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. Use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15’ to get 15% off my favorite brand, Wild Friends!
- 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!
- 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!
Ooey-Gooey Salted Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or sub brown sugar)
- 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup packed fine almond flour
- ½ cup rolled oats (if you want them thicker/more oat-y you can do ¾ cup but I prefer ½ cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 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
145 comments
These look incredible! Is it possible to sub the coconut sugar for maple syrup, and then perhaps cooking them a little longer to account for the extra liquid?
Hi, Lisa. To be honest I’m not sure. I think the extra liquid might not work so well in here. Feel free to try and let me know, or you could just use regular brown sugar!
Made these exactly as written and they were delicious! YUM!! Easy recipe to follow. Thank you 🙂
Amazing, I’m so happy you tried and loved them!
Looks good. Have you tried it with any vegan egg replacers?
I haven’t tried them with flax eggs, but I think they should work well! 🙂
I made these for a vegan family member, substituting flax eggs and they came out beautifully, and so delicious! Love the fancy Maldon salt on the top. This will be a favorited recipe for us. Thank you!
So happy to hear that the flax egg worked well and that you enjoyed them, Abbey! 🙂
AK does it again! I was a little skeptical putting these in the oven because they were so thick, I thought I did something wrong. I was wrong though, they came out phenomenal! Super thick, gooey, and the perfect amount of richness. Another winner for us!
YAY, I’m so happy you loved these!!
I made these with all-purpose flour instead of almond meal and they turned out great. The flaky sea salt on top is a must!
So glad to hear that worked out well, Kate! And YES, I love that salty-sweet combo 🙂
Oh goodie, I’m glad to see someone tried regular flour. I think I might try regular gluten free flour. I’m not a huge fan of almond flour… I don’t like the texture… But I want something peanut buttery with no bananas! Haha!
I made these last night and had them when they were still warm- AMAZING, such a great texture and flavor! Can’t wait to have them for my snack today, look just as good the next day.
Oh YAY, I’m so thrilled you loved them, Megan!
Couldn’t make these soon enough and they are seriously so good!
Woohoooo! So happy you’re loving them 🙂
In the recipe it says coconut oil melted and cooled? Does that mean measure 1/4 cup and melt it or does it mean 1/4 cup coconut oil after it is melted? Not sure that if you measure a 1/4 cup of solid coconut oil that it would turn out 1/4 cup when it was melted. Would love to have you send me an email with your answer before I try making them.
Hi, PaulaJean! Good question. You’ll need 1/4 cup after it’s melted 🙂
Amazing!!! So good. Feels like eating a chocolate chip cookie bar- the peanut butter came through as an aftertaste for me and I’m fine with that!! Can’t stop eating them. I cut the recipe in half and it worked perfectly.
So happy you’re loving them, Becca, and that a half recipe worked well! 🙂
So good, Monique!!! I made vegan by using the flax egg and they turned out amazing. Def going to be on rotation!!!! Yummmm.
Awesome!! So glad to hear you loved them and that the flax egg worked out well 🙂
These cookie bars are delicious!! I only baked them for 18 min and they turned out perfect & cooked all the way through!
Amazing!! So glad you’re enjoying them, Jules 🙂
Are eggs considered dairy?
Nope, dairy comes from cows!
These taste delicious. I do want to share that I originally baked them for 15 minutes, because at the beginning of this recipe it says prep time 15 and cook time 15 for a total time of 30. I read that and cooked them accordingly. Later, after they had been out of the oven for ten minutes I read in the recipe that the should cook for 20-25 minutes, so back in the oven they went. Please change the recommendation at the beginning to reflect the instructions in the recipe. Regardless, they turned out great.
Hi, Stacey. So sorry for the confusion–we’ll update that right now! So glad that it worked out and that you enjoyed them 🙂
I asked my sister to make these for me 😄 She used regular flour instead of almond flour, and they still turned out great. It was hard to not keep munching on them all day lol!
Glad to hear that worked out and that you guys are loving them!!
My daughters baked this recipe for Father’s Day… it was so delicious! We used Almond butter and it was very Yummy! We ate it warm with Vanilla Bean ice cream… Wow! 😋🤩 This is definitely a 5+ star recipe! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yay!! I’m so glad that you guys loved this one. SO good with ice cream, right?! Thanks, Patty 🙂
Made these for Father’s Day and they were a hit! The peanut butter taste is subtle but just enough. I also loved these bars after being in the refrigerator too.
