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]
These have always been my favorite cookies that my momma would make, so it seemed only perfect that I’d carry on the tradition with my kids. I lost her recipe and came across this one. Just made them and must say, they are MOMMA PERFECT!!!!!! My first Grand baby will be here in February, I sure can’t wait till he/she is old enough for Nana’s (Great-Grandma’s) No Bakes!!!! 😊😊😊
Very good
Love this as a kid and still do.lol ohhhhhh so gooood
These are mine and my fiancés favorite cookies!!! They’re so simple and quick to make which is great…plus they are so yummy!
I love that this recipe uses quick cook oats! In my part of the world, we don’t get old fashioned oats which is what I’ve seen used in most recipes. I’ve always wanted to make no bake cookies and I will definitely be trying it this weekend.
I made it but it was too sweet so I had to add a little more oats ( 1/4 of a cup). And I covered them with dedicated coconut in the end so it looked and and tasted good. Thanks for sharing this quick and easy recipe!
I have looked for this recipe that ive made my whole life but i seem to never be able to find my recipe when i need it. But just so every one knows, the milk is supposed to be canned milk. Thats how you can guarantee them to set up every time you make them.
This is the same recipe that I have had for more than thirty years, we made these in High School , Home Econ classes. they were always a hit.
My family has been making this recipe for as long as I can remember. Only never tried peanut butter but used coconut instead. We called them haystacks. Interesting to hear the various names from your readers. They look delish and I’ll be trying them very soon. And who can resist chocolate and peanut butter!!
I made these cookies and they are delicious.
On my second batch I substituted 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder with dark chocolate cocoa powder and it was really gold too.
I made these often growing up in a large family. They were a great quick snack and alternative to baking during Hot Summers. We learned to experiment with them adding chopped almonds, raisins and coconut, but this Recipe is great as is.
Mine are not setting
I made this recipe and followed the directions exactly, and while the cookies tasted great, they were sticky and gooey and did not set up, even though I put them in the freezer. I did use organic cane sugar and natural peanut butter. Could that have anything to do with them not setting up? Or were they cooked too much or not long enough? Do you think using a kitchen thermometer would help so that you know when to start the timer? Thanks for any help you can give!
Hi Emma, I would definitely blame it on the natural peanut butter primarily, and probably the cane sugar, as well. Natural peanut butter is too oily, which is what’s causing them to be gooey. The cane sugar won’t dissolve and crystalize the way granulated sugar would. I don’t think you need a kitchen thermometer, though!
Can I add semi-sweet chocolate chips with the oats to kinda make it like peanut butter chocolate fudge cookies. I seen a recipe for just peanut butter oatmeal cookies and said you could add the semu-sweet chocolate chips to make them taste like they chocolate fudge cookies. Just wondering of it would work with this one too?
Hi Natasha, I think it would definitely be worth trying! Sounds good! Let me know how it turns out!
Has anyone tried using crunchy peanut butter when making these?
Hi Paula, I haven’t personally, but I think it would work just fine!
I have loved these cookies since I was a kid, and decided to make a half batch for myself! I didn’t have any milk so I used chocolate coconut milk and they were fabulous! I did have to add a little bit extra oatmeal, but the coconut milk really gives them a nice bit of extra flavor.
I just made these but didn’t have enough oats, and they were old fashion oats, which takes longer to cook, so I used what i had -2 cups. I didn’t have unsweetened chocolate, so I used a Hershey bar. I put the Hershey bar in the hot sugar mixture first, to melt. I had no vanilla. I mixed everything in the same pot instead of mixing in a separate bowl. I added a squirt or two of Hershey syrup to the mix just before spooning onto wax paper. The remainder in the pot tastes ok, We’ll see how it turns out once cooled. I am making these for a bake sale, if they aren’t worth selling, guess who gets to eat her mistakes? yeah, it’s a win, win, situation.
Sheila
This recipie
Did
Not
Work!
They tasted weird and were clumpier than
Normal.
Not good.
I made these yesterday and they were a horrible, runny mess. I did indeed follow EXACTLY the recipe, Note:: boiling for 1 minute is not enough.. The mix needs to be boiled to the soft-ball candy stage.
It was a disaster and really embarrassing. I should have known better than to follow the recipe rather than thinking out the ingredients and the process and that really it is a candy recipe that requires more time than one minute!
I’ve made these dozens of times and boiling it for 1 minute once it reaches a full, rolling boil is all it needs. The key is making sure it’s at a rapid rolling boil, not just simmering and not just starting to boil. It makes a big difference.
Hi! I just made ur cookies. But something went wrong i think. It wont set. I tried to leave it on baking paper for 30mins/more but it still didnt set so i put them in the fridge. 30mins later still soft. Do i hv to put them in the freezer? It tastes great tho
Hi Helen, It sounds like they may have needed to be boiled a smidge longer; that would keep them from setting up properly. But you could definitely pop them in the freezer – they’re great cold!
Easy and very good. Thanks
Made these with coconut sugar for my diabetic husband. Very low on the glycemic index. He licked the spoon and the pan and…
Hi…i used the same amount of ingriedients except i use 1 cup of sugar i use the normal one not the granulated one…. i have tried with fine sugar also…and i boil it for 2 mins but my cookies never set they are always a little sticky n mushy. I tried evrything…i also refrigarated them but after removing it becomes sticky again. What should i do?
Hi Heena, Reducing the sugar by half would absolutely cause these cookies not to set right. Boiling the sugar creates the texture needed to hold the cookies together.
Wow, I have made other no-bake cookies before and they were good, but these are delicious! I’m not surprised, though, because chocolate and peanut butter make my favorite dessert combination. Thanks for sharing this recipe! It’s going to be my new go-to treat for small “just because” gifts.
We tried out your recipe, and with all dontespext. It turned out horrible! It smelled like smoke in the kitchen for forever!
These are the best no bake cookies I’ve ever made! Thank you!
I first learned to make these cookies in Texas. Same recipe except we called them COW PATTIES! LOL!
I made these cookies and they were amazing. I would’ve taken a picture but phone camera was acting up.
The PB Chocolate No bake cookies could I
Spread in a pan and cut into squares instead of making cookies?
Hi Brigitte, I definitely think you could do that!
I know you are glad you now have these on “your radar.” This recipe has been around a L-O-N-G time in Alabama. I remember these from my childhood, and I’m 71 now. Always one of my favorites, and I make them for my grandchildren.