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Toffee Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies, the name says it all. Well, pretty much all, they're also one-bowl, no-mixer, super-easy and outrageously delicious!
Have you ever hidden something and then forgot all about it? I made a batch of these wonderful Toffee Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies several weeks ago. The recipe makes quite a large batch and they were way too delicious and tempting to have within easy reach. So I tucked them away in (a secret stash area), planning to pull them out for guests. Oops, I didn't even think about them until yesterday when I came across them while looking for something else. I figured they probably weren't good anymore.
Wow, was I wrong! For research purposes (ahem, that is my job), I pulled one out and took a bite. It was still crisp and crunchy on the edges and chewy inside. I sampled one more (for quality control purposes) and was delighted to discover that these Toffee Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies were just as good as the day I made them. That's when I knew I need to share them with all of you!
If you've followed The Café for a while now, you probably already know that I'm a huge fan of one-bowl recipes. Cake, cookies, bars, dinner rolls. artisan bread... you name it! If you can make it in one bowl without pulling out a mixer, it's got my name written all over it!
What are toffee bits and where do I find them?
This Toffee Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies recipe calls for toffee bits. Toffee bits are little pieces of English toffee. The most common brands here in the U.S. are Heath and Skor. English toffee is a hard, crunchy confection that's made from caramelized sugar, butter and sometimes almonds. (If you have a nut allergy, skip the toffee bits, as they do often contain finely ground or chopped almonds.) It's sweet and buttery and has a nice crisp texture. Toffee bits are a delicious addition to cookies, bars, brownies, etc.
You can find toffee bits at most larger grocery stores in the same section as the chocolate chips. I've seen them at Super Walmart, Super Target as well as at my local small-town grocery store. You can also find them online.
Who wouldn't love a plate of crisp, buttery, toffee-studded peanut butter oatmeal cookies?
Whip up a batch of these Toffee Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies ASAP. You won't be sorry. The recipe makes lots of cookies so you'll have enough to share with friends, neighbors, etc. Unless you decide to hide them in a secret stash area and forget about them! But no worries, they'll be great, even if it's been a couple of weeks!
Café Tips for making these Toffee Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
- Because these cookies don't require a mixer, you want to start with nice soft butter. You can soften butter by leaving it out at room temperature for a few hours. However, during the colder months sometimes butter won't get soft enough. A little trick I like to use is to boil a cup of water in the microwave for a minute or two. Leave the steaming cup in the microwave and add the butter (on a plate or in a mixing bowl). Leave the butter in the warm, steamy environment for 15-30 minutes and the butter will be perfectly soft.
- As mentioned above, this recipe makes a large batch (24-42 cookies, depending on their size). You can either bake them all and store them in an airtight container or freeze them in a storage container or freezer bag. You can also make the dough, scoop up the balls and freeze them on a sheet pan. Once they're frozen, throw them in a ziplock bag. Pull a few (or more) out and bake- as many cookies as you want, any time you want!
- If baking the cookies right from the freezer, give them a few extra minutes in the oven.
- If you like round, symmetrical cookies and your cookies come out of the oven a bit misshapen, simply push the unruly edges with a metal spatula (while they're hot) to a more uniform shape.
- I use creamy JIF peanut butter. I don't recommend using the organic peanut butter that separates with an oily layer at the top. This type will be difficult to incorporate into the dough.
- These cookies do spread a bit in the oven, so make sure to space with 2 inches between each one.
- This recipe calls for old fashioned oats, also known as rolled oats. I don't recommend using quick or instant oats as the texture will be different.
- Sometimes I sprinkle a few extra toffee bits and a bit of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie after about 10 minutes in the oven for a pretty presentation. (I love Maldon flaky sea salt.) Either way, they're delicious!
- If you don't have toffee bits or don't like them, you can omit them from the recipe. Increase the brown sugar to 1 cup.
- I've been using these OXO Good Grip sheet pans for several years now. To me, they're the best quality sheet pans available (and I've tried A LOT of pans over the years). They're sturdy, heavy-gauge and have a tiny textured pattern that promotes the airflow for even baking.
- I LOVE these pre-cut parchment paper sheets. They're the perfect size for a half sheet pan (the size of most cookie sheets). They come in a flat box, are easy to store and a box lasts forever (even for a baking maniac like this girl).
Toffee Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies, the name says it all. Well, pretty much all, they're also one-bowl, no-mixer, super-easy and outrageously delicious!