So happy you tried and loved these, Shannon! And yesss, so good straight out of the fridge 🙂
These bars ARE the ooiest, gooiest, bars just like you said!! They are perfect!! I wouldn’t change a thing!!
Oh YAY I’m so happy you loved them, Debra!!
Oh man, these are so good. Super easy to make with my 7 year old. I baked it for 20 minutes. It could have done with a few more minutes in the oven as the inside was quite underdone but they’re so good it didn’t matter. My two boys nearly at all of them in one go.
What a fun baking project! Glad that you loved these 🙂
These are beyond delicious! I decided to add in approx 1 tsp of coffee extract to the recipe and was so glad I did.
Oh YUM, that sounds incredible!! So happy you loved them 🙂
These are delicious! Can’t wait to make again.
Yay!! So glad you’re loving them, Jen 🙂
LOVED these. I made them with all purpose flour and they turned out great. So good!
So glad that worked out and that you loved them, Laura! 🙂
Quick and easy! 25 minutes was perfect. Sea salt is a must – yum!!
Woohooo! So happy you loved them, Peyton! And YES couldn’t agree more about the sea salt 🙂
Made as instructed and they were absolutely delicious! Will be a go to dessert.
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved them, Casey!
So great! Hubby said he could go for these instead of his usual PB choc ice cream which is saying A LOT, plus I can have them too since they are gluten free. Winner all around!!
Omg love to hear that! So happy you guys are enjoying them 🙂
I made these with crunch peanut butter and brown sugar since that’s all I had on hand. They are DELICIOUS, and my 7 y/o loves them, too!
Awesome! So glad the crunchy worked and that you guys are loving them!
So easy to make! Made for a great pairing with my afternoon iced chai. Already planning on making again!!
Oh yay!! So glad you loved them. And these + an iced chai sounds PERFECT 😍
SO YUMMY! Made them with regular flour and they turned out perfect.
So happy to hear that!! Yay! 🙂
These are absolutely incredible!! They are the perfect sweet treat that is not too overpowering with chocolate – the PB and oats combo give these cookie bars such an amazing texture. I left mine in for a little bit longer than the recipe called for as the middle was still not set – Monique’s tip to look for the golden brown edges was really helpful for bake time. And please, whatever you do, do NOT forget to salt them as they sit to cool – such a fantastic flavor addition!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Madeline! Great call on cooking until it was done; ovens really vary so much so it’s important to follow the indicator (golden edges) rather than the exact time. Excited for you to make them again!
Thank you so much for testing and perfecting such an amazingly delicious recipe …… my (& hubby”s) absolute favorite so far 😋 Ive made two batches now and have to admit, I cut them into 10 slice bars so I can savor more of their gooey unctuousness all in one go, I LOVE them 😍
Omg you’re so welcome! I’m thrilled to hear you guys are loving them!
These are DELICIOUS!!! I made them with 2 flax eggs and it worked great!
Woohooo! So happy you loved them, Anya!!
Delicious! I used chocolate chips bc I didn’t have chunks worked perfectly. Were super yummy warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Chocolate chips work great in here! I’m so happy you loved these 🙂
Could I double the recipe for these and make them in a 9×13 pan?
I think that should be totally fine! Let me know what you think of these 🙂
Amazing!
So happy you loved them, Erin!
AK does it again! These are so gooey and delicious! Followed recipe as is
Yay! So happy you loved them!!
These bars were amazing! Love the texture the oats bring. They tasted even better after being refrigerated 🥰
Simple, one bowl recipe. And it’s so bomb delicious!!! Gooey and fudgy just amaz-balls
This will definitely be my go to for a blondie recipe! I used 1/4c less sugar and it was still perfect. I love all of your recipes, they never ever disappoint and always become my favorites!
I have made these 4 times in the past 2 months. They are dangerously good. The hardest part is waiting for the coconut oil to cool.
