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]
Do you know how many servings? And how many calories per servings? Or per cookie about 1 1/2inches by 1 1/2inches?
Hi Brooke, As the recipe states above, you’ll get about 2 to 3 dozen cookies from the batch, sizing them as instructed. I do not know how many calories are in each cookie.
In elementary school I traded just about anything for one of these as they were our featured dessert on the school menu now and then. I would have a stack of about 12 and eat every one. My 2nd grade teacher questioned me about why I had so many. I replied “Because I love them”. She said, “You can’t love something that doesn’t love you back.” I was insistent that anyone who had a stack of 12 must really love them. My adult son now makes these periodically and sometimes we make a double batch and put them in a greased baking dish and cut them into bars. I’ve also upped the fiber content once in a while by adding shredded coconut (about 1/4 cup). So yummy!
These sound amazing! I can’t wait to make them! They really do remind me of somthing I made with my mom when I was a kid! I am excited to try making it with my kids! Was curious, would these be considered Gluten-free?
Hi Yasmine, To be honest, I’m not sure. I thought that oats were gluten-free, but on another post, a reader said that her father has celiac’s disease and oats are on a list of things he can’t eat. So perhaps it depends?
OMG MY ELDEST DAUGHTER LOVES THESE COOKIES AS A CHILD MY AUNTIE USE TO MAKE THEM ALL THE TIME AND I LOST THE RESIPE.. MY DAUGHTER AND I HAD A BET FOR THE DALLAS NY GAME AND IF I LOST I HAD TO MAKE THESE COOKIES FOR HER …. SO GLAD I FOUND THE RESIPE U HAVE I DO HOW EVER WHEN I MAKE THEM LEAVE OUT THE COCO.. SHE LIKES THEM WITH OUT THE CHOCOLATE FLAVOR…… A VERRY GOOD TASTING COOKIES FOR A NO BAKE I MUST ADD
Would I be able to freeze the tasty treats nd take them out later?
Yes, definitely!
I have always loved these cookies! So glad to find the recipe again as an adult. I just made them with Splenda to see to make them a little lower in carbs/sugar but not as good! I will just have to remake them and splurge on real sugar!!
I made no-bake cookies and they came out so crumbly that they couldn’t be shaped. Is there any way to fix them
Hi Phyllis, It sounds like they may have been boiled for too long. You could try adding a little milk and warming gently to see if you can get them to come together.
I know this post is super old, but I just made them, and I wanted to thank you for the recipe :)
I used 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar instead of the 2 cups of white sugar, and I used 1 cup of regular oats (given a whirl in my food processor first), 1 cup of unsweetened flaked coconut, and 1 cup of Envirokidz Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, rather than the 3 cups of quick oats, just because it’s what I had on hand. I also threw in a generous squirt of caramel syrup, because I didn’t have any vanilla on hand, and I though it might help the flavor.
They came out AMAZING. Seriously amazing. Thanks again!
I used to make these with my mother and we forgot the recipe in a flurry of movement when she got busy with work, and now I can surprise her with the same cookies we used to make when I was younger.
I always have these for christmas since I can remember. My grandmother used to make them and now my mom does. We call them “oatmeal fudge”
I ate these a long time ago, and when I saw these I was so excited! I made them for my husband and their friends when we hosted a UFC party and they LOVED them. One of our friends mentioned that it was the best cookie he has ever eaten. They are so easy and quick to make, so I decided to make these cookies my Christmas cookies and shipped them off as Christmas gifts. I sent a batch with my husband to take into work today and everyone fell in love with these. These cookies are definitely a hit. Thank you for the recipe! :)
How do you mail these without them melting or getting gooey?
For some reason, every time I make these they come out different. Sometimes they are perfect, sometimes they don’t sit up right, and sometimes they are too crumbly and I end up with half a pot of oatmeal crumbles. They still taste good- but what’ the deal?
Hi Tara, The air/atmosphere can definitely affect how these boil off and how they set up. Dry air = crumbly, while moist air can cause them to not set up. The air can be affected by tons of things, including having the oven running in the kitchen, a countertop near where the dishwasher is running, etc.
COOKIES TOO CHEWY AND DIDN’T HARDEN WELL. DID I BOIL THEM LONG ENOUGH? I DID USE REGULAR OATS, NO QUICK. THEY HAVE TURNED OUT BETTER BEFORE. HMM???
These are the best cookies ever. They bring back so many memories of my childhood cooking with my mother. I just found out that my husband has never had them, so I am about to make a batch for him and my daughter. It is time to start the tradition of baking these with my girl…
These are so perfect! I needed to make some cookies for work and I forgot about than and I always go in your site first than any others and I saw the no bake cookies and that BEAUTIFUL picture of them and I new I had to make them, everyone in the office loved than including me and I didn’t have to spend all day over a hot oven making other cookies these are the most best tasting cookies and the most no-mess easiest cookies EVER!!!