- 8 ounces soft butter
- 1 cup peanut butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 12 ounces toffee bits
- flaky sea salt optional (I love Maldon)
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two sheet pans or cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
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Place the soft butter and peanut butter in a medium-large mixing bowl. Stir well until nice and creamy. Add the sugars and stir until well combined.
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Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir until eggs are completely incorporated.
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Sprinkle the baking soda, salt and flour evenly over the top and stir until all flour is incorporated. Add the oats and toffee bits and mix until everything is well combined. The dough will be a bit sticky.
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a plate and allow the bowl to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (or longer). This allows the oats to soak up some of the moisture and prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
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With an ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop 2-3 tablespoon balls of dough onto one of the baking sheets with 2 inches between each one to allow for spreading.
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Bake for 12-17 minutes. (If desired sprinkle with some additional toffee bits and flaky sea salt after 10 minutes of baking then return to the oven for the remainder of the baking time.) Cookies should be browned around the edges and the tops should look mostly set. For crisper cookies bake a minute or two longer. Repeat for remaining dough.
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Cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container or freeze.
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips.
Adapted from Baking Mischief
Makes 24-36 cookies, depending on the size. For the cookies pictured, I use a 3 tablespoon scoop and get about 32 large cookies.
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Pam says
I made these this past weekend. They turned out well. I opted not to put the salt on them after trying it on the first pan. Just my personal taste for this cookie. This is definitely a keeper recipe! My husband's favorite cookie is chocolate chip, but he really enjoys these.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
So glad you enjoyed these, Pam!
Alfredia says
I followed the recipe. I found it hard to mix the batter. It took a lot of effort. The batter was very crumbly. The taste was good. What do you suggest if I used a mixer?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Alfredia, it’s really hard to say what went wrong without having been right there in the kitchen with you. Did you use two sticks of butter? That’s the only thing I can think of, as far as why the door would be crumbly.
Regarding your question, you could definitely use a mixer for these cookies. Hope that helps!
Marie says
Would reduced fat peanut work in this recipe? That's what I have on hand.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Marie, I haven't tested this recipe with reduced fat peanut butter and have actually never even tried it so I can't say for sure.
Jennifer Baker says
Hi Chris,
These cookies are by far the best I've ever made or eaten!!
I actually used natural organic peanut butter, but we stir it thoroughly to mix in all the oil, then turn it upside down and put it in the fridge. We keep it in the fridge so it doesn't separate.
I used "Skor" bits for the toffee.
And I agree, the Maldon salt is a MUST.
These cookies are so good, my husband sad they are his new favourite which is a huge compliment because if it doesn't have chocolate in it, he's not interested (lol).
Thank you for your hard work and all the wonderful recipes on your site. I have tried many and all are wonderful.
You are definitely my favourite GO-TO site. xo
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I love hearing that. And thanks for sharing your results!
Cathy Crowley says
O.M.G! My new and forever favorite cookie! Thank you so much. I was short on toffee bits so added some Reese's peanut butter chips. I may have to do that every time! I had never heard about letting the batter sit for awhile if it has oatmeal in it. Brilliant! This is the second recipe of yours that I have tried and both were wonderful. Signing up for your newsletters. Cathy
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks so much, Cathy!
Maureen says
Absolutely one of the best cookies I’ve ever baked.
I loved them and so did my grandchildren.
Will be making these for special occasions.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Maureen!
Susan Lance says
These cookies are so delicious! I'm so happy I tried this recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Susan! I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Lynda says
Oh dear a disaster 😱, Ithink I know why! No toffee bits sold here, googled, found a recipe and made my own with with sugar, butter and water, delicious toffee but greasy. When the cookies were cooking the toffee melted making them extremely soggy, thought maybe it was the butter!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Oh Lynda, that's sad! Do try it again if you can find toffee bits. Otherwise you could use some pecan bits as a sub and the cookies will be delicious!
Jackie DeLaney says
I have made these cookies several times now and they are a hit with everyone who has had the opportunity to taste them. They have so many yummy tastes going on when you eat them, the peanut butter, the toffee, the salt, the crunch, the goo! I made them for a 98 year old friend and she absolutely loves them. At this time when we can't get out and about in the world it is so nice to have a special cookie recipe that I can make and share with others to brighten their day. Thanks for doing that for all of us as you share your recipes with us.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing this thoughtful review, Jackie! I love that these have pleased your 98-year-old friend, that's so awesome! Good cookies do tend to make lots of things much better! 💕
Karen says
Chris, these have become one of my absolute favorite cookie recipes. We're in the middle of a near shut down due to the virus, so I made these for my friend in assisted living. She isn't allowed visitors, but these cookies will make that a little easier! Thank you for your awesome recipes.
