These no bake Chocolate Peanut Oatmeal Cookies come together with a few simple ingredients in about 10 minutes. They are chewy, delicious, and so chocolatey perfect.
Make these peanut butter chocolate no bake cookies when you are in a pinch or when you need a fast easy treat. Love these but not interested in coconut? Make these: No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.
We are in full on holiday mode around here. Quinn had her holiday concert on Monday and tonight we had Gavin’s choir and band concert. Can I tell you something that my kids don’t know? Their concerts make me super emotional. I don’t know why! I don’t want to be the weird mom who is silently sobbing while their child is singing “Over the river and through the woods” off key with 100 other 7 year olds . . . . but I kind of am!
Or it could be that the holidays are just making me super emotional. The fact that I ate like 7 of these no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies without blinking might be supporting evidence.
Fantastic recipe! My husband was asking for no bake cookies and I hadn’t made them in many many years so I went on the hunt and found this recipe. Perfection! I used sugar in the raw because I realized I was out of granulated sugar and they still turned out amazing. Thank you!
How to Make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Oatmeal Cookies
These no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies come together so fast. For the full recipe with all the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Melt the ingredients together. Heat up the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder.
- Bring it to a boil. This is a key step. You want to make sure that the mixture comes to a roaring boil and stays there for a full minute. If you don’t do this, the cookies will not set.
- Stir in remaining ingredients. Finish the recipe off by stirring in the oats, coconut, and peanut butter.
Ensuring Your Cookies Set
This is an incredibly simple cookie recipe, but it does have a very key step. It is very important that in step two you bring your mixture to a roaring boil. If you are seeing simmering, in other words small occasional bubbles, you are not quite there yet. You need to see really big bubbles that are nonstop. Once you to that point, then you can start your timer and boil the mixture for a minute. Doing this will ensure that the cookies will set.
Adding Coconut to No Bake Cookies
I love the addition of coconut to this classic cookie recipe. It brings another layer of flavor as well as contributing to these being chewy and delicious. That being said, if you don’t enjoy coconut or are making these for someone with an allergy, you can certainly leave it out. You will just want to add in another 1/4 cup oats. That is what we are doing in this delicious No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Recipe.
You could also consider adding toasted coconut. It brings another element to this incredible recipe.
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Old Fashioned or Quick Cooking Oats
Both old fashioned and quick cooking oats work in this easy chocolate peanut butter no bake cookie recipe. I use old fashioned oats because it is what I tend to have on hand and also because I love the look and texture it gives these chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies. That being said, if you only have quick cooking oats on hand, then use those.
Storing
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Oatmeal Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to two weeks. Store them in an airtight container. As with all recipes, use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.
Freezing
These are amazing to freeze. Freeze them in a single layer for a few hours, in other words, flash freeze them. Then transfer them to an airtight container and store them in your freezer for up to three months. When ready to eat, allow them to thaw at room temperature. In a single layer, it will take less than 30 minutes for them to thaw.
FAQ
While these are naturally gluten free, you want to ensure that your oats are marked gluten free. Occasionally plants that process oats cross contaminate. So this is important if you or someone you are serving has an allergy.
Unfortunately, no. This recipe needs to be made as written or you risk the cookies not setting.
I have not tested this, but some readers have without success.
Please read about this above.
Unfortunately, I have not tested this swap.
More No Bake Desserts
- This No Bake Baileys Chocolate Pie is such a winner!
- My fudge recipes are all no bake and perfect for the holidays or any time of year!
- Every holiday season I make my Mint Oreo Bark and it’s always the first to go!
- Love these but want them without chocolate? Make my Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies!
If you make these delicious no bake cookies or any of my other recipes please leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!
Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar (396 grams)
- 1/2 cup milk (118.3 ml)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (42 grams)
- 2 cups old fashioned oats (178 grams)
- 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut read here about leaving out coconut
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter (270 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with wax paper or parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the granulated sugar, milk, butter, and coco powder. Bring to a boil, while stirring consistently. Read more about this critical step here.2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Boil for one minute while continuing to stir. (It is very important that it is at a full boil for one minute.)
- Remove from the heat and stir in remaining ingredients.2 cups old fashioned oats, 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, 1 cup smooth peanut butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Using a large spoon or a cookie scoop, spoon large spoonfuls of the mixture onto the waxed paper. Allow to cool completely. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
NoniB says
Made them. One word: PERFECT. I actually boiled about 90 seconds and it resulted in the perfectly smooth and shiny cookie. Sorry, no picture. The only down side is that everyone who had some wants them again and I’m currently out of oats.
I’m so glad that you liked them!
nc says
HELP!!!! i make this recipe super often but this time around i wanted to try and add some protein powder…. it did not go well and to make a long story short they did not set and are sticky to the touch and i cant remove them from the parchment paper. Do you have any ideas as to what i can do to salvage this as i cant cook the mix again because of the protein powder? i was thinking to make some kind of shortbread (like the kind in a twix) and make them into little sandwiches with the no bake cookie mix as the filling but im wondering if that would be a good combination or not? Any help is appreciated!
I’m really sorry, without being there and looking at them it’s hard to know. This recipe is pretty particular and can’t really handle additional ingredients or a varied cooking method.
Victoria Johnson says
hey! looking to make these but wondering how to do less sugar would half the sugar affect the setup ?
Yup, it won’t set up with half the sugar. This one is a pretty picky guy, it doesn’t do well with tweaks.
Carol Shaw says
I love your recipes and have a question. Can I make the no-bake chocolate peanut butter oats cookies but substitute coconut and don’t use any oats at all?
I don’t know that they will have enough substance to stay together without the oats.
Kathy says
I just made them and have made them in the past and they always turn out wonderful. The only bad thing is that I can’t stop eating them!!!!
I’m so glad you liked them.
Ruth says
The mixture is quite runny will it harden up a bit when it cools?
This recipe really requires step 2 and 3 to be done to a T. If it wasn’t boiling hard enough or long enough, they won’t set. They are a little runny when you drop them on the pan, but they harden pretty fast.
Margaret says
Your instructions for freezing says: … “Then transfer them to an airtight container and store them in your refrigerator for up to three months.” Did you mean store them in the freezer for up to three months?
I absolutely did, thank you for catching this!