free to use melted and cooled butter or vegan butter.
- Can I use regular flour? Unfortunately, no, I would not recommend using regular, all purpose flour and cannot recommend a substitute for the almond flour.
- What about steel cut oats? I also cannot recommend using steel cut oats as the texture will be much different. Always feel free to use gluten free rolled oats though.
Want thicker cookie bars?
If you like your peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars more “oat-y” and thicker, feel free to use 3/4 cup of rolled oats instead of 1/2 cup. I personally prefer using 1/2 cup.
Ooey-gooey peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars in one bowl
- Prep your pan & oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Mix the wet. Add all of the wet ingredients to a large bowl and mix everything until it’s super smooth.
- Add the dry. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined. Then fold in the chocolate chunks (reserving some for the top).
- Bake ’em up. Top your cookie bars with more chocolate chunks and bake!
- Cool & serve. Sprinkle the bars with some fancy sea salt right out of the oven, then cool them completely, slice and serve them up.
Don’t forget these tips for perfect peanut butter cookie bars
- Pack the almond flour. Be sure to pack the almond flour just like you would with brown sugar. No need to pack the coconut sugar.
- Use room temp ingredients. Make sure your coconut oil is completely cooled and your eggs are room temperature before using them so that they don’t coagulate.
- Mix the wet ingredients well. You should mix the wet ingredients for at least 30 seconds so that the oil combines well with the other ingredients. Otherwise, you may have some oil separation (which we don’t want).
- Underbake them *slightly*. The key to keeping these peanut butter cookie bars gooey and delicious is to slightly underbake them. Take them out as soon as the edges are getting barely golden brown. They’ll set more as you let them cool.
- Cool before cutting. Be sure to let the bars cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting into them so that they stay together well.
Storing & freezing tips
- To store: I’d recommend leaving them on the counter for no more than a day or two, and then storing the peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars covered in the refrigerator. They’re delicious straight from the fridge!
- To freeze: allow the peanut butter cookie bars to cool completely, then cut them as directed. Wrap individual cookie bars in plastic wrap, then in foil or a reusable bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, simply thaw them at room temperature.
Recommended tools
Check out all of our favorite kitchen essentials in the AK shop.
More gluten free treats
- Grain Free Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie (vegan + paleo)
- Flourless Monster Cookies
- Damn Good Peanut Butter Banana Cake (gluten free, grain free)
- Fudgy Flourless Almond Butter Brownies (gluten free + dairy free)
- Strawberry Crumble Bars
Get all of our gluten free dessert recipes here!
I hope you love these ooey-gooey peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Ooey-Gooey Salted Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (154g) coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)
- ¾ cup (192g) natural creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup (56g) melted and cooled coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup (112g) packed fine almond flour
- ½ cup (48g) rolled oats (if you want them thicker/more oat-y you can do ¾ cup but I prefer ½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips (dairy free if desired), divided
- Fancy Maldon Salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together eggs, coconut sugar and peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Next add in the melted and cooled coconut oil and vanilla and mix together again until it is very smooth and well combined. This should take at least 30 seconds to mix until smooth, you do not want any oil separation.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until well combined: almond flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Finally fold in ¾ cup of the chocolate chunks/chips, you’ll reserve ¼ cup for sprinkling on top.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and evenly spread out with a spatula towards the edges. Sprinkle the top with remaining ¼ cup chocolate chunks. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are BARELY golden brown. The trick with these blondies is to slightly underbaked them so they stay nice and fudgy and gooey. Once done baking, sprinkle with sea salt. Allow blondies to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting into so they don’t fall apart. Cut into 16 squares.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 11th, 2021, and republished on February 27th, 2024.
Just made the Ooey-Gooey Salted Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars for a girls group. They were a huge success and were gone in a flash!!! Even the ones not eating desert could not help themselves. I will definitely make them again and again!
Thanks Monique for a another great recipe!!!
Amazing!! Such a great treat for sharing 🙂
My family loves this recipe, it has become a routine dessert in our house! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
So happy to hear that! One of our go-to desserts, too 🙂
These look awesome! Dealing with a nut allergy, what would you recommend to substitute for the almond flour?