Chris Scheuer says
Aww... that's so sweet (literally and figuratively) that you made these for your friend in assisted living. I know she will be so happy to know that you are thinking of her and made something special to brighten her day!
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your review, Karen!
Susan aho says
Use to love your site and recommended to friends. Now I hate to use it with all the pop ups and ads. You have the most annoying site.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm sorry that this has been a problem for you, Susan. I truly wish we could have a website without ads but it’s how we earn a living.
A recipe like the one above (or any of ours) takes hours of testing, tweaking and re-making before it’s ready to share. Then it sometimes takes 3-4 hours for the photoshoot and that’s not even counting editing the pictures and writing the posts. This is actually a full-time business for us and, just like television or magazines or newspapers, ads are the way we earn our living and pay for the costs of running a website and purchasing equipment, which is very expensive. After all the expenses, we don’t earn a ton of money but we love what we do and love to offer our recipes to others for free.
That being said, the only "pop up" ad that is supposed to be on our site is the one at the bottom which can easily be x-ed out. I’m not sure exactly what you’re experiencing. Again, I apologize for the frustration.
Kind Regards,
Chris
Kathy says
These have a wonderful texture & flavor. Adding the salt & toffee chips puts them over the top! I made a batch of these and scooped the dough onto the cookie sheets & froze them until firm then put them in freezer bags. That way I always have a home made treat for the Grands - or for Nana & Papa! 😉 I also used your tip for softening the butter & it worked like a charm. Thanks for another great recipe.
Kathy
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome, Kathy! Thanks for taking the time to leave a great, detailed review!
holly says
Made these this afternoon with a two-thumbs-up review from the Hubs. Surprising light cookie and not sugary sweet as I expected. I did use Heath Bar bits so mine had a hint of chocolate. Very Yummy!
Chris Scheuer says
Yummy indeed, the chocolate sounds delicious too! Thanks for sharing your results, Holly!
Anne Csak says
Made them - loved them. Did cut down on sugar and toffee bits. Was not always a fan 0f cookie baking until I discovered your Mixer-one-bowl recipes. Now I am the family Cookie Queen.....
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Anne! I love that you're the cookie queen! I've gotten so spoiled (or maybe I should say lazy) now that I only make one-bowl, no-mixer cookies!
Mom24 says
I made these today, they were wonderful. My peanut butter hater even loved them. I did use my hand mixer, on low, just for ease and that worked fine. The only other change I made was I used the toffee bit with chocolate. Yummy! Thank you so much.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your results! Your version sounds wonderful 💕
Daringly says
These sound delicious! Quick question: what would I need to add if I want to make this without the peanut butter?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Daringly
If you don't want to use peanut butter, you could use almond butter or even cashew butter.
If you don't want to use any kind of nut butter, I think I would make these cookies: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/oatmeal-raisin-cookies/
They are also delicious!
Tricia B says
Look at those big delicious cookies! Pass the milk and a couple of these treats, I'm good to go. I'll even take the old ones - no worries 😉
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Tricia! Wish you were nearby to share them!
Liz says
You and I have the same taste in cookies! Love this combo of pb, toffee and oats!! Divine.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Liz! You and I have always been two peas in a pod when it comes to cookies!
Laura says
Oh my, Chris! You have my number! These cookies look perfectly crispy/chewy and all those flavors! Pinning! Cant wait to give them a try!
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Laura! I hope you enjoy them!
Margaret says
A word of warning to people who have a nut allergy. Toffee bits contain almonds
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Margaret! You're right!
Ruth Laughlin says
These look remarkable and will definitely be made this weekend. My question - it looks (in the picture) like you sprinkled shaved salt (Maldon’s, I presume!) on top. Is this right? If so, is it added after baking, or before? Thank you, I LOVE your one bowl recipes! Sorry if I have missed something obvious, it wouldn’t be the first time!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! You are not the one who missed something obvious, Ruth! It was me, I have added the flaky sea salt to the recipe. It's optional but I do love that sweet/salt combination.
Marsha says
Chris...Love your blog. I use so many of your recipes. I am looking forward to making these cookies. I was wondering if that is Fleur de sea salt on top?
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Marsha, for your kind words and for noticing the salt ommision! I have corrected the recipe to include the salt. I use Maldon, which is a flakier sea salt than Fleur De Sel. Either would work though.