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]
A tasty alternative is to forgo the cocoa and use White Chocolate Wonderland peanut butter (it’s peanut butter with white chocolate added to it), or if Dark chocolate is your thing then they have Dark Chocolate Dreams, too. ;)
hi these were favorite around our house but we didnt put peanut butter in them when i was a kid
This recipe is close to one I make. Mine has coconut and no peanut butter. We call them “Specials” and we grew up making them. Definitely a family favorite.
Hi Micheal,
I have never used Splenda to bake with, so I can’t endorse or reject it, but if you try it in this recipe please stop back and let us know how it turns out!
Hi Paige,
They just need to be in the fridge until they firm up, probably about a 1/2 hour. Just check them to make sure they’re set.
Enjoy! :)
what about using splenda
I am 52 years-old and will never forget making these with my mom when I was a little kid! They are the first thing I ever cooked by myself! I still love them!
I used your recipe tonight to make cookies. I don’t know if any of your readers are diabetic, or sensitive to sugar, but there is a product that tastes like sugar called Whey Low. I use it, its low carb, calorie and low on the glycemic index. Thanks for your recipe. My cookies turned out wonderful and I can enjoy an oldie but goodie without getting sick. Thanks again!
oops! just saw the same question. sorry :)
Can you use regular oats instead of quick oats in this recipe?
I did….. my son said my cookies were much better than Grandma’s (who used quick cooking oats). I prefer the texture with regular oats.
I love no-bake cookies!! my dad loves to make them… its a family tradition!!! but how long do they sit in the fridge?
Hi Cyndi,
I think running some regular oats through the food processor would be just fine. I think the recipe calls for quick oats since the cookies are not baked and the traditional oats are a bit larger than quick, which would make the texture a little more difficult to chew easily. Enjoy the cookies! :)
I was just looking for a sugar sub for no-bakes and found your site. I’ve been making these cookies since I was a kid (48 now) and we’ve NEVER used quick oats. Always have used the “old fashioned” ones. They’re delicious and have great texture (not mushy)-also better for you :D . I didn’t know anyone made them with quick oats. Also, I use a natural crunchy peanut butter (Krema) with them sometimes and they are delicious. Some versions of the recipe have chopped nuts as an option, but crunchy peanut butter does the trick-a very fine crunchiness. (Oh, I also sometimes use almond milk instead of reg milk.) My family loves these cookies! Good to see renewed interest in them (albeit three years ago now). Your pictures are encouraging me to make some, sugar substitute or not! :)
I made these with stevia and had to throw the whole batch away! Taste was awful…..very bitter.
Hi Hiratana,
Mine took about an hour to set completely, but it will vary depending on the temperature and humidity in your house. You can definitely pop them in the fridge to speed up the process; no harm!
Enjoy the cookies! :)
Michelle-
I am totally craving something like this right now, but alas…..all I have are regular oats. Do you think if I gave them a quick whiz in the food processor that I could use those instead of the instant kind?
Hi!
Grate cookies ! I’ll definitely make them ^^
Just a quick question : How long does it take for them to harden and can I put them in the fridge after making them so that I can speed up the process or will hat ruin them? ^^
I really love you right now! =) Thanks for sharing the recipe~ This would be useful for that time of the month when you want something fresh and sweet and don’t have the patience to do the hard work! ^_^
i love this cookie and have been making it since i was a kid. now when i’m Craving that “sweet and salty” thing. i lay those square pretzles on the wax paper, then plop the mix on top. and they kind of set faster too!
These no bake cookies were great!!!!!!! i am glad i looked these up. I am going to make them for my eighth grade class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love this site, made these cookies and the snickerdoodles for the coast guard mechanics that I work with so that I didn’t eat them all myself haha- they loved them! Thanks again for the great site, the guys apreciate it too :)
mmm…I’ve made something similar to these before and they taste amazing! Best part is no bake time…but there still is the cooling factor. Anything with peanut butter isn’t likely to go wrong!
LOVE this recipe! I made these cookies this morning and was a bit short on oatmeal so I added about a half cup of Rice Krispies. Very tasty.
I did a search for “No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies” today, and found your site, this is exactly the recipe I was looking for!!! (lost the cookbooks a few years ago, am trying to get back some of my favorites I remember)..
Thank you, and oh, the pictures are tooooooooo much~ *lol*
Have any recipes for German Pancakes? :D
Loved finding this, I will refer my daughters here too!
Kari-
German pancakes are a family favorite at my house and requested for everyone’s birthday breakfast!
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 stick butter
Put half stick of butter into each of 2 9″ round cake pans and place into oven set at 350. The pans pre-heat with the oven and the butter melts. (Honestly, I usually cut the amount of butter in half, but the recipe I use calls for this amount). Meanwhile, place flour, milk and eggs into the jar of a blender and blend until very thoroughly mixed and just a bit bubbly. When mixed and butter is melted, pour half of mixture into each pan and bake approximately 20 minutes, until center is set and sides have risen high. We serve with lemon wedges and powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
If you have a pampered chef mini bundt pan, it makes the best German pancakes ever! Cast iron pans work welll too. So yummy, thanks for the recipe.
speaking of these cookies triggering memories: i’m a teenager who has been going to the same camp for 6 years now. we always have no-bakes, and when i made these today it totally brought be back to camp memories. thanks for the recipe!
Try adding shredded coconut too.Delish!!!
I love no bakes !!!!!
Erin – Definitely try it with a nonstick pan and/or Pam. My only thought is that the cookies may slide a bit, but they should still taste great! If you go that route, please let me know how it worked out! :)
I never used Pam or parchment paper, sticking isn’t much of a problem
:P Ya I don’t have a silpat either. (I know what kind of a baker am I?) Guess I can’t just use a nonstick pan with pam on it…?
I put them on aluminum foil, worked just fine. Been making these since 1967, now all my kids make them! Love them, only problem is I always eat too many. Will be making them to send my grandson in the US Navy!
Hi Erin,
You can use anything that they would be easy to remove them from – parchment paper or a silpat baking mat would work too. Hope that helps!!
Happy Baking :)
Hey Michelle I want to make these but I don’t have wax paper. Is there a substitute?
it’s a great gift idea…