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend a swap for the almond flour here as the texture will be much different! Check out my nut free desserts here 🙂
These were amazing! I used 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 brown rice flour (because of allergies) and only a half cup of enjoy chocolate chips. My kids and husband devoured them!
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Perfect treat 🙂
Delicious! Gooey as mentioned and just the right amount of sweetness. A treat for sure!
Such a fun little treat 🙂
These are so good! My picky kids asked for me to put some in their lunches tomorrow. That’s a win! Super easy to put together and so tasty.
So happy to hear that!
I make this on occasion and everytie it floors me, I am not the best peanut butter or oats fan…but this ooooooweeeee too good…in the dead of winter a warm fuzzy bite…lost. The dark chocolate/salt combo just makes *that* type of dessert….thanks 🥲
So good!! Glad you love these!
They’re delicious but totally raw in the center,
So strange! Is your baking soda fresh? I’d suggest also double-checking to make sure your oven temp is correct! Otherwise, you could bake them longer and cover them with tinfoil so that the outside doesn’t get too brown.
Delicious! I subbed the sugar for date sugar with a dash of agave but made no other changes. After 20 minutes these were nice and gooey and comforting. Thank you for sharing.
Perfect! Glad you loved them!
I am IN LOVE with these! I’ve always been an eat-peanut butter-straight-from-the-jar gal.
I love that I can eat these straight from the fridge or freezer. First batch was too salty for me, so I am now using a total of an 1/8 tsp salt with none added on top. Thank you kindly
So happy you loved these!
Hi! I love these! I’m out of coconut oil right now but have avocado oil. Do you think I would be able to use avocado oil instead?? Thanks!
Hi! I’d recommend melted butter or vegan butter to get the right flavor 🙂
This recipe is AMAZING! I’ve made this over and over again as a healthy snack for my family and we love it! Thank you for sharing!
So happy to hear that!
These are soooo tasty! I made a batch for the first time to bring into my husband’s workplace (he’s a firefighter) and they were a HUGE hit at the fire hall! I had to keep a few at home to try and wow, I will be making another batch again very soon. I tried them fresh and warm, as well as from the fridge – both are delicious! Excellent recipe.
Amazing! So glad they were a hit!
We’ve made this several times & enjoyed it! This most recent time I was out of Coconut Sugar & subbed for 3/4 cup of maple syrup — it was SO good! Made it even better in our opinion.
Perfect! Glad that worked out well!
These are so good, they barely last a few days in my house!
Same! Such a great dessert 🙂
There are so many reasons I love this recipe: it’s so quick and easy, it mixes in one bowl, I can mix it with just my mixing fork (no electricity required), it’s gluten-free, and, of course, it’s freaking delicious!!!
If anyone is interested, using caramel chips absolutely takes these to another level. I mixed semi-sweet and caramel chips, and oh my goodness, they were even better than before – so, so good.
I also use half almond butter and half peanut butter for a more “neutral” flavor, i.e., less peanutty (nothing against peanut butter; it’s just a nice variation if you feel like it).
Thank you so much for yet another wonderful recipe!
So easy! Great idea to add caramel chips – YUM.
I love these bars! I make them every week. I follow the recipe as written. They are gooey, chocolatey, salty, and easy to make. The perfect treat! Thank you for the recipe.
So happy to hear that!
So delicious! I added shredded coconut and chopped up macadamia nuts and they were delicious! Any dessert with oats is good for a nursing mom! I can eat the whole pan guilt free right? lol😋
That sounds amazing!!
Oh my GOD these are FABULOUS. The only thing I substituted was almond butter instead of peanut butter because I prefer the taste. These are absolutely the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth! Thank you so much from a gluten and dairy free girl.
Love it!!
Can I substitute ground oats for the rolled oats (by weight)? For people who aren’t fans of the texture of oatmeal in cookies.
By the way thanks for including weight measurements, always appreciate seeing that in recipes
Hi! The ground oats (or basically oat flour) might change the liquid ratios in here, so I’d recommend sticking with rolled oats. This cookie skillet is similar and uses almond flour and coconut flour instead of any oatmeal!
Your recipes turned me on to Wild Friends peanut butter and I loved it! I am SO sad they stopped making it. Have you discovered a similar or new favorite peanut butter brand yet?
