If your style of baking is to add everything to a bowl and stir, then this oatmeal peanut butter cookie recipe is for you. Only whole-food ingredients that won’t spike your blood sugar levels – this will be a new favourite no-fuss cookie recipe.
Why I Made These Cookies
Minimal Ingredient Recipes
I especially love minimal ingredient desserts – the fewer ingredients, the more likely things will turn out. I also find that with minimal ingredients desserts there is more flexibility and less need to measure ingredients exactly. If you’re looking for some more minimal ingredient cookies, these Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies are the ultimate cookie!
Free Of Refined Carbs
I love sharing flour-free dessert alternatives. Flour breaks down into sugar (and white flour relatively quickly) so is not ideal for blood sugar levels. White flour has been stripped of all its nutrition, leaving an empty calorie source. In this recipe oats are used in place of flour – see below on why I love oats so much. This recipe also uses honey in place of white sugar which is a better choice for our blood sugar levels.
Diabetic Friendly Cookies
These cookies contain 23.5 grams of net carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus fibre) and 7 grams of protein. Both fibre and protein help to slow the breakdown of the carbohydrates (from the oats and the honey) into sugar, so we won’t see as much of a sugar spike after eating these cookies.
These Cookies Are Budget Friendly
Peanut butter, oats, and eggs are three of my favourite health foods to consume on a budget. Not only are they low-cost, but they are also full of quality nutrition.
Ingredients for peanut butter oatmeal cookies: peanut butter, oats, honey, eggs, baking soda and optional chocolate chips.
Ingredients and Health Benefits
Peanut Butter
The fat in peanut butter is predominantly monounsaturated fat, the same type of fat found in olive oil and avocados. This type of fat is featured in the Mediterranean heart-healthy diet and a good ratio of healthy fats is important for the structure of cell membranes. Healthy fats also help to keep our skin and hair nice and healthy, as well as with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
Oats
Oats are one of the best sources of the fibre β-glucans which are known for their cholesterol-lowering abilities. A recent analysis found that an intake of oat β-glucan at daily doses of at least 3 grams might reduce plasma total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by 5-10% (1).
Oats are also a source of resistant starch, which has prebiotic benefits and has been found to increase populations of friendly bacteria in the gut (2).
Eggs
Eggs are a power food and contain quality protein and essential nutrients (hello choline!). I’ve shared why I love eggs here The Health Benefits of Eggs and Why I Eat Eggs.
Honey
Honey is a great natural sweetener and has a lower glycemic index than regular table sugar, meaning it has a lesser effect on our blood sugar levels.
How To Make These Peanut Butter Cookies
Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl.
Whisk the eggs to combine.
Add the oats, honey, peanut butter and baking soda to the bowl. Mix well.
Add chocolate chips, or any other addition (see variations).
Mix the cookie ingredients well. Let sit for 5 minutes if the mixture seems too runny.
Form 6 cookies on a baking tray.
Bake for 16 minutes at 325°F, and repeat with the remaining tray of cookies.
Recipe Tips
Cooking Temperature
When cooking with honey, bake at 325°F – any higher and the honey can burn. If you substitute in maple syrup you can increase the heat to 350°F and check the cookies after 14 minutes.
Making Them Vegan
I love using ‘flax-eggs’ if I don’t have any eggs on hand, like in these Healthy Soft Pumpkin Cookies. By mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water and letting it sit for about 5 minutes, this creates the binding ability of 1 egg (double this for this recipe). Replace the honey with maple syrup for a true vegan cookie and adjust the cooking temperature as per above. Make sure to use vegan chocolate chips.
Making Them Gluten-Free
The ingredients are all naturally gluten-free. Oats can become contaminated with gluten during the processing process. If you have celiac disease or are making these cookies for someone with a severe gluten-intolerance, then purchase certified gluten-free oats.
Storing These Cookies
Store them on the counter in an air-tight container for up to 5 days – cookies never last this long in my house!
Cookie Variations
These cookies are a great base for fun additions, try one of these;
- Omit the chocolate chips and add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/4 cup chopped apricots for a breakfast cookie,
- Use 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of chopped hazelnuts
- Add 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
- Omit the chocolate chips and add 1/4 cup of dates, 1/4 cup of slivered almonds and 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.
Other Favourite Cookie Recipes
Love healthy cookies as much as I do? Cookies don’t need to spike our blood sugar levels and can be full of nutritious ingredients. Try some of these other favourite recipes;
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie | Flour-Free, 6-Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup peanut butter natural
- l cup oats traditional
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips dark (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, crack two eggs and whisk them until they are well incorporated.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir well. If the mixture seems too runny, let it sit for about 5 minutes to allow the oats to absorb some of the liquid.
- Take about 2 heaped tablespoons of the batter and form 6 cookies on the baking tray. You do not need to flatten the cookies, you can leave the batter in 6 2-inch balls. Repeat on the remaining baking tray.
- Bake one tray at a time, for 16 minutes. The cookies will be slightly firm to touch, but not hard. They will continue to harden once you remove them from the oven. Do not over-bake them. After the first tray is done, repeat with the second tray. Place the cookies on a cooling rack before storing.
Notes
Variations
These cookies are a great base for fun additions, try one of these;- Omit the chocolate chips and add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/4 cup chopped apricots for a breakfast cookie,
- Use 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of chopped hazelnuts
- Add 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
- Omit the chocolate chips and add 1/4 cup of dates, 1/4 cup of slivered almonds and 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.
Nutrition
References
Rachel Dickens is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. She graduated with her Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2010 from Griffith University and is currently a PhD student at UBC. She strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information with a focus on Indigenous Food Sovereignty while sharing diabetes-friendly recipes and tips for diabetes prevention.
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