My No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are a firm favorite with all my family. Not only do they taste great but they are quick and easy to make using a few simple ingredients.
We all love my no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies. When it comes to making cookies, this was the one recipe that my kids always asked for. It was one of their favorite cookies growing up and one they still like me to make today.
These no bake cookies are also known as: Preacher Cookies; No Bake Sun Butter Cookies; No Bake Oatmeal Cookies; No Bake Chocolate Cookies; No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies; and No Bake Nutella Cookies.
It doesn’t really matter what you call them, just know that they are super tasty and really easy to make – provided you follow a few simple steps!
These classic no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies contain a few ingredients that most of us will have in our pantry and refrigerator. Prepared and cooked in 20 minutes, the only difficult bit is keeping the family away while they cool and set!
Check out my other great No Bake Dessert Recipes: Easy No Bake Smores Pie, Easy No Bake Strawberry Pudding Pie, No Bake Reese’s Pieces Pie, Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie, No Bake Chocolate Cookie Dough Hearts, WW Mini Apple Pies, and JELLO Pudding 3 Layer Pie.
How to make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies:
- This is a quick cook so I recommend having everything weighed out and on hand, ready to start.
- Place a saucepan over a medium heat, add the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa and gently allow the ingredients to dissolve.
- As the ingredients start to liquefy, gradually increase the heat. I stir continuously throughout this part to avoid any scorching.
- Now increase the heat until it is at a rolling boil and maintain a rolling boil for a full minute.
- If it doesn’t reach the right temp for long enough, the cookies won’t set.
Once your timer hits one minute, remove the pan from the heat and add the peanut butter (or substitution) and vanilla extract.- Stir well until dissolved and the mixture is nice and smooth.
- Now stir in the oats (you can adjust the amount, I use 3 cups but you can add a little more or less if you prefer).
- To make the cookies drop heaped tablespoons of the cookie mixture onto a work surface or baking sheet lined with wax paper. I just spread a long sheet out on the counter.
- This recipe makes approximately 24 cookies, depending on how large your drops are. For smaller drops you get more cookies, bigger drops, less cookies.
- Now set the cookies aside to cool and set.
- Technically, you can eat these as soon as they’re cool enough. I try to fight off the males in my home to let them get good and set.
Recipe ingredients & variations:
This particular recipe can be tricky, sometimes the cookies don’t want to set right. I have found that by using specific name brand ingredients, SALTED butter (NOT margarine), and paying careful attention to the timing, I have better luck getting these to turn out right. Here are the ingredients that work for me and that I prefer to use:
- DOMINO SUGAR – I buy the big bag at Sam’s Club.
- JIF PEANUT BUTTER – I use creamy peanut butter as I find that chunky tends to make the cookies drier. You can substitute peanut butter for Sunbutter or Nutella. Peanut Free Planet has links to other peanut alternatives for those with allergies.
- QUAKER QUICK COOKING OATS – are the perfect size and texture for these cookies. I prefer quick cooking oats as I find rolled oats make these cookies a bit too chewy.
- HERSHEY’S COCOA – adds a great depth of chocolate flavor to these no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.
- WATKINS VANILLA EXTRACT – I buy mine at Amazon. When I was little my mom used this, she knew someone who sold it, I think, but I don’t know anyone who does, so this is where I get mine. I’ve heard it’s available in some stores now, too.
- HOOD 2% MILK – don’t be temped to use anything other than 2% milk as it will affect the consistency of these cookies.
- SALTED BUTTER – it is really important to use butter, DO NOT replace salted butter with unsalted butter or margarine as it will affect the set of the cookies.
Why did my No Bake Cookies not set?
It is really important to boil the mixture for a least a minute, otherwise the cookies will not set and you will be left with a sticky mess. I recommend getting the mixture to a rolling boil and only then setting a timer for one minute so that I know the cookie mixture will be properly cooked.
Recipe tips:
- This is one recipe where it is really important to have all your ingredients weighed out and at hand before you start cooking. The quicker you get everything combined once the mixture has boiled the better your cookies will set.
- Using the right ingredients is key! Sometimes cookies don’t set and for me, it was always when I used margarine or unsalted butter, or chunky peanut butter. You may have to make adjustments for altitude, humidity, etc. but using regular salted butter and a creamy peanut butter (or substitution) should help!
- Add the right amount of oats! Adding too many oats to the mix will result in a cookie that is dry and too dense. It is really important to balance the oats in these no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. I use 3 cups, but you can go a little either side if you want, just not too much!
