These classic No Bake Cookies are made with simple pantry ingredients like cocoa powder, peanut butter, and quick oats. They come together in only 15 minutes and always taste delicious!
Looking for more easy cookie recipes? Try my Chocolate Chip Cookies or Oatmeal Raisin Cookies next!
About This Recipe
Happy T-giving, everyone!
Today, I want to share with you guys a very special recipe from my childhood: no-bake cookies! I used to make these when I was really little. I wasn't allowed to use the oven until I was like 8 years old, so before that, I was always making no-bake recipes like these cookies or Rice Krispies.
This recipe was inspired by an old recipe I found on cooking.com. I wish I could give the original owner credit, but it's been so long since I saved that recipe, and honestly, it may not even be available anymore. But luckily for you, these are just as good as I remember.
Sweet, chocolatey, peanut buttery! These no-bake cookies are incredibly easy and come together in only 15 minutes. And you only need one medium pot and a spoon for everything.
You essentially boil cocoa powder, butter, milk, and sugar, then toss them with the peanut butter and oats. Once that is done, you drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper and just wait 10-15 minutes for them to set. They end up with a delicious chocolate-like texture with crunchy oats throughout. The flavor is very similar to Reese's!
Key Ingredients
Cocoa powder: I use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder.
Peanut butter: Since I was a kid, I made these with all types of peanut butter: natural, organic, processed, etc. And I have to say, these taste the best with a cheap processed peanut butter, like Skippy or Kraft. I think it's because processed peanut butters contain stabilizers, which make them extra creamy and smooth.
Quick oats: You are going to want to use quick or instant oats for this recipe. These have already been pre-steamed, so they can be eaten raw. If you use regular oats, you'd need to bake them beforehand.
Sugar: Of course, we need some sugar for sweetness.
Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter. I do think these taste better with salted butter, so you can always add a bit of salt (¼ teaspoon) to the batter.
Milk: I usually use regular milk for these, but you can use almond, oat, coconut, or any milk, really. You just need moisture to dissolve the cocoa powder and sugar.
Vanilla extract: For warm vanilla flavor.
Instructions
STEP 1: In a medium pot, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 1 minute.
STEP 2: Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter until smooth.
STEP 3: Stir in the oats.
STEP 4: Working quickly, drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the parchment paper. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Note on storage: You can store these at room temp, in the fridge, or even in the freezer. Because of the sugar and peanut butter, they do not freeze solid, so they're great for freezing long-term and being able to eat them without defrosting.
No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups quick oats (instant oats)
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Lay out 2 or 3 sheets of parchment paper on your counter.
- In a medium pot, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the oats.
- Working quickly, drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the parchment paper. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
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