These hearty cookies are loaded up with peanut butter, old-fashioned oats, chopped walnuts, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. They’re crisp with chewy centers, and have a delicious sweet and salty flavor.

Ranch House Cookies are filled with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts

I recently found the recipe for these “Ranch House Cookies” on an old tattered piece of paper. My name was written across the top in my adolescent handwriting, and my guess is that it came from a middle school home-ec class. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but I have no recollection of them. So of course, I had to bake up a batch!

It turns out these “ranch cookies” are your standard peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Just a classic cookie, but with some fun mix-ins, and they’re really tasty! The oats and walnuts give them a great chewy texture, peanut butter adds a sweet and salty flavor, and semi-sweet chocolate chips deliciously bring it all together. You should give them a try too!

Table of Contents

Peanut butter, chocolate chips, oats and walnuts

Ingredients you’ll need

  • Salted butter
  • Creamy peanut butter
  • Granulated sugar and light or dark brown sugar
  • Egg
  • Vanilla
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda, baking powder and salt
  • Old-fashioned oats
  • Chopped walnuts (or pecans)
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Ranch house cookie dough

How to make these cookies

These peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are a classic “drop cookie” recipe—it doesn’t get much easier than this! They’re made using the creaming method:

  1. “Cream” butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beating them together until smooth and creamy incorporates air into the mixture, which affects rise, texture and structure (so the cookies hold their shape and not spread too much). More info on the science behind this here.
  2. Add egg and vanilla. Adding these individually ensures we don’t overwhelm the butter mixture with too much wet ingredients all at once, and everything mixes evenly.
  3. Add dry ingredients & mix-ins. Finally we add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. When flour is mostly incorporated, add oat, chocolate chips and nuts.
  4. Bake. I like to bake larger cookies (portioned with #20 3 Tbsp cookie scoop). Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes (8-10 minutes for smaller 1.5 Tbsp cookies).
Scooping out ranch house cookie dough

Why “ranch house cookies?”

I’m not sure where the name “Ranch House Cookies” comes from. After doing some googling, it looks like they are similar to “Cowboy Cookies”, whose name may come from the fact that they’re loaded up with mix-ins and make for a nice hearty treat.

Maybe “Ranch House Cookies” came from the same origin— hearty enough for life on the ranch? Wherever the name comes from, my whole family loved these loaded up cookies. And I’m so glad I found the recipe! I’m gonna have to make them a regular thing.

baking tip:How to know when cookies are done

Don’t over-bake your cookies! It’s one of the biggest cookie mistakes I see. Instead, pull cookies from the oven when the edges are golden brown and the tops are set and still look mostly pale. Then leave the cookies on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, where the heat from the pan will set them up completely. These cookies will have perfectly crisp edges and soft, chewy and moist centers.
More Baking Tips »
Ranch House Cookies are filled with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts

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Ranch House Cookies are filled with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts
5 from 1 review

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 24 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
These hearty cookies are loaded up with peanut butter, old-fashioned oats, chopped walnut, and chocolate chips.
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Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup (135 grams) creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup (113 grams) salted butter , softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup (105 grams) light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cup (180 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (48 grams) old-fashioned oats
  • ½ cup (85 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (56 grams) chopped walnuts

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • With an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and sugar on high speed until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once.
  • Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
  • Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix until just barely combined. Add oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts and mix on low just until combined.
  • Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to measure out cookie dough and place on prepared pan.
  • Bake until they cookies appear set and just start to turn brown, 12-13 minutes.
  • Let cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Calories: 179kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 96mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 128IU, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise Sandberg
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