How long can I store no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies?
Once set I store these easy no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies in an airtight Tupperware container. Use wax paper between each layer of cookies to stop them from sticking together. Once set these no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies will store for 5 days at room temperature.
Can I freeze no bake oatmeal chocolate cookies?
Yes, my no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies are great for freezing. Allow the cookies to cool completely then place them in a container suitable for the freezer, placing a sheet of wax paper between the layers of cookies to stop them sticking together.
These cookies will store for up to 3 months in the freezer. When ready to eat, remove them from the freezer and allow them to defrost at room temperature.
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
My No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are a firm favorite with all my family. Not only do they taste great but they are quick and easy to make using a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 Stick Butter 1/2 cup NOT Margarine
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 4 Tbsp Cocoa
- 1/2 cup Peanut butter or Nutella, Sunbutter, etc
- 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract ok
- 3 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
Instructions
- Add the 1st 4 ingredients to a saucepan starting at medium heat to let the ingredients dissolve into liquids.
- Increase the heat until it is at a rolling boil.
- Keep at a rolling boil for a full minute.
- Remove from heat and add peanut butter (or substitution) and vanilla.
- Stir well until dissolved and then stir in the oats.
- Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper, and let them sit until they are cool and set.
Notes
*Note: Sometimes the recipe won't turn out right for people. For me, it was always when I used margarine or unsalted butter, or chunky peanut butter. You may have to make adjustments for altitude, humidity, etc. but using regular salted butter, boiling for a full minute and using creamy peanut butter (or substitution) should help!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 64mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 3g
These are a few items I find helpful in my own kitchen when preparing this No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Recipe:
Domino Sugar, Granulated, 4LB Canister
Quaker Oats, Old Fashioned, 18 OzHERSHEY’S Natural Unsweetened 100% Hot Cocoa, Baking, 8 Ounce Can (Pack of 6)OXO Good Grips 2-Cup Angled Measuring CupNo Bake Recipes for Kids (Cooking with Kids Series Book 6)No Bake Cookies: More than 150 Fun, Easy & Delicious Recipes for Cookies, Bars, and Other Cool Treats Made Without BakingThe New Cookie: The Best No Bake Recipes You Can Find in The World
Patrice
Tuesday 23rd of April 2013
I've been making and loving this recipe since I was a teenager, but my version didn't include vanilla extract. I'll have to try that next time.
Leah
Saturday 6th of April 2013
Oh, these look good. I was looking for an oatmeal cookie recipe to do with my toddler. She can help me mix these up and I can do the rest, maybe.
Melinda C
Saturday 19th of January 2013
I tried these today, they were delicious but turned out a little dry. We only had unsalted butter (I didn't think to maybe just add a little salt!)...and I may have accidentally left it on the heat too long. They're still good but next time I'll just make sure to use all of the right ingredients. And, is there a difference between rolled and quick oats?
Karen
Saturday 19th of January 2013
It should be ok if you just add a little salt, but I haven't tried it. I generally keep both types of butter on hand because I try to use un-salted whenever possible, but many recipes just turn out better with the salted.
These can be soooo finicky, especially with timing, but sometimes you do everything right and they have a mind of their own anyway! Sometimes I think the humidity in your house can affect them too. One time the boys were sick when I made them, and we had a humidifier and vaporizer going in the house. My cookies were so sticky that they just wouldn't ever set. The kids used spoons to scrape them off the wax paper to eat them. I'd used all the right ingredients, timing, etc. Aaron needed their 'help', so I went to the store, bought fresh ingredients and made a second batch that did the same thing. So that's the only difference (humidity) that I could think of to cause them to turn out that way!
Rolled oats are generally bigger and require more cooking time than quick oats. You can chop them up smaller to help speed the cooking time, if you're cooking them.
Nikki
Monday 14th of January 2013
Those look so good! I'm such a newbie with cooking, though, that I assume "no bake" means no cooking involved at all. I feel kind of silly about that, lol! I said to myself "hey, she's using a pot on a stove, doesn't that count as baking?" Of course, it means it doesn't go in the oven...right?
Karen (@KappaVelvit)
Tuesday 15th of January 2013
Yes, no bake means they don't go in the oven, no cook would mean no oven or stovetop;) You're just heating the main 4 ingredients enough to melt them and then bring them to a boil long enough that they'll set and not be tacky.
Leila
Monday 14th of January 2013
Oh my! That sounds delicious! And I love no-bake! So much easier!