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Craving a quick and easy dessert? These No Bake Cookies are a classic favorite combining rich chocolate, creamy peanut butter, and hearty oats for the perfect chewy texture. Best of all, they come together in just 15 minutes – no oven required!
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Why You’ll Love These No Bake Cookies
These Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies are my go-to treat when I’m short on time, but still want a tasty homemade cookie to serve or to eat. My kids love them as an after-school snack with a tall glass of cold milk. My husband whips them up on a lazy weekend afternoon as we are playing board games or watching movies.
- Quick & Easy: Ready in just 15 minutes with simple pantry ingredients.
- No Oven Needed: Keep your kitchen cool – just a bit of stovetop magic is all it takes.
- Chocolate + Peanut Butter Combo: A classic pairing everyone loves!
Ingredients in No Bake Cookies
All of these ingredients are likely to be in your pantry and fridge right now. All you need is:
- Quick Oats: My mom always used quick oats in her no-bake cookies, but I didn’t know why until I tried making them with regular oats. Regular oats don’t work as well, trust me! The quick oats give the cookies a softer, chewier texture.
Tip: Regular oats can be used in a pinch of you pulse them a few times in the blender first. - Peanut Butter: Creamy or crunchy both work great. Peanut butter is the binding agent and adds that delicious nutty flavor that pairs so well with chocolate.
- Butter: Use salted butter for the perfect balance of sweet and salty. If unsalted is all you have on hand, add a pinch of salt to the mixture.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is essential to sweeten the unsweetened cocoa powder and give the cookies the right consistency.
- Milk: I prefer 2% or whole milk for a creamier cookie texture.
- Cocoa: For the best chocolate flavor, use a high quality unsweetened cocoa powder like Ghirardelli’s or Hershey’s.
- Vanilla: It enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preparation:
- Measure out the quick oats, peanut butter, and vanilla into mixing bowl.
- Spread a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper on a cookie sheet, or on a clean countertop to prepare for the cookies.
Cook the Chocolate Mixture:
- Combine butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa to a heavy saucepan.
- Bring to a full boil. Allow the mixture to boil for exactly one full minute. Set a timer!
- Remove from heat.
Combine and Scoop:
- Add oats, peanut butter, and vanilla to the chocolate mixture. Stir well.
- Scoop the mixture onto the prepared parchment paper using spoons or a cookie dough scoop.
Cool and Set:
- Let the cookies cool for 15-20 minutes until they set. Resist the temptation to dig in early!
Tips for Perfect No Bake Cookies
- Set a Timer! Boil the chocolate mixture for exactly 1 minute. Too short, and the cookies won’t set. Too long, and they’ll be hard and crumbly.
- Stick with Real Sugar. Avoid sugar substitutes to ensure the cookies set correctly.
- Use Quick-Cooking Oats. Quick oats give the best texture. If using old-fashioned oats, place them in a blender and pulse a few times for better results.
- Storage. Keep these cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week or freeze up to three months.
No-Bake Cookie Recipe Variations
- Add-in ideas. For a fun twist, mix in shredded coconut, raisins, or chopped nuts.
- For a peanut allergy: One of our readers recommended using cookie butter in place of peanut butter for those who have peanut allergies. Check label to be sure there are no nuts.
- Gluten-free: This recipe is gluten free as long as certified gluten-free oats are used.
- Vegan no-bake cookies: Use almond milk or oat milk instead of cow’s milk and vegan butter. It works great!
Frequently Asked Questions
They are gluten-free as long as you use certified gluten-free oats. Check the label of your oats to be sure.
If your cookies are dry, they were likely boiled too long. Try reducing the boiling time to exactly 60 seconds.
This happens when the sugar/butter mixture isn’t boiled long enough. It should be at a rolling boil for one minute.
Swap peanut butter for almond butter, sunflower butter, or cookie butter for a delicious, peanut-free, twist.
“I love to make these cookies, and I also love to eat them. They are my favorite. I put them in my homemade Christmas containers last year. They are one of the first if not the first to get eaten! EASY to make.” – Jennie
More No-Bake Desserts:
More Classic Cookie Recipes:
How To Make No Bake Cookies
Enjoy your No Bake Cookies! Let us know how they turned out in the comments!
No Bake Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups quick oats
Instructions
- Measure out oats, peanut butter, and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Don't mix.
- Mix butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa together in a heavy saucepan and bring to a full boil. Allow to boil for one full minute (set a timer). Remove from heat.
- Quickly stir in the rolled oats, peanut butter, and vanilla.
- Drop by spoonfuls or cookie scoop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or wax paper as quickly as possible. Cool 20-30 minutes.
Notes
Recipe tips:
- Measure ingredients exactly and watch boiling time carefully to get best results.
- Use a quality unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor.
- Optional additions: ¼ cup coconut, chocolate chips, chopped nuts.
- Store no bake cookies at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
- Place cookies in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag and freeze for up to two months.
Such an easy and tasty cookie and great for a gift of cookies
It’s easy and tastes great!
Wow this really was easy and ever so good thanks a million
Love these, so easy and quick. Grandkids like them when wr go camping.
These take me straight back to childhood!
Just take a bite of theses cookies and you will understand they are the BEST and the recipe is pretty easy to follow!
this is an easy cookie to make, and provides just enough of a post meal desert, this has been a family favorite for over 70 years. you can adjust the chocolate from normal to extra dark very easily, which changes the taste
These cookies have been around forever. I made these when I was a teen and I’m in my mid 60’s. We always called them Cow Patties. They are easy to make, a good way to sneak in some oatmeal to kids, and are delicious!
These cookies are awesome and couldn’t be easier. Who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate! Any cookie that is no bake is the cookie for me!
These cookies take me right back to my middle school cafeteria. I would buy one every single day but had no idea how they were made so could never recreate them. The cookie is taste perfection while also being totally easy to make. This is one of those desserts that my family enjoys too, but I mostly make them just for me. SO GOOD. 🤤
Love this cookie, no bake. My kids live helping too.
Quick and easy and they are good. Recipe is a keeper.
Always my favorite go to to make. Simple and easy, no baking.
My kind of cookie–NO Bake. They always come out better than my baked ones. Good plain cookie.
Love this recipe! I hate baking 😁
Haha – this is definitely the perfect recipe for you then. 😀
These are always amazing! Easy, and the texture is wonderful!
They are always a winner!
Family favorite! Always a great Sunday afternoon treat!
I tried these cookies a few weeks back. They are so easy and quick to make and they taste fantastic. I make little gift boxes every Christmas and we go out and give them to the homeless and people living in the tent cities. They need a little treat at Christmas. We don’t know their stories and why they are homeless or living in tents. It feels great to help. We don’t just help at Christmas we deliver some special weekly.
Wow, thank you for sharing this Patti. What a wonderful thing to do to! This is heartwarming and inspiring. Thank you for sharing!
A family favorite! Lots of memories of happy children.
These have been a favorite for many years to me but this recipe is far better than the one I have. My husband is like the person who would like to just live without sweets, yet he lived these I have caught him sneaking a few off and on.