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]
My family loved these! Couldn’t get enough of them! So easy to make and eat!!
That makes me so happy!! :)
My kid’s favorite memory and cookie !
I’ve been making these cookies for 60 years. So easy, quick, and delicious. They are my husbands favorite.
Just made these and was wondering if they could be frozen? And if so for how long?
Mine are still setting. Can’t wait to try them
I have celiac disease so I made these with gluten free oats. They came out delicious can’t tell they are gluten free. Thank you for posting this recipe
My sister learned to make these in Girl Scouts. I have continued to fix them for a quick treat. Having lost the recipe years ago, am happy to rediscover it and will continue to make them for years.
I have been using this recipe for so long! It is the best!!
Yes, I made these no bake chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal cookies. Our family favorite. Thanks for sharing this recipe❤️🥰
The cookies are AWESOME!! Thank you for the quick and easy fail proof receipe! :)
I did use old fashion oats. They came out dry and don’t hold together in cookie form ☹️
I use old fashioned oats all the time , there not dry so you are cooking them too long ,add chocolate chips 1/4-1/2 c it makes them glossy
They came out perfect thank you so much for a real good recipe I’ll use them at all my gatherings⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This ia great recipe
I made this recipe but I used vegetable oil instead of butter and they turned out perfect!
The only recipe that works for me! I’m embarrassed to say I could never get them right before – they were always either too dry or too soft. These are spot on every time!
Overall, I liked the cookies! Agree with some of the other commenters that the requisite amount of sugar is too much. I halved amount and it was just right. (A lot of store bought peanut butter has sugar in it too).
Way too sweet!! I put 250g in and it was still too sweet! Otherwise good recipe.
My kids love cookies. Thank you for dropping this post.
It seems the cookies are a little dry but they taste wonderful.
I don’t have butter or veg oil what can I use instead???
We love these cookies!! Easy to make and kids enjoy helping. Thanks for sharing!!
We affectionately call these Dog Food Cookies” in our house. Don’t mistake that as a negative comment! They are a family favorite. My older brother who is almost 60 now gave them this name when he was a young teen. Warning: They are highly addictive.
Our favorite!! My whole family loves these❤️
Very detailed instructions look delicious. Don’t know if I can do it? Thank you for sharing. I love eating this
growing up on a farm with a very large family, these were the perfect “cookie” in the Summer time, but we made them year round. My sisters & I played with the recipe changing up ingredients. We loved it with coconut and chopped pecans.
I love coconut, using 1 cup coconut and 2 cups oatmeal, not deleting the peanut butter! I also use chunky peanut butter or add peanuts to them.
The best recipe of all. I made a batch and they turned out perfect so I quickly made another batch to share. These were everyone’s favorite dessert at the Christmas party 🙌😊 Thanks for the great instructions.
My son doesn’t like chocolate. Can you suggest a substitution for the cocoa powder? Thanks in advance!
If unsalted butter is not available 😉 Can I use regular butter and omit the salt? Although I will definitely use your recipe as soon as I pick up unsalted butter.
Thank you………..
I’ve made this recipe for well over 40 years. My family prefers it made with crunchy peanut butter & since I only purchase the old fashion oats that’s all I’ve ever used. I also occasionally reduce the oats & add coconut. I’m also very likely to add some chopped pecans. I don’t do instagram & the weather here precludes me making a batch today.
Hi, it seems like the oats should boil for a minute, especially if you’re using old-fashioned oats. Otherwise how do they cook?