Turn off the oven and make these No Bake Cookies that are made with oats, peanut butter and cocoa. These cookies are great during the summer when you want to keep things cool, and they are also great for cooking with kids.
Keep it cool! These No Bake Cookies are the perfect cookie for when you don’t want to turn the oven on. Some other great no bake desserts are these Haystack Cookies, this Classic No Bake Cheesecake, these No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Balls, or these Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
How about a little bit of nostalgia for you today?
I feel like everyone has a story about no bake cookies. Or a grandma or great aunt or someone who made them all the time.
I actually don’t remember ever having these delicious cookies as a kid, believe it or not. Maybe I just don’t remember, but I think I made them for the first time after I left home. And they are one of my husband’s favorite cookies, so they have become a regular occurrence at our house now!
Ingredients
I love these cookies because I usually have everything on hand, so they are easy to make when you are craving cookies but don’t want to go to the store.
Here are the ingredients:
- Sugar – I use regular granulated sugar.
- Milk – I use 2% because that’s what we always have, but any milk should work here. I’m guessing that even almond milk or coconut milk would sub in just fine.
- Butter – We always have unsalted on hand, but you can use salted and just leave out the salt later in the recipe. My original recipe called for shortening, which works, but the butter is so much better.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – I have tried these with more and with less cocoa powder, but 1/4 cup is perfect for me.
- Peanut Butter – I like to use a regular peanut butter (like Jif) because I often have issues when I try to sub in natural peanut butter. But feel free to experiment with natural peanut butter if that is what you have.
- Vanilla – Add this once the mixture comes off of the heat so that it doesn’t all just evaporate away.
- Salt – I always like to emphasize the importance of salt in a sweet recipe. It helps to balance and enhance flavors and to give some depth to the flavors.
- Quick Cooking Oats – Quick oats will give you a better cookie than using regular old fashioned oats. Regular oats will be a lot harder to chew.
How to Make No Bake Cookies
STEP 1: Combine the sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring it to a boil. Once it at a rolling boil, set a timer for 90 seconds.
STEP 2: After the 90 seconds, turn off the heat and add the peanut butter, salt and vanilla. Stir it all until the peanut butter is melted.
STEP 3: Pour the chocolate mixture into your oats. I like to do this in a large bowl.
STEP 4: Mix it all together.
STEP 5: Drop the batter onto waxed paper using a cookie scoop. You can also use a spoon, but I find using a cookie scoop helps to keep them uniform.
STEP 6: Let the cookies sit until they have set up.
Tips and Tricks
- Want to make them nut free? The original recipe I had posted here had coconut instead of peanut butter. To make the coconut version, leave out the peanut butter. Add 1 cup of sweetened, shredded coconut to the oats. The rest of the ingredients are the same.
- If your cookies are too soft and not setting up, they weren’t boiled long enough. If they are hard and crumbly, it was boiled too long. I have found that 90 seconds works pretty much every time, but humidity can affect the final cookie.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container. I have found that these will last longer than normal baked cookies.
- I like to use creamy peanut butter, but crunchy peanut butter would work as well and give you a bit of crunch.
- Have all of your ingredients ready. You’ll need to scoop the mixture once it comes of the stove as it will start to set up pretty quickly. If you take to long to scoop it into cookies, they will lose their texture and may end up crumbly.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
- Cake Mix Cookies
- Toll House Cookie Recipe
- The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe with Sugar Cookie Icing
- Sour Cream Cookies
- Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder. Place over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, bring the mixture to a boil. When the mixture is at a full boil, cook for 90 seconds.1 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Stir until fully combined.1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Place the oats in a large bowl and pour the hot mixture in. Stir to combine.3 cups quick cooking oats
- Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, drop the mixture onto a piece of wax paper. I use a medium cookie scoop, about 2 tablespoons for each cookie.
- Let the cookies sit until set up.
Kara says
Thanks much for sharing such a great recipe. We love these cookies.