Soft Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Creamy Frosting
Just typing out the recipe name has me over here drooling. These cookies are WINNERS. I love peanut butter AND oatmeal in my baking goods and these cookies are the ultimate combination of both things. These cookies are soft and hearty and the frosting will just make your taste buds beg for more…it is so creamy and dreamy!
These cookies are sure to be a showstopper at your next social function (you know, in 2080 with Covid still raging, ha!) or for any night you’re in the mood for peanut butter deliciousness.
Want to see some of my other recipes? Check these ones out:
Soft Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Creamy Frosting
These cookies were inspired by a family favorite, peanut butter bars. My mom has made these my whole life and I would say it would rank in the top 3 favorite desserts for all of me and my siblings. I remember crossing my fingers so hard that on Sunday Mom would make them because they are just soooo yummy. (The bars are a brown sugar heavy bar with oatmeal and peanut butter. You pack the dough into the bottom of the pan, bake, and then frost with a yummy peanut butter frosting.)
So when thinking of recipes I wanted to create this year, I of course did an inventory of desserts I already love and was determined to change some of them into cookie form…because in my opinion cookie form is the best form of dessert!
Let’s just say I was very pleased with the outcome of these and I love them so much! LIke I mentioned before, the cookie is so soft and the frosting on top just…well…you’ll just have to make them yourself to see the effect they have on you!
A tip with baking with peanut butter, make sure that you are using the right amount of flour and not overbaking! When measuring flour, scoop the flour into a measuring cup and level off with a knife. Doing these two things will ensure that your peanut butter baked goods (like these delicious cookies) are soft and don’t just crumble at the touch.
How do you know when the peanut butter cookies are done?
You will know your peanut butter cookies are done when the edges start to firm up and the tops start to brown. You will need to watch them carefully as the color of this dough is a darker shade to start with! Overbaking your peanut butter cookies will turn them into a crumbly mess- so watch carefully!
How to Make Soft Peanut Butter Cookies with Creamy Frosting
To make the cookies you will need the following ingredients:
- Cold Butter, cut into tablespoons
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- All Purpose Flour
- Cake Flour (You can just use All Purpose flour, but I love cake flour mixed in)
- Old Fashioned Oats
To make the creamy peanut butter frosting you will need the following ingredients:
- Softened butter
- Smooth Peanut Butter
- Milk (or Heavy Cream)
- Powdered Sugar
MIX. To make the peanut butter cookies, beat the cold butter on low in an electric mixer until somewhat softened. Add sugars and cream until butter is smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix on LOW until well combined. Sift other ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to wet ingredients. Mix on low until well combined.
MEASURE AND PLACE. Measure cookie dough into 2.5 ounce round mounds of dough. Cookie dough mounds should be tall and cookie dough should be cold and stiff (or cookies will fall flat. Pop dough into the refrigerator for 30 minutes if you are nervous that your dough is too soft/warm). Place cookie dough mounds on a cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart from one another.
BAKE AND CRUSH CENTERS. Place cookie mounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mats to bake at 375 for 9-10 minutes. When edges of cookies are set and the tops begin to brown, remove from the oven. As soon as you remove the cookies, take a round object (like the bottom of a seasoning bottle) and push down the center of the cookies to create a ridge. This will create a space for the frosting later. Let cookies completely cool before frosting.
MAKE FROSTING. Add butter, peanut butter, and milk to an electric mixer. Mix until well combined. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix until frosting is creamy. I always like to turn my mixer to high and get the frosting nice and fluffy.
FROST COOKIES. Take some of that glorious frosting and lather those (cooled off) cookie babies with the most divine peanut butter frosting!
Check out the recipe below:
Soft Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Creamy Frosting
Ingredients
For Cookies:
Wet Ingredients
- 1 C Unsalted butter, COLD, cut into tablespoons
- 1 ¼ C Brown Sugar
- ¼ C Granulated Sugar
- ½ C Creamy Peanut Butter
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2½-3 C All Purpose Flour
- 1½ C Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
For Frosting:
- ½ C Softened Butter
- 1 C Smooth Peanut Butter
- 3 T Milk (or Heavy Cream)
- 2 C Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Place chunks of cold butter in an electric mixer. Beat until butter is somewhat softened. Add sugars and mix until there are no chunks of butter remaining.
- Add peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- Add in dry ingredients and mix on low until well combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Measure cookie dough mounds into 2.5-3 oz. Place on a lined cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until edges are set and the tops start to brown. Remove cookies from oven and then push in the centers of the cookies (just about half way, do not puncture) using a round object (like a seasoning bottle) to make a space in the center for the frosting. Allow cookies to completely cool before frosting.
Frosting:
- Cream softened butter, peanut butter, and milk in a mixer until well combined.
- Add powdered sugar, a little at a time, and mix on low until well combined.
- Mix on high for 1-2 minutes to get the frosting fluffy!
- Frost cookies!
