Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Healthier Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars made without refined sugar, butter or flour. These delicious flourless cookie bars include all the classic favorites. A magnificent combination of chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies and peanut butter cookies for the person who loves it all!

One of my all-time favorite cookie recipes on this site is my 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

They have everything you need for a great time!

Well, we’re back with the bar version of those cookies. These chewy peanut butter oatmeal bars feature the same great taste and texture as the cookies but are made easy into bar form.

For those of us who can be indecisive over what cookie treat we want to eat, these peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars are here to support our every desire.

Plus, they are lower in added sugar than regular cookies, are flourless and require no butter. 

Here are the basic ingredients we need for these delicious peanut butter cookie bars.

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars:

Eggs: Eggs are used to bring rise and great texture to the cookie bars. Bring the eggs to room temperature before making the recipe so that the wet ingredients are easier to mix. You can replace the eggs with two mashed bananas (make sure they’re very ripe), flax eggs, or ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce for a vegan version of the recipe.

Creamy Peanut Butter: One of the stars of the show, unsweetened natural peanut butter acts as the fat and takes the place of all-purpose flour in the recipe.

You can also use almond butter, as seen in my 5-Ingredient Almond Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars or cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.

Pure Maple Syrup: I love using pure maple syrup for baked goods like this because it’s less refined than regular sugar. I personally love that these cookie bars aren’t very sweet, but you can always add some brown sugar if you’re looking for a sweeter treat. 

Old Fashioned Oats: Another big name actor in these cookie bars, old fashioned rolled oats bring all that oatmeal flavor and act as a sort of binding agent to help hold everything together. You can use quick oats or instant oats but I find the texture of rolled oats to be superior. Steel cut oats won’t work here. I use sprouted gluten-free oats. 

Baking Soda: Used as the leavening agent to help the bars bake evenly and keep them held together, a little baking soda brings some rise to the bars.

Chocolate Chips: Delicious chocolate chips bring little pockets of gooey chocolate to make the cookie bars extra tasty. I use dark chocolate chips, but semi sweet chocolate chips or sugar-free chocolate chips work too. 

Cinnamon and Sea Salt: Cinnamon brings that nostalgic oatmeal cookie vibe to these bars and sea salt helps bring out all of the flavors. 

Optional Additions:

• If you have vanilla extract on hand, add 1 teaspoon.
• Love nutty treats? Add ½ to ⅔ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.
• Feel free to add dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries in place of or in addition to the chocolate chips
• Sprinkle shredded coconut on top of the bars if you love coconut.

Now that we’re experts on the simple ingredients, let’s make these easy peanut butter bars!

How to Make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

Combine the eggs, peanut butter, and pure maple syrup (and vanilla extract if adding) in a large bowl and mix until everything is well combined. If you have an electric mixer or stand mixer, feel free to use it. Note: if your peanut butter is cold or seems firm, microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds to help with the mixing process.

Add the rolled oats, baking soda, ground cinnamon and sea salt (dry ingredients) to the mixing bowl and mix until everything is combined and a thick dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips (if adding).

Transfer the peanut butter oatmeal cookie dough to the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer. If you’d like, sprinkle the top with extra chocolate chips and/or flaky sea salt.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bars have set up and the edges are slightly golden brown.

Allow the peanut butter chocolate chip bars to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. You can wrap the baking pan in plastic wrap and leave the bars on the counter for up to 2 days.

Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze in a large zip lock bag for up to 3 months.

This is one of those healthier treats I’m more than happy to eat every single day. Between the wholesome ingredients and the feel-good flavor, these yummy oatmeal cookie bars are an all around win!

Peanut butter lovers, you’re going to go wild over the prominent peanut butter flavor! The next time you’re fiending for peanut butter desserts, whip up this easy dessert recipe.

If you love oatmeal treats like this, check out these goodies below!

More Healthy Recipes with Oats:

• 5-Ingredient Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies 
• Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins
• Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups
• Healthy 6-Ingredient Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Peanut butter, oats, and chocolate, oh my!

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