Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies

These peanut butter and jelly oatmeal cookies are a fun and wholesome treat for all ages! They’re also vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

I know today means back to school for a lot of little ones out there so I thought it would be fun to share cookies inspired by a classic childhood favorite: peanut butter and jelly!

I remember the first day of school was always filled with nervous excitement but no matter how things went, it never hurt to come home to cookies and a glass of cold milk.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

However, the cookies I ate as a kid might have looked slightly different than these.

They probably sat on the shelf for at least 8 months before making their way into my mouth but hey, I didn’t care! As long as there was sugar and chocolate to make me bounce off all the walls, all was right in the world.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

But that was a different time and I think now that most of us are becoming more aware of the dangers of processed foods, things are changing. We’re taking the time to read labels and look for things made with wholesome ingredients.

Of course, it’s still more convenient to pick up whatever organic cookies you can find at the store but there’s something to be said for making your own at home. You can make them with ingredients that actually offer some nutritional benefits like whole grain oats, ground almonds, and pure maple syrup.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

I did take a shortcut with the jelly because um, hello, blackberry pomegranate sounded ah-mazing. But you can always make your own if you’re feeling frisky.

So the idea for these adorable little discs of love popped into my head after I made my Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies. I imagined a chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookie filled with sweet jelly in the center and my inner child instantly screamed with glee.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

To make them all you have to do is combine oats, oat flour (ground-up oats) and almond meal (ground-up almonds) in one bowl; peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract in another; then stir the two together to form a dough.

After that you roll the dough into balls then use your finger or a teaspoon and press down the center. Then you bake those for about 10 minutes, fill the center with a teaspoon of jelly and they’re ready to serve!

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

Then if you want to get even more creative, you can try doing a ying and yang of PB&J in the center.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

I personally prefer the regular jelly version because I think the cookies have enough peanut butter flavor on their own but I thought it looked cool.

Whether you have kiddos or just crave a tasty cookie, these are sure to be a hit! The thick chewy base is filled with delicious peanut butter flavor and the sweet jelly makes the whole thing taste like heaven. Trust me, both kids and adults will go crazy over them!

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 14

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal*

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup oat flour**

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter***

1/2 cup pure maple syrup****

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

14 teaspoons jelly of choice (approx. 1/4 cup)

Instructions

  1. Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F and then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the almond meal, oats, oat flour, baking powder and sea salt in a medium size bowl. Sift everything together then set aside.
  3. In a separate large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet and stir together until is everything is well combined and a dough forms.
  4. Using your hands, roll the dough into large tablespoon-size balls and place onto the cookie sheet. Use a teaspoon to press the center down by approx. 1/2 inch. Bake the cookies in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until light golden brown. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
  5. Scoop roughly one teaspoon of jelly into the center of each cookie. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Notes

*to make almond meal you can grind 1 cup almonds in a food processor until a fine crumb forms.

**to make oat flour you can grind 1/2 cup rolled oats in a food processor until a fine crumb forms.

***can substitute almond butter or cashew butter for peanut allergies

****can substitute honey or agave nectar

https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/peanut-butter-jelly-oatmeal-cookies/

 

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree
Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Oatmeal Cookies- a fun and healthy treat inspired by the childhood classic! #glutenfree #vegan and #refinedsugarfree