Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

Old School Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls packed with natural peanut butter, oatmeal, powdered milk, honey, wheat germ and ground flax seed.
Happy Wednesday all I hope everyone is having a great day. Do you remember the Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls that were served in the school cafeteria?  Who knew those yummy little things were packed full of healthy ingredients. I didn't know at the time that they were good for us, I just knew they were GOOD!!!!!!!!!!

Now don't go mistaking these peanut butter balls for the traditional buckeye peanut butter balls. These are not the same thing. My kids love when I make this yummy treat. They have no idea that they're so good for them. Especially Picky Pants Carson, he calls them peanut butter candy cookies. 


With Carson you have to hide some of the healthy stuff to get him to eat it. I know by adding chocolate chips that it kind of makes them not so healthy but, I don't add them all of the time or to all of the peanut butter balls, I usually do half. By far our favorite way is plain! If you're looking for a healthy treat for your kiddos or you want a blast from the past than go and make a batch of these PB balls. You'll be glad that you did!


Let's get started! Add all of the ingredient into a big bowl. Mix it all together with hand mixer on low. Form into balls. (I use my small cookie scoop and scoop them up nice and tight).  


Roll into a ball a bit using your hands and place on a baking sheet lined with waxed ppaper or foil. Freeze until firm. Remove from freezer and store in a large zip lock bag in the refrigerator.


Enjoy!!!


Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls - (half recipe = approx 20)

1/2 - cup organic or raw honey 
3/4 - cup cups natural creamy peanut butter
3/4 - cup dry powdered milk
1 1/2 - cups quick or old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1 - tablespoons wheat germ, optional 
1 - tablespoons ground flax seed, optional


Full Recipe = approx 40 

1 - cup organic or raw honey 
1  1/4 - cups natural creamy peanut butter
1  1/2 - cups dry powdered milk
3 - cups quick or old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
2 - tablespoons wheat germ, optional
2 - tablespoons ground flax seed, optional

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together with a electric mixer. Form into balls (I use a one inch cookie scoop) with hands, and freeze on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper until firm. Remove from freezer and store in a large zip lock bag in the refrigerator.

Cook's Note:  1/2 cup chocolate chips can be added. You can also omit the wheat germ and flax seed if you don't have any one hand. It wont alter the texture or taste. It was just a perk I added to sneak in some goodness.




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50 comments

I don't think I had these in the cafeteria, but they look really good! A great treat to substitute for cookies. Thanks!
Tina Butler said…
The double dipped life. Maybe it beause I am older LOL. They had them when I went to school or as my oldest calls it Dinasaour Days or way back when.
Heidi said…
I'm a school cook and we've never had anything like those! They look good, but I highly doubt they would get us honey!! I wish though. The kids would love them. Oh well, I can still make them at home for my kiddies :)
Tara said…
I've never had these and they look DELISH...definitely on the to do list! It almost looks like cookie dough...if it tastes like it my kiddos will eat it up for sure!!
Kerri said…
Could you leave the wheat germ out and still be okay? I don't have any and would like to make some tonight.
Jane said…
Hi Tina,
These would be great to bring to school for my 2nd grade students! They'd love them! Thanks for the recipe!
Tina Butler said…
Sure you can leave the wheat germ out. It isnt a whole. Plus I used to make them without the wheat germ it was just something I add to sneak into my kids diets. You can even leave out the chocolate chips. Those are for my little guy, but he eats them without the CC. Either way you cant go wrong. I will go back and include that in the post.
Kay Little said…
When I was reading your post and saw the picture...and then read the recipe....I was so excited to see that it was chocolate chips in the recipe...Yea!! I can't wait to make these for my g'children when they come by! Blessings, K
Lynn said…
I think these must be a southern type cafeteria food. I had them growing up but never at a school cafeteria. Your version looks really good though.
Rebekah said…
Super yummy! I make something similar called snowballs. I get a tablespoon of PB, add a little powdered milk, granola, honey, mix it all together and roll it into a ball then roll it in coconut. Really yummy!
Tina Butler said…
Rebekah your version sounds good as well. I bet it is a southern thang LOL. Isnt it funny how things are different everywhere.
I've had these before, and they are delicious!
Susan said…
Hi!

