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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.
“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!
How to Make No Bake Chocolate Cookies
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.
How to Store Leftovers
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.
Variations and Substitutions
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.
More easy no bake recipes!
- No Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie
- No Bake Peach Pie
- No Bake Banana Split Pie
- No Bake Monster Cookie Dough Bites
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No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- baking sheet
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
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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What if I don’t have a candy thermometer
Then you’ll have to keep an eye on the consistency. It can be done without a thermometer.
Absolutely love these! We made them to get into the holiday spirit. Thank you so much!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for your comment!
Dry cookies I followed the directions to a tee. Could it be differences in altitude?
It very well could be. I do notice that if the humidity is higher it changes the consistency so I’m sure altitude could affect it too. I’m so sorry they were not the fudge-y deliciousness that they’re supposed to be.
Ahhh I didnt read the recipe all the way through i just mixed it and put in freezer to harden….. lol well we shall see. It taste great already and I didnt have vanilla to add.
Thank you! Hope they turned out for you. 🙂
These bring back wonderful memories of visiting my precious maternal grandmother who always has these waiting for us in her cookie jar!
Mine, too! This is where my recipe was inspired from….my grandmother’s kitchen. 🙂
Never did get firm. Even put them in the refrigirator. The onlything we can think is it was very humid here.
Hi! I’m so sorry they didn’t set up. It could have been the mixture wasn’t boiled long enough, although the humidity could definitely have been a factor. You have to boil the mixture to 230˚F in order for it to become solid when it sets up.
I read this whole thing. Looks delicious, easy, & less messy.
My one confusion is :
In the instructions it says, In an air-tight container, store in fridge up to 3 days.
In Notes :
Says, in an air-tight container 5 days at room temperature.
Which one to go by ??
Another Question :
How many does one batch make ? Does doubling or tripling be a mistake. Want to plan for a church picnic. Thanks !!!
The storage instructions are reversed and it should be room temperature for three days and 5 days in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. If you’re going to double or triple the batch just be sure you boil the mixture to a temperature of 230˚F (an instant read or candy thermometer will let you know when you reached that temp) so the cookies set up and there’s no mystery as to what went wrong if they don’t set properly. Let m know if you have more questions!
Can I put these in the freezer?
Yes, absolutely!
My cookies didn’t harden. I have a gooey mess. Any suggestions?
Hi! You may have not cooked the mixture long enough but you can easily pop them in the refrigerator to firm them up.
Best chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies I’ve ever tasted! So easy to make.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!