This is an old recipe I'd completely forgotten about until last week. Unlike the Crispy Chocolate Chip Cheerios Cookies which I've made multiple times through the years and which do not call for peanut butter, Cheerios Peanut Butter Cookies call for just enough peanut butter and oats to give these chocolate chip cookies a bit of peanut butter flavor and a bumpy, crunchy texture.
In my opinion these cookies are more than just a good way to use up leftover cereal. The Cheerios (you can use name brand or store brand) really enhance the texture and flavor and are an interesting conversation point. You could also argue the Cheerios plus the oatmeal add some nutrition, but I guess that's a stretch. Really, they are just good.
Variation: Salted Butterscotch Cheerios Peanut Butter Cookies
Update: I still love this recipe! It kind of flies under the radar, but people always seem to enjoy the cookies and are surprised by the Cheerios. This week I came up with a variation using butterscotch morsels. Replace the semisweet morsels with butterscotch morsels and top the baked cookies with a little sea salt. If you have some salted peanuts around, throw in a handful of them too! The butterscotch version might even be a little better than the chocolate version.
Mini Cheerios
New product alert! On March 16th 2024, I spotted Mini Cheerios at Aldi. I haven't tested them in these cookies yet, but I think they'd work really well. I think they are called "Cheerios Minis".
Also, here's a link to an older version that actually has some reviews.
Recipe
Cheerios Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick 4 oz unsalted butter
- ½ cup 3.5 oz granulated sugar
- ½ cup 3.5 oz brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup 2.5 oz peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all purpose flour stirred and then spooned into the cup (4.5 oz)
- ½ teaspoon EACH - baking powder baking soda and salt.
- ½ cup oats
- 1 ½ cups Cheerios
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips a little more if you like chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or foil.
- With an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until creamy. Stir in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add the flour mixture to the butter mixture; stir until incorporated.
- Stir in the cheerios and chocolate chips.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time at 375° for 10-12 minutes.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely before serving. They are much better when cool.
Sonya says
Stephanie, that sounds delicious! And Anna, so do these!!! How cool to find an old favorite forgotten recipe!
Stephanie says
My mom used to make me toasted Cheerios in butter ("fried cheerios") back in the day, and they were so, so good. I bet they would be excellent in these cookies - thank you for sharing!