Thank You for the recipe!!!

Susan
These look great! Happy Birthday, Tina!
i am looking for good make ahead meals i can freeze to use during the week! any suggestions? do you have a link to some you've put on your blog?
love your blog!!
Those look so delicious! I'm going to have to make them for my husband... he LOVES peanut butter treats.
Lindsay Rudolph said…
Wish my school cafeteria served these! YUM! Of course I love the fact that they are pretty healthy for a sweet treat. Wonderful!
i know ours were made FOUR ingredients only in So Cal- rice crispies, peanut butter, honey and conf sugar- i conned the recipe out of the cafeteria lady when we moved to MN!

like yours tho- seem healthier and never tried with chips. we just dipped ours in melted nutella when we had the hankering for that!
Tina Butler said…
Hi Val,
Most of the casseroles like the chicken noodle, chicken spaghetti and the friendship casserole can be frozen precooked. You can also freeze the salisbury steak and the hashbrown casserole as well. Here is a link to Jane's site her comment is a few above yours. She has a book called "make ahead meals for busy moms" awesome book and her site has some great resources and recipes. Here is the link for more freezer friendly ideas.

MAHM for Busy Moms
http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/
Amanda said…
We use to make these at church with rice crispies when I was little. They were so good. I think I'll have to make these soon for my daughter.
mommyoffaith19 said…
I will make these. I just need to buy the powdered milk and wheat germ.
kdoreauk said…
For the peanut butter balls is the powdered milk necessary or can you substitute something else for it? I just don't have any on hand.
Tina Butler said…
I dont know what to use to substitute for the powdered milk. I have only used the powdered milk to make them. Has anyone used anything else?
Tina Butler said…
I looked around on line and all i saw to substitute the powdered milk was malted milk powder or protein powder.
Quirky Jessi said…
I'm curious what the purpose of the powdered milk is actually. I make a similar "cookie ball" with the proportions being higher on the oats and less on the peanut butter...but still with honey and chocolate chips. There's no milk in those. Does it somehow help them hold together better maybe? I don't know, it seems the honey and peanut butter would take care of that, so what does the powdered milk do?
Anonymous said…
Just to give this recipe an even healthier kick...
If you are like me (on a high protein diet) you can make these as one of your snacks! Just add high protein cereal flakes instead of the oatmeal. And use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy. Then roll it in pecans or some other kind of chopped nuts. To make it fun for kiddos, you can stick a lolly-pop stick into it to make it a peanut butter pop!
They never served those in my school cafeteria but they look absolutely wonderful! I'm so excited to try them, thanks for sharing :)
-Ami
Christa Marie said…
Do you think you could sub the Wheat Germ with Flax Seed? This sounds amazing.....
Christa Marie said…
Oh! Never mind - I reread what you used...LOL! Thanks!!
Tina Butler said…
I think flax seed would be fine. I actually started using a Hodgson Mill Multi Grain Hot Cereal mix instead of plain wheat germ. One because wheat germ is so pricey and this was only $2.50 a box. Plus this mixture has not only wheat germ, but soy, flax seed and cracked whole wheat. I get a 16 oz box at Kroger. I add about 2 tablespoons.
jengd said…
I remember these from back in the day but I think they put raisins in ours. Yuck. Never have liked raisins. These are great without- I must roll smaller than you though. I made half a batch and got 50 of them out of it. :) Thanks much for the great recipe!
Just made these....so yummy! Thanks! Have you ever kept some in the freezer and pull out a few for lunchboxes? wondering how they hold up in the freezer.
You can store them in thre fridge or the freezer. Either way is perfectly fine. Aren't those so good?
I made these and they were fabulous! I wanted tolet you kow that I posted this today in my "Your Recipe - My Kitchen" post - with a link back to you. Stop by and see.
Kim said…
Delicious!!! A very healthy after school snack! Thanks for sharing!
I have never had these (private school, no cafeteria!)- but my friend was telling me about no-bake cookies and they seem sort of similar. They look delicious, I'm going to make them!

