No Bake Cookies with Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oats
These easy no bake cookies with chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal are a classic; they come together in minutes and are great to make with kids. Sometimes called "preacher cookies", they are the perfect after-school treat, a must for holiday cookie trays, and the best "just because" cookie.
Why You Will Love This Recipe!
These cookies are perfect for those moments when you are desperately craving something sweet and chocolatey, but don't have a lot of time to make a full-blown batch of cookies. They are also great for the dog days of summer when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven.
These mounds of sugary, peanut buttery, chocolate goodness are incredibly addicting (I’ve often thought these cookies taste like the icing for the Texas sheet cake I love so much). I guarantee they will on repeat at your house!
Cookie Ingredients
A short list of pantry staples is all you need for these cookies. I’ve included substitution tips in the list below:
- Unsalted Butter – If you use salted butter, omit the salt called for in the recipe. The butter in this recipe can be replaced with margarine, vegetable oil, canola oil, or coconut oil.
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar.
- Milk – 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.
- Cocoa Powder – 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.
- Peanut Butter – 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.
- Vanilla Extract – Homemade vanilla extract or store-bought are both awesome options!
- Quick Oats – These are key to this 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.
Add-In Ideas
Feel free to play around with different ingredients based on your preferences! Here are some ideas to try:
- Chopped nuts (pecans would be great!)
- Raisins
- Shredded coconut
How to Make No Bake Cookies
First, prep! This recipe moves fast, so having everything ready to go before starting helps everything go much more smoothly. Measure out your ingredients and line your baking sheets with parchment paper before you begin.
Now let’s go!
- COMBINE: In a medium saucepan, add the butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, and salt.
- BOIL: Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once at a rolling boil, boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- STIR: Off heat, stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract, then stir in the oats.
- DROP: Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons full), drop onto prepared baking sheets.
- SET: They can set at room temperature, which takes about 30 minutes.
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Storage and Freezing Instructions
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.
Recipe FAQ
Sometimes no bake cookies are also referred to as "preacher cookies". The reason?
The story goes that these can be made so quickly that a housewife could look out her window and see the preacher coming for a visit; by the time he got to the house, the cookies could already be cooling.
If your no bake cookies are sticky and gooey, then they were not boiled quite long enough.
On the flip side, if your no bake cookies are dry and crumbly, they were boiled a tad too long. You should let the mixture come to a full rolling boil and then time exactly 1 minute from there.
However, some stoves run hotter or cooler, and things like humidity or kitchen temperature can play a role in how they set, so there may be some trial and error involved as you gauge the exact boiling time for your kitchen.
These no bake chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal cookies are as easy as they sound and a great recipe to make with kids if you have any little hands eager to help in the kitchen.
I love having quick, easy recipes on hand for a simple sweet treat, and I’m guessing that you do, too. I guarantee this is a recipe that you'll want to stash away and use time and time again.
If You Like This Easy No Bake Cookie Recipe, Try These:
- No Bake Banana Split Dessert
- No Bake 5-Ingredient Granola Bars
- No Bake Butterfinger Pie
- No Bake Oreo Dessert
- No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
Watch the Recipe Video Below:
If you make this cookie recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- Add the butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, and salt to a 4-quart saucepan.
- Bring to a rapid boil and let boil for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth, then stir in the oats.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoonfuls), drop onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
- 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.
Notes
- Equipment: Baking sheets / Parchment paper / Cookie scoop
- Unsalted Butter - If you use salted butter, omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Milk - 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.
- Cocoa Powder - 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.
- Peanut Butter - 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 Oats – I do not recommend substituting old-fashioned rolled oats, they do not absorb the liquid in the recipe as well.
- Add-in Ideas: Chopped nuts, raisins, and/or shredded coconut.
- Storage/Freezing Instructions: 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.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
[photos by Whitney Wright]
Gotta love the classic Western Pennsylvania school cafeteria cookie we all grew up with! :)
Great classic recipe!
Worked great…really enjoyed the results!
Faaaaabulous! I pressed a couple chocolate chips into each cookie after I dropped them on to the cookie sheet for some added chocolatey goodness! Super fudgy-like consistency. Yum!
I’m diabetic I want to use no fat butter and powdered Stevia for my sweeter. Please send the real recipe to my Email how much coco and Oats
These were awesome and came out perfectly. Thank you so much. 💕💕
This recipe is indeed a classic. My grandmother made these when we were all very little this is over 40+ years ago. It’s still a favorite among us all grandchildren.
My Mema always called them Dog Turds. Who am I to question her grandmotherly wisdom?
I was looking for the recipe that all the kids in home-ec made in 7th grade (circa 1973) to take to a bake sale fundraiser. This did not disappoint! I was afraid they were too soft, but they soon began to set. Only trouble is not eating them myself before I get them all packaged up :)
My almost 11 year old grandson will be spending time with me this summer. I thought it would be fun to do some cooking together. He’s always liked helping in the kitchen. I want him to learn how to make some recipes by himself. I thought that no bake cookies and English muffin pizza would be a good idea. Do you have any suggestions for other recipes to try.
Louise aka Isaac’s Grandma
So good! My 13 year old loves making these!
Perfect and delicious, I make them for my grandkids and parents love them too.
These, are something very close to them, were the cookie things the lunch ladies at our schools in SoCal used to make for our school lunches. They were called Dreamies.
Very good!!julie
I used 4 tbs per cookie, that saves the embarrassment of eating 6 cookies with a glass of milk. I can say I just ate “2” cookies!!! Kidding aside, my favorite recipe.
First time to make these cookies and they were amazing … not grainy…!!
I am also from Western Pa. These cookies have been a lunchbox and bake sale staple for decades! I lost my recipe years ago while moving … so glad you posted it!
As a child I got the recipe and loved it. It called for 1 tsp vanilla extract. I see your recipe calls for 2 tsp. I love that change as I did that myself over the years. It just improves the flavor so many levels. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
My cookies sometimes turn out dry and crumbly. Sometimes they’re great. What am I doing wrong?
If they are dry and crumbly that means you are boiling them for a bit too long. You get them to a full rolling boil and them boil for 1 minute.
They tasted amazing!!!!!!! :)
Easy and so good!!
This recipe is just like the ones my Mom always made. We call them “Mommy Jo cookies.” It is never a special occasion without them.
Ive been.making these for years. Your recipe is the one ive always used and it makes the most delicious no bake. I wanted to comment on anither substitution I’ve tried. When cocoa and chocolate chips were not in the pantry I have used mutells.
Aaah-mazing results!! So tasty.
Just wanted to share that!
What is “mutells”?
I used a small 1.5″ scoop and was able to make 70 cookies! I also substituted cake batter flavoring because I ran out of vanilla extract. Sucralose, Stevia, and Equal all work very well for this recipe. This is the best dessert for my lunch as I can take three of these and satisfy my sweet tooth. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Hello!
Help, I used a ice cream scoop. I only got 12 cookies. Had fun making these!
Thanks
Linda