Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are large and puffy, soft and chewy, and can easily be a delicious substitute for just about any store-bought granola bar! These cookies have everything you need to get you going – oats, peanut butter, raisins, and chocolate chips!

We love peanut butter cookies! There’s just something really comforting about sinking your teeth into a soft, homemade peanut butter cookie, isn’t there? I have a few recipes at Lord Byron’s Kitchen for cookies that use peanut butter, and this one is a variation on one of those.

When it comes to cookies, I tend to lean more toward a chewier cookie experience rather than a crispy cookie. I love cookies like ginger snaps too, but the chewier the cookie, the more delicious it is! Adding the raisins certainly helps to achieve a chewier cookie! So, let’s get into it!

BREAKING WITH TRADITION

The Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe that I’m about to share with you is not a traditional peanut butter cookie. I know the addition of oats might not be traditional, but I like to add it to mine. I like a cookie that has some chew to it, otherwise, a peanut butter cookie alone tends to be sweet and rather bland. Adding oats and a little extra vanilla kick can turn that simple, boring cookie into something way better! This time, I took it a bit further and added chocolate chips and raisins too. I was inspired by my recent Kitchen Sink Cookie recipe. Adding more texture to cookies greatly improves the cookie experience.

Another non-traditional thing I do is to not use the fork smashing technique. John.e mentioned that his mom used to make her peanut butter cookies by using the tines of a fork to push down on the batter before baking to create a criss-cross pattern. I just use a small ice cream scoop, place the mounds of cookie dough a good distance apart, and let the magic happen. Now, I challenge you, Dear Reader. Make these cookies and try to eat just one. I bet you’ll fail; I did! (Several times, in fact!)

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

• Unsalted Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown the cookies, it will also help the dough to spread and create a crispness to the bottom of the cookie.
• Brown Sugar
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract
• Peanut Butter – See notes in the next paragraph about peanut butter.
• Flour – Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Oats – Use quick oats.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Raisins

HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a Silpat liner. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with both sugars until smooth. Once completely smooth, add the egg, vanilla, and peanut butter. Beat well to combine.

Next, add the flour, salt, and baking soda and just beat into the peanut butter mixture. Don’t over-mix the cookie dough. Use a spatula to stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips, and raisins. Using a small cookie scoop, which will allow for more even and uniform cookies, position mounds of the cookie batter two inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Be sure to leave two inches of space for growth.

Bake for 12 minutes. Allow the cookie to cool for two minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack for the remainder of the cooling process.

LET’S TALK PEANUT BUTTER!

Before you are tempted to send me an email or a comment knocking my choice of peanut butter that is not natural and organic, hear me out! This recipe will not work with natural peanut butter. I repeat, this recipe will not work with natural peanut butter. There, I said it. Now, if you go ahead and make this recipe using natural peanut butter and it comes out a big, wet mess, you cannot blame me.

John.e uses only natural peanut butter, but I do not. I do not like it at all. Yes, it’s healthier and better for me, but I’d rather not eat it at all if I have to choose the natural stuff. I grew up on Kraft or Jiffy peanut butter and it’s the only peanut butter I ever use.

For these cookies, you have the choice of smooth peanut butter or crunchy. But, you do not have a choice between all-natural and sugar-laden, mass-produced stuff. The cookies will not hold together properly. Mostly, it certainly will not taste right. If you are completely against using non-natural peanut butter, as harsh as it may sound, this recipe is most certainly not for you.

LIGHT VS DARK RAISINS – WHICH WILL YOU USE IN YOUR PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES?

My mom used to refer to raisins in two basic terms – light and dark. But, there’s more to raisins than just the colour difference. Not only are different grapes used in the making of raisins, but there are different processes that can be applied too.

In most baking recipes, you’ll see just the word raisins. The most common raisins that can be found in North America and either light in colour or dark in colour. Sometimes, they might be called Golden Raisins or Sultana Raisins. Brown raisins are sun-dried by laying them out in the sun for two to four weeks. Golden raisins (with the exception of sultanas) are typically oven-dried and often treated with sulfur dioxide to preserve their colour.

To be honest, I don’t find much of a difference in the taste. The texture is different though. The golden raisins are more plump and juicy, while the brown raisins have less moisture content. You can use both interchangeably.

CHOCOLATE CHIPS – SEMI-SWEET, DARK, OR MILK?

Dear Reader, whatever you have on hand will work perfectly in this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe. I always have both semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips on hand. I tend to bake often, so it’s not such a big deal for me to have both. But, there is good reason for both.

I think semi-sweet chocolate chips are the best to incorporate into baked goods. I think the partial sweetness of them prevents a cookie or a cake from becoming too sweet. It’s just a personal preference really. You can certainly use milk chocolate. Milk chocolate chips are reserved for making bark, for melting and dipping, or for topping. I always use milk chocolate at Christmas time when making truffles. And I always reach for milk chocolate when making a frosting or a ganache. Really, you can use whatever you have on hand.

But, don’t use dark chocolate! When it comes to chocolate, our home is divided. I prefer milk while John.e and McKenna prefer dark. In fact, McKenna is quite the lover of dark chocolate. She loves 70% or higher. I can’t stand it! It’s too bitter.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!