-Rosie
Anonymous said…
My school made them with raisins, too and then lightly dusted them with powdered sugar.
Anonymous said…
I loved these when I was a kid, and had forgotten all about them. We didn't have them at school, but my mom taught a class for teen moms when I was 8. They used this recipe as edible play-dough for the toddlers. When we made the recipe into cookies at home we would roll them in unsweetened toasted coconut.

I am so going to make these with my son tomorrow.
FlapJack said…
Okay, what did I do wrong? I think the taste is great, but my consistency was dry, making it hard to hold them together. I'm not sure where I went wrong. I did add the wheat germ, 2T, and I used 1/2 peanut butter, 1/2 almond butter, just for kicks. Maybe the almond butter doesn't have the same stickiness factor as the regular? I'll have to try them again with just PB. Thanks for the recipe. I am loving your blog!
Anonymous said…
I made a half batch and had to add more peanut butter and honey because they were way dry. Other than that they taste very good.
valarie said…
question - i put this into a nutrition calculator, and they are 137 calories per "ball"...the honey makes up for a lot of the calories, and i'm wondering if there is a substitute for the honey (not sure what the purpose of it is, if it is just for sweetening or for binding...) i know stevia is a zero calorie sweetener...but not sure how to incorporate the powdered sweetener instead of the honey...any ideas?
Tina Butler said…
I don't know how much of the stevia sweetner to use. I have never used it. Another alternate sweetner might be Agave Nectar. It would need to be a liquid to help bind it togther as well.
Tina Butler said…
Also if you blend the mixture together with a hand mixer it all comes together nicely. I don't have a problem rolling them into balls once I mix the mixture with a hand mixer. I also use a small cookie scoop to mold the mixture and then release from the scoop and roll into balls.
Tina Butler said…
Also if you blend the mixture together with a hand mixer it all comes together nicely. I don't have a problem rolling them into balls once I mix the mixture with a hand mixer. I also use a small cookie scoop to mold the mixture and then release from the scoop and roll into balls.
Jen said…
I just made these without the flax seed and without the dry powdered milk. They came out fine. Sticking together nicely and taste good!
Anonymous said…
These are delish! Any chance you have a guess-timate on nutritional info you can share?! Thank you!
TheFiveDays said…
My mom made something like this in the late 70s, just formed in a log that we sliced and with more wheat germ/no oatmeal. I used to LOVE, love, love it! Made these today with my kids and they are so good. What a great snack, especially for mom! ;) Thanks for sharing this.
Anonymous said…
Thanks for posting this recipe! I loved these as a kid (I think my parents got the recipe from prevention magazine) and now make them for my children...but I never knew the exact measurements. These come out much nicer now as I think I always used far too much powdered milk. We didn't use oats back in the day but I like the added nutritional value. Thanks again!
Erica said…
I remember making peanut butter balls with my mom when I was a little girl. And now I'm making them with my little girl! I've seen many recipes out there, but yours is the closest to the one my mom made. Hers didn't have any oats, but I like that addition. I've made your recipe a couple of times now. Thanks for the recipe!

The recipe calls for flaxseed, but I don't have any, and I couldn't find it at the store (I know they have it. I've seen flaxseed there before, but I didn't need it then....but when I do need it, I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it.) I used rice krispies instead...I like that little bit of crisp! It also says you can add carbo chips, but that's supposed to be carob chips....hehe. ;) I used mini chocolate chips.
Oh, it says that it makes about 36 balls, but we got about 60 each time we've made them. I use a 1 Tbsp size cookie scoop...which is over 1" diameter, so they're not super tiny, but not huge either. I use the scoop, and then squish and roll it into a ball by hand...my daughter loves this part!
There was a "harvest party" at pre-school last week and we were asked to bring snacks, preferably healthy ones. We made these peanut butter balls, and then I turned them into acorns by dipping them in melted chocolate candy coating, and sticking a piece of a pretzel stick in them. Cute little acorns for the harvest party!
My son saw them and wanted them for the harvest party in his 2nd grade class too! They were a big hit! :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135637616@N06/22741402306/in/dateposted-public/
Randy and Tasha said…
My family and I love this recipe and have made it several times. Our favorite is to add mini M&M's instead of chocolate chips for that fun splash of color. Thanks for an awesome recipe!