Chewy 3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten-Free!)

These 3-ingredient cookies are the most perfect mash-up of chewy oatmeal cookies and tender peanut butter cookies — but even better. They come together in a single bowl, don’t require a mixer, and there’s a good chance you have everything you need for these in your pantry at this very moment.

Bonus: These 3-ingredient oatmeal cookies are naturally gluten-free, vegan, and use a natural sweetener (it’s maple syrup). It truly doesn’t get any better than this. 

• Quick-cooking oats. I developed these with quick-cooking oats because they make for a more soft and tender cookie. That said, if old-fashioned oats are all you have in the pantry, give them a quick blitz in a food processor, mini chopper, or blender before stirring together the cookie dough.
• Peanut butter. Both natural peanut butter and peanut butter spread (like Skippy and Jif) work well here, so use what you prefer or already have handy. Creamy peanut butter is best, although crunchy will also work, as will other nut butter.
• Maple syrup. Using this natural sweetener leaves these cookies tasting just sweet enough.

• Make sure the peanut butter is stirred well. This only applies if you’re using natural peanut butter, which has a tendency to separate. Be sure to give it a good stir first, so the oil is well-blended with the peanut butter. It’ll make the cookie dough much easier to mix together.
• Dampen your hands before pressing the cookies. Because these cookies don’t spread, it’s helpful to flatten them with your fingers before baking. Lightly wetting your fingers with water will prevent the sticky dough from clinging to your skin. 
• Give the cookies a twist. The basic cookie recipe has just three ingredients, but mix-ins are totally fair game here! I personally love mini chocolate chips. You can also add raisins, other chopped dried fruit, or a pinch of ground cinnamon. Or you can partially dip the baked (and cooled) cookies in melted chocolate.