No Bake Cookies with Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oats
Total Time
45 mins
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Rating
4.91 out of 5 stars
(120)
Ingredients
36 cookies
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole or 2% milk
- 4 tablespoons (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup (135 g) peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (267 g) quick-cooking oats
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Preparation
Step 1
Add the butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, and salt to a 4-quart saucepan.
Step 2
Bring to a rapid boil and let boil for 1 minute.
Step 3
Remove from heat.
Step 4
Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth, then stir in the oats.
Step 5
Using a medium cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoonfuls), drop onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
Step 6
Let cool until set, about 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Step 7
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
If you use salted butter, omit the salt called for in the recipe.
Whole or 2% milk is perfect for this recipe. You can also use non-dairy milk such as soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk.
Regular unsweetened cocoa powder (i.e. traditional Hershey’s cocoa) is best! If you do not have cocoa powder, you can replace it with 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips.
Creamy peanut butter is traditional, but you can use chunky for a little crunch! You can also substitute any other nut butter (or Sunbutter), so long as it is not natural, as there will be too much oil, which will keep the cookies from setting properly. You can also eliminate the peanut butter without modifying the rest of the recipe.
Quick-cooking oats are smaller, so they absorb liquid more readily. They work well in this recipe because they absorb the melted mixture and give structure to the cookies; using old-fashioned oats will result in a much chewier/oatier cookie.
Chopped nuts, raisins, and/or shredded coconut can be added for variety.
The cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The cookies can also be frozen (in an airtight container or freezer-safe ziploc bag) for up to 3 months.
