Marathon Cookies are a flourless, chewy oats and peanut butter treat, packed with dark chocolate, peanuts, and dried fruit. These amazing snacks take less than 30 minutes to make!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Energy cookies are a perfect snack just for munching, and also provide a boost of the nutrients a runner (or enthusiastic spectator) needs to keep going.
- Running cookies are like flourless monster cookies with nutritional punch.
- Enjoy the flavors and textures of trail mix in these whole grain treats.
- These cookies stay chewy and flavorful for at least 5 days.
Marathon cookies are full of contrasts. They are both crunchy and chewy with sweet and salty flavors.
This adaptable recipe can be made with or without added protein powder, depending on your needs.
You can also add peanut butter powder (like in these Peanut Butter Powder Cookies) to a protein and energy boost.
These tasty cookies will satisfy your sweet tooth with wholesome ingredients before a long run, after a long run, or while standing along a race route, waiting to cheer as your runner passes by. They are also an irresistible, nutritious after school snack or quick breakfast.
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter,peanut butter, brown sugars and granulate sugar.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients to form the cookie dough.
- Use a medium (1 ½ tablespoon) scoop to portion the batter into dough balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheets.
- Bake until golden brown.
Storage
Store Marathon Cookies at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Tips and variations
- Choose a dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage you enjoy. A 70% cocoa bar or higher is recommended to contrast with the sweet fruit.
- Semisweet chocolate chips can be used instead of the chopped chocolate.
- Use either quick oats or rolled oats. If needed, be sure to use gluten free oats.
- Any chopped dried fruit can be used in this flexible recipe.
- Any kind of nut and nut butter can be used in this cookie.
- For a nut free version, use soy or seed butter instead of the peanut butter and substitute sunflower seeds for the peanuts.
- For vegan cookies, use any plant based butter substitute.
More energy boosting cookies
Do you love soft oatmeal cookies? Then, Oatmeal Apple Raisin Cookies topped with a cinnamon glaze will make you very happy!
Steel Cut Oat Cookies are an extra chewy cookie recipe made with Irish oatmeal for nutty flavor.
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Marathon Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- ¼ cup butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¼ cups oats quick cooking or regular
- ½ cup finely chopped dark chocolate
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
- ½ cup dried assorted fruit bits or any chopped dried fruit such as cranberries or raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Beat in eggs (one at a time), vanilla, protein powder, and baking soda.
- Mix in oats. Then stir in chocolate, peanuts, and fruit bits.
- Using a medium (2 tablespoon) scoop, place balls of cookie batter 2” apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. If you want flatter cookies, use a spatula or the bottom of a glass to press down gently on top of each cookie right after removing from the oven.
- Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- When cool, store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Choose a dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage you enjoy. A 70% cocoa bar or higher is recommended to contrast with the sweet fruit.
- Semisweet chocolate chips can be used instead of the chopped chocolate.
- Use either quick oats or rolled oats. If needed, be sure to use gluten free oats.
- Any chopped dried fruit can be used in this flexible recipe.
- Any kind of nut and nut butter can be used in this cookie.
- For a nut free version, use soy or seed butter instead of the peanut butter and substitute sunflower seeds for the peanuts.
- For vegan cookies, use any plant based butter substitute.
- Double wrap pairs of cookies, bottoms together, in plastic wrap. Place columns of wrapped cookie pairs in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
- Shipping cookies containing dried fruit is not recommended in hot weather.
Nutrition
First Published: April 16, 2015. Last Updated: July 20, 2023. Updated for additional information, improved photos, and better reader experience.
Kara
These look wonderful. Like a lot of other commenters, I am not a runner, but my other cardio activities probably mean I deserve these cookies too. I am looking forward to trying these!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Kara! Even just for satisfying a sweet craving (no cardio required) these cookies are delicious! 🙂 I hope you enjoy them. 🙂
Mir
We are totally on the same recipe wavelength this week, Wendy! I love baking oatmeal cookies for my GF husband, and you for your daughter. I find that cool. 🙂 Yours look so good! And the protein powder is a great idea for a post-workout boost!
The Monday Box
Brilliant minds, right Mir?! 😉 I know there are those who will think this crazy, but I love oatmeal cookies WAY more than chocolate chip. They are so satisfying, you can pretend they are healthy, they can be made deliciously gluten free, and you can add in chips and/or fruits to change things up. 🙂 I am adding your oatmeal cookie recipe to my collection!
Crystal Bissonnette
Your daughter is lucky to have a mom baking these for her! I am a runner and love the idea of protein snacks. My son and I make energy balls that we call "Yummy Balls" (this weeks post will be about that!) These sound delicious. I might have to make these! Do you know calorie content on them?
The Monday Box
Thanks, Crystal! I will definitely check out your "Yummy Balls". Everyone can use some extra energy, running or not! Sorry, I don't know the calorie count. So much depends on the brands you use for peanut butter and protein powder. I do know that we made a batch subbing Swerve for the white sugar (thereby lowering the carbs and calories) and the cookies were still delicious.
Karen
These cookies look amazing, and just perfect for a walker too! 🙂 I love the idea of sending them off for final exams. My guys will be taking them next week. I should probably send them a box of these .
