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No Bake Cookies are a great way to save time and money when you’re looking for an easy dessert. They’re also a great option if you don’t have access to an oven and they’re also perfect for last-minute get-togethers.
No Bake Cookies are super easy to make and customize with your favorite add-ins. Whether it’s nuts or raisins, or just plain chocolate chips, these cookies aren’t fussy about what goes into them!
If you want to keep your No Bake Cookies fresher for longer, you’ll need to know how long they’ll last in the fridge, or how long they can be frozen before they start going stale. We’ve put together a list of tips on how to store and how to freeze No Bake Cookies so you can enjoy them for as long as possible!
Easy No Bake Cookies
No Bake Cookies are such a yummy treat to make when you’re pressed for time or just want a little something sweet right now. Our easy no bake cookies recipe is made with simple pantry ingredients, like creamy peanut butter and quick-cooking oats, and they come together in under 15 minutes. My kids love them as an after-school snack with a tall glass of cold milk. My husband whips them up on a lazy weekend afternoon as we’re playing board games or watching movies. And no bake means you don’t need to heat up the house with your oven. Just a little stove top stirring and you’re done!
Ingredients Needed for No Bake Cookies
Chances are, you have every ingredient you need to whip up a batch of our no bake cookies right now! Here’s all you need:
- Butter – I like to use real butter, unsalted, to cut down on sodium, but you can use margarine, coconut oil, or whatever you have on hand.
- White Sugar – regular granulated sugar helps the cookies set up nicely.
- Milk – skim or whole milk work great as dairy options!
- Cocoa powder – unsweetened powder or Dutch-press cocoa.
- Vanilla extract – just a teaspoon vanilla extract adds a rich depth of flavor to the cookies.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – for extra texture, you can try crunchy peanut butter too.
- Rolled oats – use quick-cooking oats for best results. You can use old fashioned oats, but they will work best in this recipe if slightly blended into smaller pieces.
- Salt – a dash of regular or kosher salt will enhance the flavor of the chocolate mixture.
How To Store No Bake Cookies
- No bake cookies do not NEED to be refrigerated, but they can be if you prefer. Refrigerator space is sparse in my house, so I like to just keep them on the counter in a large, airtight Tupperware.
- To keep them from sticking together, place the cookies on a single layer in the container, then add a layer of wax or parchment paper over the top before adding the next layer of cookies.
- You can store no bake cookies at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container before they start losing quality.
How to Freeze No Bake Cookies
Yes, you can freeze no bake cookies! Just spoon out the mixture on a large prepared baking sheet with a cookie scoop and place the cookies in the freezer until frozen (one to two hours).
Once frozen, place them in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag and freeze for up to two months. To thaw, just place cookies in a single layer on a pan at room temperature until thawed and ready to eat.
Tips for the Perfect No Bake Cookie
- When boiling the butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa you want to make sure to boil it long enough that the no bake cookies will set up properly, but not too long or the cookies will turn out dry, hard, and crumbly. Follow the directions in the recipe card below for the perfect cooking times.
- Try to avoid switching out ingredients in our no-bake cookies. Many recipes can swap out sugar for sugar substitutes, but these cookies need the real thing to cook up right. Everything in moderation, right? Enjoy a cookie and eat a salad later.
- If you do want to add a little something extra, you could toss in chopped nuts, coconut, or even mini chocolate candies to give the no bake cookies an extra dimension.
- Quick oats work best in this no-bake cookie recipe. You can use old fashioned oats, but they don’t cook as quickly so the texture will be a little off. To avoid this, blend old fashioned oats for a few seconds in the blender. The smaller oats will cook and taste better for these cookies.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week. They freeze beautifully for up to three months.
- Each no bake cookie should be about a tablespoon or so. You can use a regular spoon or a cookie scoop to make perfectly sized no bake oatmeal cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions for No Bake Cookies
They are gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free oats. Not ALL oats are GF so be SURE to check the packaging before preparing for someone who can’t have gluten. Otherwise, all the other ingredients are gluten-free and you are good to go!
This happens when the sugar/butter mixture isn’t boiled long enough. It should be at a full boil for one minute. Make sure you allow the cookies to cool for a full 30 minutes. You can chill the cookies after this to help them harden if needed.
You will have the opposite result, the cookies will be hard and crumbly. The boiling time needs to be exact for the best result.
