Step 1

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Add apples to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat apples in microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between until they are just starting to cook. This should take less than a minute (mine took 40 seconds). You want the apples to be still crisp, but they should change color and start releasing some liquid. Do not heat more than 15-20 seconds at a time because you can burn the apples.

Step 3

Add in the peanut butter and stir with a spatula until fully incorporated. The peanut butter should turn from liquidy to stiff and thick, almost like a cookie dough consistency.

Step 4

Once the dough is thick, use a whisk to mash the apples in. The apples do not need to be fully mashed. The goal is to release some more of the apple juices into the peanut butter and make the apple pieces a little smaller (about half of the size they started out as).

Step 5

Add in the quick oats. Use a spatula to mix them into the dough until the oats are fully incorporated.

Step 6

Using a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop out dough balls and place onto the cookie sheet, spacing the balls about 1 inch apart. Press down on each dough ball with the back of a metal spoon until it forms a round disk (about 1/2 inch thick). Cookies will not change shape so shape them as you would like your final cookies to be. You can use your fingers to smooth the edges.

Step 7

Place cookies into fridge for about 30 minutes to one hour to firm up. The cookies will not change much but they will be firmer, making them easier to hold and eat. Store uneaten cookies in the fridge.