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The Very Best No Bake Cookies are a quick and simple chocolaty, peanut butter cookie with a soft oatmeal texture that is a classic favorite! Ready in under 15 minutes!
Chocolate and Peanut Butter are the perfect combination! Try these Buckeye Peanut Butter Balls, Reese’s No Bake Peanut Butter Bars or Energy Bites aka Protein Poppers are easy to make and no baking required treats
Easy No Bake Cookies
These are for sure a childhood favorite! You can’t go wrong with this classic No Bake Cookie that everyone loves! It is a perfect recipe that can’t be changed.
Making these cookies with my kiddos brings back so many memories! Growing up I would scoop some on the pan and then take a giant bite of warm, gooey chocolate oatmeal, then repeat until all the cookies were gone. My kids do the same thing and it just makes me happy!
I love how simple these cookies are and how delicious they taste! I can never stop at just one! Try these Easy No Bake Cookies today and see how good they really are!
How do you make No Bake Cookies?
- In a medium size sauce pan over medium high heat, add the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa powder. Bring to a rolling boil for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in peanut butter, oats and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop the cookies and drop them onto the parchment paper. Let set and cool to room temperature.
What types of oats can you use for No Bake Cookies?
There are two types of oats that I generally see in recipes when I bake, old-fashioned rolled oats and quick cooking oats. I prefer quick cooking oats because they mix in quickly, but you can substitute with rolled oats if you want a chewier texture. Quick cooking oats are smaller and absorb the liquid easier which makes the cookies more soft and chewy.
How long can you store No Bake Cookies?
No bake cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for about a week, or two weeks in the refrigerator. You can also refrigerate no bake cookies to help them cool faster, but that is not required.
Can you freeze No Bake Cookies?
Yes! No bake cookies are perfect for making ahead and freezing.
Can you add or substitute extras to No Bake Cookies?
Yes! I love to make these fun and different from time to time.
- Nutella
- Shredded Coconut
- Almond extract instead of Vanilla
- Chocolate Peanut Butter instead of Peanut Butter
- Brown Sugar instead of White Sugar
- Sea Salt for a salty/sweet combination
- Add 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Are you looking for more No Bake Desserts?! Here are some!
- No Bake Strawberry and Cream Pie
- No Bake Chocolate Eclair Dessert
- Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
- No Bake Cookies Dough Chocolate Cups
- No Bake Very Berry Cheesecake
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The Very Best No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 3 1/2 cups quick oats
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium size sauce pan over medium high heat, add the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa powder. Bring to a rolling boil for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop the cookies and drop them onto the parchment paper. Let set and cool to room temperature or refrigerate.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do I need to use vanilla at all??
You don’t have to add in the vanilla. It does add the perfect touch though.
Wanted to make no bake cookies with my daughter who can’t have dairy. I had some dairy free plant butter I planned to swap for the butter but then realized the recipe also had milk, so I decided to experiment a little and substituted almond milk for the regular milk. It worked great! Took a little longer for them to set up but they did! And they are so shiny and taste great!
Can you use margine instead of butter
Yes, that will be okay with these cookies.
Have used this recipe before it was easy she good. Ib especially appreciate how simple it was to actually get to the recipe. This time I used half light brown sugar and half white sugar. I also added a heaping tablespoon of honey. Both are great.
Can You freeze no bake chocolate cookies?
DO they taste the same
Unfortunately, it does not taste the same and they start to crumble. It is best to eat these right away.
Love your blog. Just made your No Bake Cookies. I had to mix Quick and Old Fashion oats as I didn’t have enough of one. Worked out perfectly and taste wonderful!! Keep up the good work.
That sounds like you made some great cookies! Thank you so much for sharing and for such a sweet compliment! I appreciate your support!
Could you substitute coconut for the oatmeal? Just a thought.
I have not tried it with coconut and not sure if it will set up or not to be honest. These cookies are thick and rich and with coconut I don’t think that you will get a thick and rich combination. It will still taste and look good just smaller portioned and may fall apart with the coconut flakes. Let me know if you try it and how it turn out.
It should work with coconut, you could try 1/2 oatmeal and 1/2 coconut. This would keep them from being too dry. I’ve been making the original recipe for 50 years. Not all of my family liked coconut, I’ve never made it this way, but it sounds good.
I have made these cookies and the recipe I used didn’t call for peanut butter. Would leaving out the peanut butter change these cookies. I can’t find my old recipe and I don’t like peanut butter that well. Thanks
I have never made them without peanut butter. For me, it seems to stick better when setting up and gives it an added flavor of chocolate and peanut butter.
What does the T stand for with the cocoa powder
Tablespoon
thank you I was looking for this same answer! Making them now!
Has anyone tried Wow butter with these?
I have a question regarding the milk for one of the ingredients. My question is,do you think the almond milk would work ok making the no bake cookies or what would you recommend for a milk substitute?
Almond milk may not have enough fat to hold up the cookies perfectly but it will work. Let me know how you like them!
I’ve been making these no bake cookies since I was a child and the important thing about them is once the mixture comes to that rolling boil remove it IMMEDIATELY. I can’t stress that enough. And they taste waaaayyyyy better If you make them into a mound instead of flattened
Love your blog and this recipe. We tried it and they came out good but not great, mostly because I really don’t cook very well, LOL! I will be sharing your dessert recipes in my new Facebook group if you don’t mind.
Love your blog and this recipe. We tried it and it came it good but not great, mostly because I really don’t cook very well, LOL! I will be sharing your dessert recipes in my new Facebook group if you don’t mind.
Can you use something else besides peanut butter
These are great substitutions for peanut butter:
Nutella
Chocolate Peanut Butter instead of Peanut Butter
Add 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Do you think you could substitute Biscoff cookie butter in place of peanut butter?
I haven’t tried that before but it could work and sounds delicious! Let me know how it turns out!
Great recipe! All the other no bake cookie recipes I’ve read state to boil for one minute. What is the added advantage for boiling 2 minutes? Thank you!
This helps the sugar dissolve completely and you will not get the sugar/gritty texture in the cookies.
If you don’t remove it immediately after boiling for 2 minutes they just really taste funny and don’t turn out