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No Bake Cookies

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This is the classic No Bake Cookies recipe that my family used to make growing up. They’re easy to make in about 15 minutes, and always taste so delicious.

No Bake Cookies Recipe

Raise your hand if you grew up making these no bake cookies as a kid!

And…raise your hand if you still make them now?

Good, me too.

Because when you’re in the need for a quick cookie fix, this retro no bake cookie recipe will never letta girl down. First of all, it’s super-duper easy to make in just about 15 minutes. It calls for 7 basic ingredients that I bet you already have stocked in your kitchen. It requires zero use of your oven. And with chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal involved, there’s no doubt that these are always going to be delicious.

Let’s make some no bake cookies!

No Bake Cookies Recipe | 1-Minute Video

No Bake Cookies Ingredients

No Bake Cookie Ingredients:

To make this chocolate no bake cookies recipe, you will need:

  • Butter: One stick (1/2 cup) of salted butter. Or if you have unsalted, just add in a pinch of sea salt.
  • Sugar: We’re going old school with lots of granulated sugar here.
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder: To make these nice and chocolatey.
  • Milk: I typically use cow’s milk, but any kind of milk will do.
  • Peanut butter: Creamy or crunchy, you can choose.
  • Vanilla extract: Homemade or store-bought.
  • Old fashioned oats: Or quick oats can work in this recipe too.

How To Make No Bake Cookies

How To Make No Bake Cookies:

To make these no bake oatmeal cookies, simply:

  1. Combine your ingredients in a saucepan. Melt the butter, then stir in the sugar and cocoa, followed by the milk. Continue cooking until the mixture comes to a boil.
  2. Boil. Boil for 2 full minutes. (This step will help the mixture to cook and thicken.)
  3. Stir in remaining ingredients. Remove pan from heat. Then stir in the vanilla and peanut butter, followed by the oats.
  4. Scoop the cookies. Drop the cookies spoonfuls onto parchment paper, either using a spoon or (my preference) a large cookie scoop. If the cookies spread too much or have a wonky shape, feel free to just use a knife to scooch the edges in so that the cookies are nice and round. (Although they will be delicious however they look.) ;)
  5. Let cool. Then let the cookies cool until they have reached room temperature and hardened. And…enjoy!

To store the cookies, place them in an airtight container and either store at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies Recipe

Possible Variations:

If you’d like to mix things up with this recipe, feel free to:

  • Use a different nut/seed butter. Any nut or seed butters can be substituted for peanut butter in this recipe.
  • Add coconut. Use 1/3 cup less of oats, and in their place, add in 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut.
  • Add nuts. Feel free to add an extra 1/2 cup of your choice of nuts to the cookie batter.
  • Add Oreos. For an ultra-decadent retro twist, feel free to add in 6 chopped up Oreos into the mix after stirring in the oats.

Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

More Favorite Cookie Recipes:

Looking for more cookie baking inspiration? Here are few more of my classic faves:

 

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No Bake Cookies Recipe

No Bake Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 24 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 24 -30 cookies 1x

Description

The classic No Bake Cookies recipe that my family used to make growing up.  They’re easy to make in about 15 minutes, and always taste so delicious.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups old fashioned oats

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sugar and cocoa, and stir until combined.  Add in the milk, and stir until combined.  Continue cooking until the mixture comes to a boil, then boil for 2 minutes.
  2. Remove pan from heat. Stir in vanilla and peanut butter until completely combined. Stir in oats until combined.
  3. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper, and let the cookies cool until hardened.

 

No Bake Cookie Recipe

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76 comments on “No Bake Cookies”

  1. I’m a lousy baker so I like no-bake stuff. Your cookies look really cute and tempting!

  2. I love when people share their mom’s recipes. I think handing down recipes from one generation to the next is wonderful. Thanks for sharing this one.

  3. These are always a favorite!

  4. At our place and growing up these babies were called
    Chocolate Coconut Haystacks. No peanut butter but a half cup of chocolate chips for extra chocolate goodness. Made them about a week ago.

  5. No-bake cookies have the best texture! These look awesome — way to go, Ali’s Mom!

  6. Such wonderful memories. I LOVE no bake cookies, haven’t had one in ages but you’re making me want to make them again!

    By the way Ali – you’ve won a little award. Check it out at https://mo-pieplease.blogspot.com/2010/04/aw-shucksan-award.html

    He he!

  7. A favorite at our house! We make a double batch and freeze. Yum!

  8. My family’s recipe includes the coconut, and without any peanut butter. :3

  9. You can also leave the cocoa out of it. My mother used to make them both ways when I was a kid and they are both really good.

  10. The main problem with these cookies is: how long to cook them? If you cook them too long, they harden into something you could break a window with. If you don’t cook them long enough, they sit there, gooey and sticky, and you wind up scraping them off the wax paper and eating them from your fingertips.
    Some people say cook until candy thermometer reaches F280*. I’ve read : “boil until bubbles start to crawl up sides of the pan”. That works for me. Some people set the timer for 3 minutes. I think it depends on your location. Humidity plays an important roll in how these cookies set up. If you live in a humid area, cook them longer.
    As far as substitutions go, I like to substitute one cup of rice crispies for the oats. It reminds me of a “Krackle” by Hersheys. The texture is more interesting, and the cookie bonds well with the cereal and sets up better.

  11. How many cookies does this receipe make?

    Thank you!

