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.
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
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]
This recipe is absolute perfection ❤️ Thank you!!!
No bake? Then you boil instead? I was looking for a no-cooking recipe!
Does it matter what kind of peanut butter you used?
Hi Anna, I recommend a traditional “processed” peanut butter like Skippy or Jif; natural peanut butters have a bit too much oil for this recipe.
thanks for your tip on this – I just made them with a natural PB and they did not set up at all. Did some searching and came across your page here and saw this comment – this was likely my mistake! I like that you mention that you can omit the PB completely – I will try that next! Thanks for all the tips! :)
My husband and kids don’t like peanut butter in baked goods can we use Nutella instead? I would really like to try them. Please let me know if this is an OK substitution
ANY TIME I CAN MAKE COOKIES WITHOUT TURNING ON THE OVEN IS A WIN!
How do you think up of all of these recipes? Do you think of them yourself or have help?
Thank you very much for this recipe! I had never made no-bake cookies before, so this was my first time – I needed to make them vegan for some friends, so used oil and almond milk instead. I also only had old-fashioned oats with me and needed to add more than the recipe, but they came out really well!! I combined cocoa powder and chocolate chips and then drizzled some chocolate on top – so good :) thank you very much for this recipe, definitely making them again!
Love this recipe! Easy, fun and so delicious! A great “I need chocolate! Fix”
I just made these, and because I made them for several people, I doubled the recipe. It came out like cooked oatmeal, I could not have scooped it but instead poured it into a 9×13 and will cut into squares. My question is, if I double the recipe, should I have doubled the boiling time? I boiled for two minutes.
Hi Elke, It sounds like you maybe needed to boil for even longer as it was definitely too soft.
Hi Michelle. I just made these cookies. It’s been 2 hours and the cookies are still soft and mushy. I read your comment that perhaps the mixture didn’t boil long enough. That being said, how do I get them to harden up? Mary
Hi Mary, You could try popping them in the freezer! They might hit the right consistency in there.
I can’t tolerate chocolate anymore but loved these as a child. Does anyone have thoughts regarding the use of white chocolate or vanilla chips? Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
The real name for these is Raggedy Robin’s. Least that’s what we were taught in 10th grade Home Economics class in 1977!! Been making them for 43 years!
I’ve tried this recipe for the second time. My family and I totally love it. Great recipe! It reminds me of a snack I used to have at school when I was a Kimdergartner.
I was looking for a gluten free oat fast cookie recipe and these are great!
I opted to use almond milk and a cup of dark chocolate chunks. A good decision. I also added the peanut butter to the pot to melt it down before removing it from the heat, and in lieu of 2 cups of sugar, I used 1/2 cup of organic pure maple syrup. Delicious, and even healthier without all that sugar. They taste like a healthy peanut butter cup!
as a teen I made these often on the farm for quick snacks & desserts. We experimented changing it up, with & without peanut butter, coconut and raisins. Still a hit and so easy to throw together.
So good will be my go to recipe
I love these cookies, but I was wondering is there a way to make them where they are sloppy instead of hard?
Hi Samantha, You would boil them for less time if you don’t want them to set up as firmly. Enjoy!
Can you use Splenda in this recipe
Hi Sheila, I honestly am not sure if the Splenda would affect how they set up.
These are delicious. I did half quick oats and half old fashioned. The mixture seemed too gooey so I added 3/4 cup more oatmeal. Yum. I’ve made many chocolate nobakes but these are a winner. My husband and I have eaten more than we’d like to admit. Our two year old was caught snitching them. Thank you for the recipe. We will make it often.
I couldn’t believe how good they came out. By far the best no-bake cookies I ever had. I can’t wait to try more of his recipes. 😁 You won’t regret I promise. Very easy to make to.
J.C.
Yummy, no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies. Thanks for sharing.
I was having a seeet tooth/chocolate craving tonight and remembered this recipe. I had exactly 1/2 cups of butter and peanut butter… it was like it was meant to be! They are cooking on my counter top now. Thank you for keeping childhood favorite recipes posted to be enjoyed as adults (I may share a cookie or two with my kids but no promises)
I have made this recipe 2 times and I can’t get them to harden any suggestions??
Hi Jacob, Try boiling for an extra 15 to 20 seconds – that should help!
What I did was just put a little more otes in it too
Love these…Mom used to make these lots and now I do…loved the video: I see how to come to rolling boil.
It made so many.
Just made these cookies, they seem very similar to the ones of my childhood. Unfortunately they’ve been “setting” for 4 hours now and are still gooey. The moment the mixture came to a boil I timed it for -exactly- a minute.. I will probably go a little longer next time — but it’s hard to say if that’s the same for everyone. In the fridge they go to harden up! But I would say the flavor is delicious just from impatiently picking around the edges :)
Can the peanut butter be omitted ? And will the cookie still set up after cooling. Can I use something else other than peanut butter? Cream cheese for instance? Coconut? I just cant use the peanut butter.
Hi Mary, I don’t think the cookies would set as well with something like cream cheese or coconut for the peanut butter. Maaaaaaaybe the cream cheese… if there is an allergy issue, I would recommend substituting with almond butter or Sunbutter.
Thank you so yummy and simple just the way grandma made them i lost my resipe so thanks again turned out mmm
I made these, they’re really good but I found they were a bit too sweet, so I’m going to make them again with less sugar and more peanut butter. We’ll see.
Can you also send a recipe for peanut butter no bake oatmeal cookies? Thank you.
Beatrice, I do not currently have a recipe for no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies, so sorry!
Just made these exactly as you stated in the recipe…except I used 2 cups of the quick oats and one cup shredded coconut, and they turned out great! I have them chilling to set right now (but already sampled a couple as-is!)
Will make these again. I used to always make the Mudpies or Haystacks without peanut butter…but really like the taste of it in these.
Thank you!
Wayyy too much sugar and butter. Skip the butter and reduce sugar to 1 c for an edible, non-greasy cookie.