These No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are quick and easy treats that are wonderfully simple and SO delicious! You only need a handful of simple ingredients and under an hour of your time to make a batch of these no bake cookies.

A batch of chocolate oatmeal cookies are on a plate.


No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

“No bake.” Those are two of my favorite words ever! As much as I love baking, sometimes it can be really nice to not have to worry about preheating and all that jazz. Besides just being super easy to whip up a batch of, these cookies are also perfect because of how delectable they are. Chocolate and peanut butter anything – yes please!

With flavors of chocolate and peanut butter all combined with old-fashioned rolled oats, these cookies are hard to pass up on. They’re chewy, thick cookies that hit the spot every time. And if you have little ones in the house, they’ll love helping make them! While it’s technically best to use tools that don’t make a mess, it’s also fun to get your hands a little dirty when making these no bake cookies, especially if you’re making them with the kids.

I love making no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies all year long. They’re perfect for cookie exchanges around Christmas, goodie bags during Halloween, and as a chocolatey treat on a summer night. I mean really, what time of the year isn’t made sweeter with chocolate and peanut butter?! Once you taste how chewy and delicious these cookies are, you’ll also be craving them 24/7 like me!

A dozen cookies are on a prepared baking sheet.

How to Make Them

The joys of no bake recipes are unparalleled. No preheating, no warming up the whole kitchen, and no waiting forever for the cookies to bake! These cookies are almost too easy to be true.

Prepare. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.

Boil. Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for 1 minute.

Stir. Remove from the heat once it boils for a minute. Then add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.

Cool. Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes.

No bake cookies are placed on a white and gold plate.

How long will these no bake cookies stay fresh?

In an airtight container in the fridge, these easy cookies will stay fresh for up to 3 days. While I enjoy them cold right out of the fridge, you can also let them adjust to room temperature for about 20 minutes before enjoying if you’d prefer.

Can I add anything else to this simple recipe?

I think these cookies have the perfect amount of sweet flavors and chewy texture. However, there are quite a few things you can switch up or add to really make them your own! Here are just a few ideas –

  • Add chopped peanuts for additional peanut taste and a delightful crunch. However, you may need to add a little bit more butter and milk to keep the consistency just right.
  • Make these no bake cookies vegan by swapping out the regular dairy milk for a plant based alternative, like almond or oat milk.
  • If you want to make these cookies even sweeter, try adding a tablespoon of dark brown sugar to the mix! Of course, you could always add an extra splash of vanilla extract as well.
  • Salted or unsalted butter both work well in this recipe, it’s really just up to what you prefer. Salted butter gives the sweet ingredients a nice balance of salty and sweet, while unsalted butter goes pretty undetected and helps only with the consistency, not the flavor of the cookies.
A stack of chocolate cookies is on a white surface.

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A batch of chocolate oatmeal cookies are on a plate.

Get the Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Sweet, chocolatey, easy No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are the simple, stir and drop cookie that's quick to make. So fool proof the kids can almost make them themselves!
4.57 from 16 votes
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment

  • baking sheet

Instructions 

  • Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.
  • Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for until the mixture comes to 230˚F on an instant read thermometer or candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
  • Add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
  • Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes.
  • Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Cookies can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Calories: 366kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 21mg, Sodium: 148mg, Potassium: 262mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 28g, Vitamin A: 250IU, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 2mg
Author: Kellie
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American