Congratulations to your daughter! Great achievement.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Karen! The Monday Box this week was a mix of brain food for exams and chocolate for stress. 🙂 Considering the unusual hours college students keep, in general and especially during exams, a little extra protein and energy boost is a good thing for snacks or for on the run breakfast!
Michelle James
I am definitely not a runner but these look like something I would enjoy. You always have such great things on your blog. Thanks so much.
The Monday Box
Thanks for such a kind compliment, Michelle! As a non-runner, I eat these and pretend they are healthy....or I just eat them and enjoy! 🙂
Michelle
Oh. My. Gosh. I'm making these this weekend! My daughter and I just started running together and we already LOVE to bake together! So this will be a perfect weekend activity! Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
The Monday Box
Wishing you and your daughter lots of energetic runs! I hope these cookies give you a delicious boost....or at the very least, a delicious reward for your hard work! 🙂 Whether running or baking, doing stuff together is the BEST!
Carmen Doerr
I love the cookies, especially because I'm on WW diet and my husband is diabetic
The Monday Box
Thanks, Carmen. If it helps, I did try a batch of these with 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 Swerve (artificial sweetener), and they were delicious. I am not sure if you could replace all of the sugar, but I make the "magic peanut butter cookies" that use only peanut butter, an egg, and sweetener, with Splenda completely instead of sugar, and they work great. If you give it a try let me know! Also, several WW people have told me that plain 3-2-1 cake works well within the rules. 🙂
Sam @ PancakeWarriors
These are just glorious! I love peanut butter and baking with protein powder!! And they turned out so beautifully!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Sam! I am now slightly addicted to these cookies and had to get the final 6 out of the house before I ate them too! Do you have recipes with protein powder on your site that you would recommend? This was my first attempt at baking with protein powder, and I wished that I could use more before it made the cookies sandy. For undetectable protein powder I could only include 2 tablespoons.
Danielle
very interesting...I love cookies and can't eat protein bars cause I'm allergic to nuts. I will have to try (minus the nuts)!
The Monday Box
Danielle, you will need to address the peanut butter also, if you are allergic to peanuts. (I am allergic to tree nuts, so you will rarely find tree nuts in Monday Box recipes, but I personally am fine with peanuts. ) I haven't tried it, but I would guess that soy butter or one of the seed butters would work. Probably cookie butter would be delicious but without any of the nutritional value. If you try one of these, please let me know how it turns out!
J @ A Hot Southern Mess
These look terrific! As a gf-foodie, I will try this recipe out! I am always looking for a great new gf cookie recipe to try out! Thanks for sharing!
The Monday Box
Thanks, J ! No one will know these are gluten free and you can customize the add-ins to your taste. I know you love them!
Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom
Oh, these sound yummy and perfect for a healthy snack! I love peanut butter and I always think that oatmeal in cookies so good!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Lydia! I love peanut butter too. Combined with chewy oats, this cookie is a keeper. 🙂
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
Oh I love this recipe! Peanuts, peanut butter, and oats - what a great combination. I want to try these with chopped dates too. Very nice Wendy! You can really work up an appetite watching the races! You are such a wonderful mom. Have a lovely weekend!
The Monday Box
Thank you, Tricia. 🙂 I tried these with a variety of dried fruits and all of the batches were delicious! I went with mixed fruit bits for lower sugar and more potassium for a "health conscious" version, BUT chopped dates would be wonderful in these! Enjoy your weekend. I hope you get plenty of sunshine. 🙂
Monica
These cookies totally caught my eye, Wendy! "Flourless monster cookies" sound terrific and what a delicious, nutritious, treat for your awesome daughter! I wish I was more athletically inclined but I'm more the living room light workout kinda girl. : ) Seriously, I really want these cookies and I hope you send your son some too. Exams call for hearty cookies. We just visited Chicago recently - such great food in that city!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Monica! After making these, I wondered why monster cookies ever needed flour! Even if you are just trying for a tasty cookie (without regard to nutrients) the flour is just baggage. I may add almonds (supposedly brain food) to these when they morph from Marathon Cookies to Final Exams Cookies! 🙂 Next time you are in the midwest, let me know if you have time for coffee. I am always looking for an excuse to head to Chicago and I would love to meet for "real"! I just read about a new coffee shop in Wicker Park that specializes in scones!
Liz
Sold! I'm a runner, and I love to eat cookies, so this is a win win for me. Thanks for posting. I'm definitely going to make these. And congratulations to your daughter on her second half marathon. That's awesome!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Liz. I really like these cookies. They are a tasty oatmeal cookie with just a little extra protein, potassium, and antioxidants. I hope you enjoy them. 🙂 The only time I run is when I see a spider. 😉
Ashley
I love that you made these for your daughter - they sound fantastic! And so impressive that she did a half marathon!
I am so not a runner! haha I just do not like it! I'll do any other workout ... just not running! 🙂
The Monday Box
Thanks, Ashley! I am so awed by my daughter's determination. Running is a real challenge for her. She sets a goal and goes after it. I am more the mat pilates type. 🙂 These cookies are quickly becoming a favorite around here. They are gluten free by accident and full of antioxidants and other good stuff just as a bonus. 🙂