No Bake Cookies require no oven time at all! Made with just seven ingredients, these oat-based cookies contain everyone’s favorite combo: peanut butter and chocolate.
Everyone loves them because they’re super easy, gluten-free, and take just 30 minutes to make! They’re a great option for cookie swaps, potlucks, and more!
Not a baker? No worries! This traditional No Bake Cookie Recipe will be your new best friend. Heck, even if you do like baking, classic No Bake Cookies is one of those dessert recipes that everyone should have in their back pocket!
That’s because they’re quick and easy to whip up and only require about 30 minutes of hands-on prep (plus an hour to cool). So whether you need a crowd-pleasing recipe to share or you’re simply hit with a craving on a weeknight, these easy No Bake Cookies always do the trick.
What Are They?
Like their name suggests No Bake Oatmeal Cookies require no time in the oven. However, you will need to use the stovetop to heat and stir the ingredients in a saucepan. This melts them together and allows the oatmeal to cook so it’s combined and soft.
After everything is combined, the mixture is placed in spoonfuls on wax paper and cooled at room temperature (putting them in the freezer will make the texture too hard). Once firm, you’ll have a batch of chewy, chocolatey, peanut buttery cookies!
What’s In Them?
- Salted Butter — This is used as a binding agent. Also, this is one of the few dessert recipes I use Salted Butter in, so extra salt is not included in this ingredient list.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder — This makes the cookies rich and chocolatey!
- Granulated Sugar — In addition to being a dessert recipe necessity, sugar also helps bind everything together.
- Whole Milk — This adds some necessary liquid to the melted mixture, plus a little fat.
- Peanut Butter — Also a binding agent, this is one of the main flavors in these mouthwatering cookies.
- Vanilla Extract — For taste!
- Quick Oats — These soften within a few minutes on the stovetop so the cookies end up nice and chewy. You CANNOT use old-fashioned oats, as they won’t cook in time and will stay hard and dry. You can’t use instant oatmeal either, it’ll get too soft.
Substitutions:
There are a few ingredients you can swap out for comparable ones, whether you’re in a pinch or it’s just your preference.
- Cocoa: You can use Dutch-processed cocoa in place of unsweetened cocoa powder since the biggest difference between the two has to do with the acidity level. This won’t affect this recipe because there’s no leavening agent, however, I prefer using the regular cocoa powder.
- Milk: Other types of milk can be used in place of whole milk, including almond milk. I think whole milk tastes best because of its high-fat content.
- Peanut Butter: Creamy peanut butter is traditionally used in this recipe, but chunky works just as well, plus it’ll add a little crunch. Sun Butter could also be used if you need a nut-free alternative!
How To Make Them:
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies are really easy to make. Just a few easy steps and a fast pace will have you enjoying perfectly cooked cookies in just 30 minutes!
- Melt – Add the butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the butter has melted, stirring regularly.
- Boil – Once the butter has melted and as soon as the mixture begins to boil, set the timer for 1 minute and continue to stir at a rolling boil.
- Mix – After 60 seconds, remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until combined, then quickly fold in the oatmeal.
- Drop – Quickly drop scoops of the mixture onto a parchment or wax paper-lined surface and allow them to cool until set, about 20 minutes.
Recipe Tips & FAQs
I do have a few tips to help you make sure your Chocolate No Bake Cookies turn out perfect every time! I hope they are helpful to you and if you have other questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment to ask it!
- Prep Your Space! After cooking you’ll need to drop the cookies quick, so line the countertop or a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prep Your Ingredients! No Bake Cookies are super easy to make, but they also need to be prepared quickly. So measure out all of your ingredients before you begin cooking and keep the peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal close by so you can grab it quickly when you’re ready for it.
- Move Fast! Once the cookie mixture is prepared, you’ll want to work quickly to drop the cookies onto the prepared surface. You want to get all of the mixture out of the pan quickly and reduce the risk of overcooking.
- Do Not Overcook! It’s so important to stick to the timing on these so they don’t turn out hard and dry. 60 seconds is key! And the time should start as soon as the middle of the mixture begins to boil!
- Why Are My Cookies Dry and Crumbly? You likely overcooked them, make sure you only boil them for 1 minute.
- How Do I Get My Cookies Even? You can definitely just use a mixing spoon to drop the mixture onto the parchment paper to make your cookies, but if you want to have perfectly sized cookies, I recommend using a medium cookie scoop – this should give you 30 to 32 evenly sized cookies.
- My Cookies Are Really Soft or Aren’t Setting Up: The likely cause for this issue is humidity & rain! If it’s the dead of summer or it’s rainy out, you may want to cook the mixture for an additional 5 to 10 seconds since the moisture in the air might make it hard for the cookies to set. You can also try popping them in the fridge to set up.
More No Bake Cookie Recipes:
Want a change from the standard No Bake Cookie Recipe? These scrumptious variations can be made by swapping out a few ingredients.
- Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies — For those who can’t get enough of the stuff!
- Irish Cream No Bake Cookies — Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
- Strawberry Milk No Bake Cookies — Try ‘em with a fruity twist.
- Pumpkin No Bake Cookies — A fall version of the no-bake favorite.
- Cookie Butter No Bake Cookies — Cookie butter fans, rejoice!
No Bake Cookies
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No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter1
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- ⅔ cup peanut butter2
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups 1-minute oatmeal3
Instructions
- Measure and prepare all of your ingredients ahead of time because you will need to work fast to get the best results. Line a few cookie sheets or a clean counter top with parchment paper or wax paper.4
- In a large pot, melt the butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk over medium heat, stirring recularly.
- As soon as the mixutre begins to boil in the center, set a timer for 1 minute and continue to stir the mixture at a rolling boil.5,6
- As soon as time is up, remove the pot from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until combined.
- Quickly stir in the oatmeal and drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the parchment paper and allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes to set.7
Notes
- Unsalted butter may be used but you’ll want to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt if you do.
- Sun butter may be used in place of peanut butter for a nut-free alternative. You can also increase to 1 cup of peanut butter if you want a stronger flavor.
- Make sure to use 1-Minute Oatmeal, not instant oatmeal (too soft) or old fashioned oats (too hard).
- No Bake Cookies are super easy to make, but they also need to be prepared quickly. So measure out all of your ingredients before you begin cooking and keep the peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal close by so you can grab it quickly when you’re ready for it.
- It’s so important to stick to the timing on these so they don’t turn out hard and dry. 60 seconds is key! And the time should start as soon as the middle of the mixture begins to boil!
- If it’s the dead of summer or it’s rainy out, you may want to cook the mixture for an additional 5 seconds since the moisture in the air might make it hard for the cookies to set.
- Once the cookie mixture is prepared, you’ll want to work quickly to drop the cookies onto the prepared surface. You want to get all of the mixture out of the pan quickly and reduce the risk of overcooking. You can definitely just use a mixing spoon to drop the mixture onto the parchment paper to make your cookies, but if you want to have perfectly sized cookies, I recommend using a medium cookie scoop – this should give you 30 to 32 evenly sized cookies.
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