  12. How many cookies does this receipe make?

  13. Fabulous!!! Have you tried the pistachio pudding no bakes? They’re similar & different but oh so delicious.

    2 cups white sugar (I sue 1 1/2 c. sugar)
    3/4 cup butter (I use 1/2 c. butter)
    2/3 cup milk ( I like to use evaporated milk here)
    1 (3.9 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix (use the flavor of your choice really)
    3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

    YUM!!!

    • is there any cooking with the pistachio no bakes??

    • Just the stove top… melt the butter, add the sugar milk. Bring to a boil & boil for two minutes then add pudding & the rest of the ing. I like to add chopped nuts also but that’s not for everyone.

  14. These cookies are GREAT! Thank you for this.

  15. Hi, thanks for this! One question though. Salted or unsealed butter?

  16. I love these cookies… grew up with them… then, the recipe somehow died with my mother!! Who knew they were called “no bake cookies!” YEAH… now I have the recipe!

  17. I make these regularly, but I find that Quick Oats tend to absorb the liquid, making them drier than i’d like. I substitute Rolled Oats (Old Fashioned Oats) and it makes a much nicer patty.

  18. is there any no bake cookies that does not need oats

  19. These cookies are really yummy

  20. Thank you so much for this recipe! Our oven’s been broken for a while and I’ve been hankering to make cookies. These came out delicious and have the texture of fudge. The second batch I made I substituted honey-graham cracker pieces for the oatmeal and they came out great.

  21. These look delicious will try.

  22. First time I have EVER been successful with “no-bake” cookies! Very good:)

  23. The recipes is awesome

  24. This is my mom’s recipe exactly. We use creamy peanut butter, but I have friends whose recipes specify crunchy. And there are alternate recipes that ask for one cup peanut butter. Sylphie is right about the rolled oats, they work better even though the recipe calls for quick. Micah is right, too, about the boiling time. In my area the timing is longer for a firm, slightly crumbly cookie (up to 3 minutes!). But we like it gooey so we only boil for 45 seconds. Then eat out of the pot.

  25. IT TASTED SOOOO GOOD

  26. Love these cookies!






  27. When I was little, my mom wanted to make these but didn’t have any cocoa powder. She substituted Nesquik and now I never make them any other way.

  28. I have a similar recipe passed down from my Grandma – it uses pecans & coconut. It also has 2 ways to make it – the second way is with butterscotch chips instead of chocolate. That’s my families favorite.

  29. Love no bake cooki s. I usually burn everything.






  30. Such a classic recipe! I make these all the time as I always have the ingredients on hand. I like to use crunchy peanut butter for extra texture. I also like to 1/8 the recipe and eat it hot out of the pan with a spoon!

  31. I made these constantly as a kid! Haven’t thought about them for years, and this looks like the exact recipe I used. Love it – thanks for posting!

  32. My best friends mom used to make these and form them into little wreaths with a tiny bow- they were lovely! I’ve alwaysvwondered about the recipe! Thank you!

  33. easy recipes are my favorite recipes! I can literally make this as i get ready for work in the morning haha thank you!






  34. Made this awesome recipe today. It was very easy and not time consuming. I have had 2 back surgeries and can’t stand very long. So this was Great for Me! These taste yummy as Well! ??






  35. My partner and I give these a 10/10! Thank you for sharing. Will be making again.






  36. i’m a 15 year old kid with barely any experience in the no bake cookie field and i made these perfectly first try! super easy recipe with a super yummy outcome. thanks!






  37. This is the best recipe and the only one I’ll use






  38. Do you have to put nuts or nut butter because they look great,but I am allergic to nuts? Also please reply by the 18th of June 2019.(today would be good too though.) ?

    • I’ve only tested this recipe with peanut butter. But I imagine it might work well with sunflower butter too?

    • Does anyone have a recipe for no bake cookies that doesn’t call for peanut butter? I used to make these when my daughter was just a tiny tot.

  39. Yes I have made these cookies many times!! They are always a hit!!! My husband’s favorite!! Hugs

  40. Good but way too sweet. I’ll cut back the sugar by 1/2 cup.

  41. How many cookies does the recipe yield?
    Thank you!

  42. This is THE RECIPE. No others work right. And without the oats it makes an awesome choc pb sauce. Thank u for being here.






  43. Love these cookies






    • Tried this out with my 6 year old niece for Easter and made little bird nests with them. Super easy and quick. I was shocked at how quickly they set.






  44. Just made these, they turned out pretty good. If this doesn’t end soon I’m going to gain alot of weight before it is done. This is the second dessert I’ve made in a week.






  45. Best no bake cookie recipe. Yummm






  46. Amazing recipe! I have failed at no bake cookies more times than I care to share, but these were easy and oh, so delicious!






  47. I made two batches. I was amazed at how fast they set! They turned out very good! The only thing I would change is less sugar. The recipe calls for 4 cups of sugar when doubled, too much for my taste buds. Otherwise, this recipe is a keeper! Thank you for sharing!!






  48. I have a quick question. I want to make these without the cocoa powder, do I need to increase/decrease another ingredient?






  49. I used really small quantities and made 5 cookies
    They haven’t set yet.
    I hooe they work aince I’m making it for my moms birthday






    • These cookies are wonderful! I have a nut and soy allergy. I used salted butter (since unsalted butter usually contains soy) and I also used Sunbutter. My husband and I both love this recipe. Thank you for this!

  50. I have made these and my children and grandchildren loved them I never have any left