Thank you so much,
Mickey
I am wondering if these no-bake cookies can be frozen? I make dozens of cookies, but have to mail many for some of the family that is out of state. I usually make the dough, roll in balls, and mail with dry ice. This way, they can bake as many or few as they like and still have that just baked result. I know these will be a hit, but need your suggestion on freezing them. Thanks, I love your cookies.
Hi Bobbie, If you were to freeze them, I would make them as directed, cool them, and then freeze. I haven’t done this before, so I’m not sure how they will be thawed, but I imagine they would be fine.
when I made a batch I froze half of them. I put a sheet of parchment or wax paper between cookies and then wrapped them tightly in pastic wrap. They taste just as good frozen and they don’t really get to hard either, you could eat them slightly thawed.
Just made these with 4oz of cream cheese and 1Tbsp of canola oil instead of milk, substituted 1 cup of coconut for part of the oats. They’re cooling now but the dough tastes good so far! We’ll see how they set!
thanks maggie,
i replied to the e-mail… du.
no one boils more than 1 min and they work.
humidity may play a role
Thankyou georgia,
They finally hardened i’m going to rite your process down. they were good even gooy.
grant
The recipe I have used for years has you boil the chocolate mixture for 1 minute and then remove it from heat and let it sit for 1 minute. Then you stir in the oats. When they are completely cooled, they always set perfectly.
Once I drop them on the wax paper, I let them cool for about 5 minutes, then give them a better shape for with my fingers.
These are great when you’re craving something sweet and don’t have a thing in the house. You can whip these up and eat them in 30 minutes – though they are better the next day. I never measure the peanut butter. Just put whatever looks like 1/2 to 1 cup (depending on my mood) on a piece of wax paper and dump in with the chocolate.
I’ll have to think about freezing them – maybe they won’t call my name so loudly shut in the freezer.
I have no idea why my cookies came out sticky – they didn’t harden. does anyone know? can sugar be bad? didn’t forget p. butter and one above doesn’t boil the minute.
one year mom’s praelens (sp?) didn’t harden – made her nuts. she thought the small town got a shipment of bad brown sugar. Only one store. solved itself after a year – who knows
Grant, next time try boiling them longer. Sometimes things that have to “set up”, like candies, your pralines, these cookies, the humidity plays a BIG factor. I laugh when I see directions that say “boil 1 minute”. If I did that, I’d have a pile of goo. Cook them on medium for as long as it takes them to reach a good, full boil. THEN time it, adding a couple minutes. I usually have to go with 4 minutes. And if it’s very humid or rainy I just don’t bother trying, they will not turn out, period. It may take a time or two to find “your time” and then you will have to adjust for the weather each time you make them.
Also, try these cookies with coconut in place of 1/2 the oats, or in place of all the oats; it’s very tasty that way, too! Peanuts are also a good substitute. Rice Krispies are horrible in these, IMO…. chewy and weird tasting.
I love these! Have you tried freezing them? I am wondering how they would do in the freezer…
Yes! I freeze almost all of my cookies, and you could definitely freeze these.
I just stumbled across your website while searching for sugar cookie and royal icing recipes; I noticed this no-bake recipe in the sidebar and decided to check it out. I realized I had all of the ingredients in the kitchen, this would take only minutes to make, and I had nothing else in the house for dessert. I ran into the kitchen during a commercial break (OK, plus a few minutes), whipped up a batch, grabbed a couple of warm but firm cookies and threw them at hubby (gotta be nice!), grabbed a couple more for myself, and was back in front of the TV without missing a beat. Awesome, and thank you for the stellar recipe! I know the sugar cookies are going to take me longer, but my success on this recipe will carry me through!
I grew up on these cookies and still love them to this day!! My grandmom always made these at Christmas time, and I’m proud to say continuing the tradition! These definitely are a staple in my cookie bin! :-)
These are Sara’s Candy Cookies, according to my mom’s recipe card. I never knew who Sara was but we sure loved her cookies. Her recipe called for chunky peanut butter, which adds a nice crunch. Try it!
These look great! But what’s a rolling boil?
Hi Dana, Basically, a full boil, not just simmering with little bubbles – big, bubbling bubbles of a boil ;-)
I made these earlier this week for my kids and I. They are AMAZING!!! I chilled them in the refrigerator so they would be so messy for the kids. I was thinking about seeing how they would taste with Rice Krispies instead of Oats also. Kind of like a Star Crunch. I love your website! I am always on here looking for new things to try. One day I plan to make a cookbook of all my baking/cooking creations and favorite recipes for my friends and family.
I made these tonight and they were fantastic! The whole family loved them.
Mama always called these preacher cookies. She said when the preacher would call and say he was on his way over, you had time to whip up these cookies with what you had in your pantry by the time he got to the house.
The recipe for No Bakes that I like uses coconut. Does anyone have that recipe?
No, but I want it! Coconut sounds delish in these!
Also, I’ve tried these w/rice krispies instead of oats but they were just weird. The rice krispies turned chewy in the cookie. Am I doing something wrong?