More No Bake Recipes
When you’re looking to whip up something quick without the oven, yet still wow guests with gorgeous treats, we have more no bake recipes to choose from! Here are a few of our favorites:
How to Make No Bake Cookies
No Bake Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup peanut butter creamy or crunchy
- 3 1/2 cups quick oats
Instructions
- Measure out oats, peanut butter, and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Don't mix.
- Mix butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa together in a heavy saucepan and bring to a full boil. Allow to boil for one full minute (set a timer). Remove from heat.
- Quickly stir in the rolled oats, peanut butter, and vanilla.
- Drop by spoonfuls or cookie scoop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or wax paper as quickly as possible. Cool 20-30 minutes.
Notes
Recipe tips:
- Measure ingredients exactly to get best results.
- Watch boiling time carefully to get best results.
- Use a quality unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor.
- Any nut butter can be substituted for peanut butter.
- Optional additions: ¼ cup coconut, chocolate chips, chopped nuts.
- Store no bake cookies at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
- Place cookies in an airtight container or a Ziplock bag and freeze for up to two months.
LOVE THESE!!!!
I made these this morning ,they turned out perfect thank you. I would like to be on your mailing list.
Thank you so much! You can subscribe to our mailing list if you go to out home-page and scroll about half-way down– it is on the right sidebar. 🙂 Thanks again!
A cube (or stick) = 1/2 c.
A friend of mine says that if it is too humid, the cookies may not set.
That is probably right— we have lived only in pretty dry climates and they seem to set up quite well. Let me know if you have difficulty with it setting in a more humid climate
I’ve been making these for my whole life love them
Just made these and they are very chocolately and good! However mine didn’t set completely. How long do they normally take to set? I just stuck them in the freezer for a bit hoping that helps.
It usually doesn’t take that long – about 15 minutes. If they aren’t setting up, they may not have cooked long enough. I hope the freezer trick worked!
A friend of mine told me that if it is too humid, the cookies may not set.
I used to have that issue too. Now I mix together peanut butter and oats in a separate bowl first before I heat the chocolate mix. Then, after the choc mix is done (boiling for 1 min), I pour it into oats and PB. This way I control the chocolate (and normally have a small bit left over). They will start to set as you mix them so drop quick!
Tried it without peanut butter and it is toooo sweet! Will try again with a bit less sugar and a bit more oats.
You’ll have to let us know how it turns out… it’s hard to find a good substitute for peanut butter!
can peanut butter be eliminated in this recipe? my 7 year old boy is allergic to peanut butter.
You could probably use cookie butter or nutella instead. Haven’t tried it but that would be my best guess!
posted this on wrong comment 🙂 just an fyi, sunflower butter and soy nut butter are excellent substitutes for peanut butter, I have a peanut allergic son as well.
Thank you for the substitution ideas!
There is a recipe for just chocolate/oatmeal no bake cookies, basically same without the p.b. ( my son is also allergic to nuts) check pinterest
Hi, instead of oats are there any other alternative I can use? Cause I was thinking of trying it, but kids aint too fond of oats.
Hmmm I don’t know what to recommend with this one… you can use quick oats and they absorb the chocolate a little more.
They’ll never know unless you tell them.
My mom calls these reindeer poop! I put coconut in mine too….my family loves these
Thanks for yet another great recipe! In the past, I’ve had problems with the sugar in my cookies crystallizing or becoming too dry. Someone recently told me you have to boil them for exactly 1 minute so when I found your recipe last week, I was happy to see you included that in the instructions. True to form, you’ve provided another great recipe. I used dark cocoa powder as it was all I had on hand and they turned out soft and delicious and perfect; the best batch I’ve ever made!
These cookies are a happy memory of my husband`s childhood. I had lost the recipe, so thank you for the post. I will make them this afternoon. Awesome website.
My mom always calls these fudge drops! Soooo yummy when they are first made hot and fresh!
@houseofpeters–
yes, 1 cube = 1 stick = 1/2 c.
is that half a cup
Yes 🙂
Quick question – when you say a cube of butter, do you mean the whole stick or what measurement exactly?? Thanks!
i made these last night for my roomates, they were amaazing!! I also have started a food blog, id love for you to check it out.. 🙂
Oooh, I like this kind of no bake cookie that has few ingredients. Similar to these cookies I think.
Man, these were so good, my husbands favorite. I had lost the recipe, so he is really glad to have this one back.
I like to press the hot mixture (using a spoon of course) into cookie cutters. That way you can make it into different shapes.
These are my all-time favorite! Comfort food. LOVE it!!!