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In just 4 steps, without turning on your oven, you can make delicious no bake cookies. When you follow my tried and true recipe below, you can’t go wrong. You’ll have perfectly fudgy, chewy cookies every time!
You’ll love these Easy No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Thinking about this no bake cookie recipe takes me back to when I was a little girl, when we used to call these preacher cookies. Now, as a professional baker, I’ve taken this childhood favorite and put my own finishing touches on it to make it absolute perfection.
These are quite possibly the easiest cookie to make, but just because it’s an easy cookie does not mean it skimps on flavor! Once you make a batch of these cookies, you may have to hide them from your family (and yourself) because they’re addictive!
I don’t know what the best part is about this recipe, the classic chocolate peanut butter flavor, or the fact that you don’t even have to turn your oven on to make them!
Plus, this recipe makes a whopping 30 cookies, making it perfect for parties, family gatherings, or just to spread a little cookie love to friends and neighbors.
Easy No Bake Cookies Ingredients
These no bake peanut butter cookies use mostly pantry staples. Keep reading to get my best tips to make this no bake cookies recipe perfect every time! Get the full recipe with measurements and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Granulated sugar
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- Unsalted butter
- Milk: 1%, 2% or whole
- Quick cooking oats
- Creamy peanut butter
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Did you accidentally buy the wrong kinds of oats? No worries! If you bought steel cut oats you can put them to good use to make this steel cut oats recipe.
How to Make No Bake Cookies
With just 10 minutes of hands-on time, when you follow these 4 easy steps, you’ll have delicious cookies that are perfect for all occasions. Keep reading for my tips and tricks! Get the full recipe with measurements and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until it reaches a full boil. Once it’s boiling, allow the sugar mixture to boil for 60 seconds without stirring.
- Remove from heat, and immediately stir in the quick-cooking oats, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Work quickly to drop tablespoon-sized balls onto a prepared baking sheet. Line with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or wax paper. Allow them to cool.
How to Serve Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
These classic cookies are perfect to serve as a finger food at family gatherings or parties. They also make great after-school snacks, a great addition to any bake-sale, and are the perfect treat to share with friends, family, and neighbors just because.
There is no extra prep or fancy preparation needed to serve this no bake dessert, and that’s just one more reason why these are a favorite cookie that has stuck around for generations.
Tips for the Best No Bake Cookies
I’ve been making these cookies basically my entire life, so I’ve perfected a few tips and tricks along the way that I’m happy to share with you now:
- Use quick-cooking oats: For best results, don’t use old-fashioned oats. Quick cooking oats, also referred to as instant oats or quick oats, work best.
- Bring to a full boil: Don’t be afraid to let your mixture come to a full rolling boil, this will ensure your cookies form properly.
- Don’t over-boil: Once the mixture starts boiling, don’t leave it longer than 60 seconds. If you boil it for too long, your cookies will be dry and crumbly.
- Choose the right peanut butter: This recipe is made with creamy peanut butter, which makes for a perfectly chewy texture. If your personal preference is crunchy peanut butter and you want to add a little crunch, you can certainly try it, but I can’t guarantee the same texture.
- Use real butter: Using real butter, not margarine, is key for a perfect chocolate peanut butter cookie.
Storing No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Store these no bake cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To avoid the cookies starting to stick to each other, separate layers with wax or parchment paper.
Can you freeze No Bake Cookies?
These no bake oatmeal cookies freeze well. Separate layers with parchment paper in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them. thaw them in the refrigerator over night.
More Cookie Recipes
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No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk, 1%, 2% or whole
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- In a medium pot combine the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until it reaches a full boil. Once it’s boiling, allow the mixture to boil for 60 seconds without stirring.
- Remove from heat, immediately stir in the oats, peanut butter, vanilla extract and salt.
- Work quickly to drop tablespoon sized balls onto a lined baking sheet. Line with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or wax paper. Allow them to cool.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
To make this recipe more diabetic friendly, could I cut sugar to 1 cup?
I haven’t personally used less sugar, so I’m not sure if it will turn out the same!
I ❤️ THE cookies 🍪 and my family love the cookies 🍪 too and I THANKYOU for the Recipe and I do ❤️ the cookies 🍪 so much and I THANKYOU SO MUCH
I am going to try this recipe using 1 cup of sugar. I will let you know how it turns out!
Do we have to keep it in the fridge all time? I live in the Caribbean coast.
You don’t have to, but the cookies may become softer and fall apart.
Can the peanut butter be left out
No, sorry, it’s an important ingredient for binding in these cookies.