Fantastic! Must try
Saved from an instagram post and finally tried this week and OMG these are one of the best things I’ve ever baked. The texture and sweet to salt ratio is just perfect. I had when baked goods are greasy and these are not at all. I halved the recipe and baked in a loaf pan which worked perfectly. Thank goodness I did because these babies would have been gone in an instant. These are definitely earning a spot in my usual rotation!
So happy to hear that!!
I’m a little mad that these are so delicious…..just baked them for the 1st time and ate 6 squares in the same day haha. This may be the best treat I’ve ever eaten. This is now my go-to recipe. So unbelievably amazing!!!
However, I’m wondering if I can make a less sweet version and skip the coconut sugar.
Haha they’re too good! I wouldn’t skip the coconut sugar completely, but feel free to try reducing a bit or reduce the amount of chocolate chunks.
These taste good and I made them exactly as directed , but once they cooled they sank in the middle. Not a great presentation for my bookclub and not sure why they deflated
Very strange! Is your baking soda fresh? And did you pack the almond flour? I would also make sure to not overmix the batter.
These are best fresh out of the oven! Just a heads up, they do taste coconut-y because of the coconut sugar. I like it, but maybe use brown sugar if you don’t want the coconut taste. Also if you want to reheat these in the microwave, be careful not to put them in for too long or you’ll burn the chocolate and dry them out like I did (oops!).
Yes, great tips! They just need a quick zap in the microwave 😉
can regular flour be used instead of almond flour?
I’ve only tested the recipe as is so I’m not 100% sure how the texture will turn out. Sorry!
These are simply incredible. I’ve made these multiple times following the recipe exactly. I live in Denver, CO and didn’t have to adjust for higher elevation either. Thank you so much!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
These are literally SO good! so easy & indulgent🫶
Best treat!!
I made these last night. I added extra peanut butter chips on the top. They are ooey gooey! We loved them and will absolutely make them again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Ooo great idea! So glad you loved them!
I can’t imagine these ever making it into the freezer!! So chewy and scrumptious! I used 3/4 c coconut sugar instead of 1 cup and they were great! If I had date sugar on hand, I would’ve used that as it is lower in sugar and calories!
Love all your recipes Monique! Can’t wait to make them again!
Perfect! So glad you loved them!
Delicious, brought to an event and everyone loved them
These are so incredible! I had a craving for chocolate and peanut butter so I made these today- followed the recipe exactly but I only had 1/2 cup of coconut sugar (as opposed to the 1cup it calls for). They were perfectly sweet for me but I don’t like super sweet things. The only problem was I felt like I couldn’t stop eating them (same with my husband ha)!
Happy to hear these were a hit!
If I could give these 6 stars I would!!!!!! This is the 5th time we have made these in the past week and even my husband is obsessed. We substituted with flax egg and they came out great. Definitely try these
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Perfect texture, perfect flavor, and simple to throw together! All around crowd pleaser!
Absolutely! Glad you loved them!
I loved the oatmeal cookie bars except for the texture of the oatmeal,but other than that I give it 5 ⭐️
Glad you enjoyed regardless!
AMAZING!
But we did have an issue. We baked them for the recommended time and they weren’t cooked in the middle. Any ideas how I went wrong? Have you heard of this? We still LOVED the outside haha! We want to make them again ASAP and I keep reading the directions over and over to see where I could’ve gone wrong but I just don’t know. Any feedback would help so much! Thank you for the recipe!!
So strange! It sounds like there was too much liquid – I would double check your flour measurement and make sure you’re packing the almond flour.
I rarely comment on recipes but I saw these on your Instagram and HAD to try them and omg. I’ve made your cookie skillet recipe a few times and these remind me a lot of that but somehow even better! I followed your instructions exactly and they came out great. To prolong their deliciousness, I pop them in the microwave (wrapped in a damp paper towel) for 12 secs to they’re still gooey and melty a few days later. I’ll be making these again and again!
Amazing! So glad you loved them (and great tip on heating them up – YUM!)
Just made these tonight and there’s a big problem…I can’t stop eating them!!! They are SO good. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Just as described — Ooey-Gooey…and THE BEST!!!