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.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure your sugar mixture comes to a roaring boil. In step two of this recipe you are to bring the mixture to a roaring boil and then let it boil for a full minute. 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.
- Use name brand butter. This is the other tip that will ensure that your cookies set. In my experience, some off brand butters (such as Kirkland) contain a higher moisture ratio, resulting in cookies that don’t set.
- Leave out the coconut. If your family doesn’t love coconut, replace it with another 1/4 cup of oats like in my no bake chocolate oatmeal cookie recipe.
- Don’t fret about what oats you use. Both quick cooking and old fashioned oats will work in this recipe. I like using old fashioned because of the look and texture it brings, but both will work well.
- Don’t use a sugar substitute. I haven’t tried this personally, but I’ve had readers test it with poor results.
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.
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 see note (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.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.
Notes
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!
Paige says
May I use bakers semi-sweet chocolate bars instead of the cocoa powder? How would I modify the recipe (eliminate the butter?)?
I would need to test that. This recipe isn’t one that you can easily swap ingredients with.
Jen says
A quick and decadent treat for those days you just don’t want to turn on the oven! We loved the addition of coconut. Also, I really appreciate how well-written the recipe is. The instructions are very clear, thorough, and easy to follow and makes this recipe fool-proof. Thanks!
I’m so glad these were a hit for you!
Marlene says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I made this.They are amazing. I just have one question. How long can I keep them in the freezer for?
I typically advise about three months for best taste.