Always looking for gf treats that I can pop in the freezer for later.. and you did not disappoint with these! So delish! I’ve made these twice now and can’t get enough. So chewy and satisfying! Thank you 😊
I happened to have all the ingredients except almond flour so I subbed equal amounts for AP flour. Happy to report that they came out exceptional!!! I also used dark choc chips plus 1 Trader Joe’s dark choc bar and 1/4 cup of Heath bar bits! Delish!
Just made these exactly as written and they were fantastic!
These are amazing!! Made them for a friend who had a new baby at home. The whole family loved them! I have made them 4 times since then .
These bars are fantastic!! Everyone I’ve served them to wants the recipe! I used 72% dark chocolate chunks with extra on top-delicious!
Oh yay!! So glad everyone loves them 🙂 And YES to the dark chocolate–so good!
Such a gooey, delicious texture. I used half the sugar and these came out great!
Oh, so glad that worked out and that you enjoyed them!
Omg these are so good!! Loved the flavour and the texture too, thick and gooey just like how she described. I just used normal brown sugar as I didn’t have coconut sugar on hand but it still turned out delicious. That sea salt taste combined with the chocolate is my favourite!
So glad they turned out gooey and delicious! And yes, the salty-sweet combo is MY FAV, too 😍
Omg these are absolutely amazing. I followed the recipe and they turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!!
Woohooo! So happy you’re loving them, Laura!
You are my hero! All your recipes are perfectly detailed (great for us beginners) thoughtful for the food sensitive, and hands down delicious. Reading your posts make me feel at home – like there’s no way I can fail. This isn’t the first recipe I’ve made of yours but my first post. All 5 stars. Thanks for doing what you do and keeping me a ‘winning Mom and Wife’ in the kitchen ☀️
Aw BEST REVIEW EVER omg! I’m so happy that they’re helpful and easy to follow. Glad that you’re loving everything so far, and THANK YOU for the review, Kelly! 🥰
These are delicious! I used almond butter instead of peanut butter. My family said it was a little to sweet so next time I’m going to reduce the sugar and Chocolate chips.
WOW. These are divine! I made them vegan with the flax eggs and used vegan chocolate chips. I accidentally overbaked them by 1-2 minutes, but the edges are hard and the center is still gooey. Will be making these again for sure. Super tasty!
Woohooo! So happy you loved them!
Excellent!! Made with Bob’s Egg Replacer and came out great!! The oats were very noticeable/extra chewy and I was wondering if I could use oat flour instead of the whole oats.
Happy to hear that worked well in here! And not sure about the oat flour, it would probably absorb the moisture in the batter more so the texture would be different. Let me know if you try it!
These are amazing! I had to make 2 batches as 1 was just not enough. We brought them on our hiking trip..:).
THANK YOU!!
Omg you’re welcome! So happy you guys loved them!
I made two batches of this tonight. One batch I made with chocolate chips the other batch I used white chocolate chips (because that’s all I had) without the salt. OMG! They were both amazing, but the white chocolate chips were the best! Thank you!!
Oooh white chocolate chips sound AMAZING for these bars! So happy you loved them!
These were awesome. I did use flax seed instead of eggs and worked out perfect! My question is – is there a substitute for peanut butter and almond butter? I just found out that I get inflammation from both.
It’s possible that cashew butter or a seed butter like sunflower might work, but I haven’t tested it. Let me know if you try it!
AMAZING! The batter was delicious, these smelled so incredible while baking. Waited about 10 minutes before cutting them, couldn’t wait. Love these so much!!
This recipe was so easy to make and turned out DELICIOUS! Perfect texture and such a treat – you can’t even tell they’re dairy free/gluten free. I made them for a party and all my guests were obsessed 🙂 Definitely will make again and try using unsalted PB next time!
Totally agree that you can’t tell! Happy you guys all loved them 🙂
These are beyond delicious!! I’m already obsessed with AK’s fudgy almond butter blondies and make them ALL the time, and these are another awesome version of them! Thank you Monique!!
Oh yay!! So glad you love both 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review, Danielle!
Wow, these are easy and amazing! Made exactly as written and enjoyed every bite!
Ooey Gooey delicious is right! So rich and tasty. We loved this recipe. My youngest son said these were his new favorite. I baked these for 23 min, next time I will bake a bit longer. I was afraid of overbaking and drying them out.
