If you love peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies, these simple vegan treats are for you! They’re soft and chewy vegan peanut butter oatmeal cookies that are dairy-free and have no eggs (they’re also gluten-free if you use certified gf oats!). They’re quick and easy to make and you can add chocolate chips, make them plain, or use a different add-in you like better.
Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper (if needed), and set aside.
Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
In a small bowl, whisk the rolled oats, oat flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add the peanut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, and flax eggs. Stir to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
Add chocolate chips and stir until they have combined evenly with the dough.
Using a medium-sized cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet(s). If you are using a tablespoon, roll the cookie dough into balls before placing them on the cookie sheet.
Using a long-pronged fork, press the fork into the top of each cookie so it flattens them slightly (don't press too hard) and leaves indents, then turn the fork and press again, just slightly, to create the criss-cross pattern.
Bake for 10 minutes, don't overbake!
Remove from the oven and leave the cookies on the cookie sheet to cool for about 10 minutes. After the resting time has passed, using a spatula, carefully transfer each cookie to a cooling rack.
Notes
Please read all of the helpful tips and info above before making this recipe to make sure your cookies turn out perfectly.
This recipe will make 20 cookies if you use a medium-sized cookie scoop, (medium scoops are usually 1.5 tablespoons), if you use a tablespoon to scoop the dough, you will end up with more than 20 smaller cookies.
I have only made this recipe with natural peanut butter, the type that only has ONE ingredient: roasted peanuts. This is the peanut butter you have to stir to combine the oil with the peanut butter and it contains no extras on the ingredient list such as added oil, salt, sugar, or preservatives (or anything else!). If you use a different type of peanut butter, your results may be different than mine.
Make sure your peanut butter is stirred well before measuring it.
If you make your oat flour, be sure to sift it before using it for this recipe so none of the harder bits remain. Measure the correct amount needed for the recipe using the sifted oat flour. The oat flour needs to be fine for this recipe or the cookies will be too crumbly. If you prefer to buy it, I recommend this oat flour.
This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour.
Light brown sugar can be used if you don't have coconut sugar.
When making the criss-cross pattern, if the fork is sticking to the cookies, dip it in water occasionally.
Be sure to not over-bake your cookies, keep a close eye on them because the bottoms can burn very quickly.
The cookies will be very soft when they come out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool. Be sure to leave them to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to your cooling rack. If you remove them too quickly, they will fall apart. They will firm up as they cool.
Store fully cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Freezing baked cookies: Freeze your cookies in single layers in a freezer bag or airtight container, with parchment paper separating each layer, for up to 2 months. When you're ready for them, thaw them in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Freezing unbaked cookies: Follow steps 2-9 in the recipe, then place the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once completely frozen, place the cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container, with parchment paper separating each layer, and freeze for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake them, remove them from the freezer, place them on a prepared baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes (no need to thaw them but if you do thaw them, just bake for 10 minutes).