Yay!! So glad that you guys loved them 🙂
These were so good. I had to cook them a little more than 25
minutes but they were soft and gooey still. I used pumpkin spice Lily’s chocolate chips and it was really good. Going to do dark chocolate next time.
These are AmAzInG! I was initially worried because they were so thick and sticky when adding them to the pan, but they turned out perfect! Seriously – so good. This will be my go-to for every occasion! Thank you for making yummy recipes!
I added a layer of Nutella swirl before baking, just for extra chocolate. These bars are incredible!!!
These are amazing! I’ve made them a few times and they always turn out perfect and never last long.
I’m so glad you love these! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Jenn 🙂
I cannot explain how good these are. They are mine and my fiancé’s absolute favorite. So easy to make, SUCH great flavors, and really stays gooey which I love.
SO GOOEY! Happy you guys are fans of these!
These were ‘slap yo momma’ good! Seriously, I’m sharing this recipe errrrrywhere cause it’s SO GOOD. Thank you for this recipe!!
YAY I’m so happy you’re as obsessed as I am!!
Amazing!
So glad you loved them!
I made this a week ago and it turned out great. Kids loved it. Today they wanted to bake them again but I didn’t have any eggs on hand, so I used the flax egg and they turned out fantastic! No one would know that I used flax egg instead of regular eggs. Thanks for such a versatile recipe.
Aw you’re so welcome! I’m thrilled you and the fam all loved them, and glad to hear they turned out great with the flax egg 🙂
Only had 3/4 cup almond flour so topped off with oat flour and they were delicious! My husband has almost eaten a whole row already!
So glad to hear that worked well! And YAY, aren’t they addictive?! 🙂
So delicious!!
SO happy you loved them!
Excellent, definitely making them again!
Would I be able to sub the almond flour for oat flour or buckwheat flour?
I haven’t tested these with any other flours and would recommend sticking to the recipe to get the best texture 🙂
Easy & delicious! Your recipes never disappoint!
Cook time was way off. I waited until they were BARELY brown and ended up not being able to cut these because they were so underdone.
Hi, Sarah! Sorry to hear that. Did you test them with a knife/tester before taking them out of the oven?
OMG these are incredible and yes even delicious right out of the fridge!
I have made these many times and they are perfect as is. I have made them with flax eggs and they turned out pretty much the same as the original recipe. I made another batch yesterday with flax eggs, but added some additional things- hemp hearts, walnuts, and coconut and they turned out great as well. These are so versatile and I have zero guilt eating them or giving them to my children as a high protein, low sugar snack. Thank you for this recipe- this will forever be in my rotation of goodies.
Ahh this sounds amazing, happy you’re a fan ❤️
These look amazing, I was drawn to them because of chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal. I generally make bar recipes, as I am not much of a fan of the effort to make cookies! I did not realize when the picture caught my eye that these were vegan. I do not need to cook vegan. I wonder how they would do substituting regular ingredients? Whole wheat flour for almond–which would absorb more liquid than almond flour, Also, I prefer crunchy peanut butter, so I would automatically make that substitution, All ingredients I sue are organic and natural. I think the basic recipe is very good and can be adapted, so I am going to give it a try. Thank you…
Hi! These bars actually have eggs in them, so they’re not vegan but they are gluten free from the flour and oats. I, unfortunately, can’t recommend an accurate swap for the almond flour, but let me know if you give it a try with success!
These are the BEST cookie bars I have ever had! They were simple to make, and were such a hit for my family! They were so delicious and are the perfect treat!
Love that! One of our fav treats, too!
Fabulous! Made a double batch! Thank you!!
I cooked them for 23 minutes and let them cook for 30. The flavour is amaaaaazing but they are still completely uncooked in the centre 😔 they will not hold any kind of square form at all. Going to try putting them back in the oven..
Did these end up working out for you?
I bake A LOT and this is one of the best bar recipes I’ve ever made. It’s so delicious and tastes so soft and chewy when you eat them refrigerated the next day. Thanks for this recipe Monique!
Absolutely! SO glad you are loving this recipe ❤️🙂
So good!! I cut the coconut sugar to 3/4 cup, and cut up an 88% dark chocolate bar and supplemented with dark chocolate chips to make up the rest of the 1 cup and they turned out amazing. I made them twice this week!!
Yum! Sounds delicious, glad this recipe turned out great for you❤️