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Get a quick chocolate peanut butter fix with these delicious No Bake Cookies. From start to finish, they take less than 15 minutes to make.
No Bake Cookies are my go-to treat when I’m short on time, but still want a tasty homemade cookie to serve or to eat. 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!
How to Make No Bake Cookies
Chances are, you have every ingredient you need to whip up a batch of our no bake cookies right now. Once you’ve gathered everything together, here are the steps:
- Measure out the quick oats, peanut butter, and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Don’t stir them together, simply set the bowl aside for now. Spread a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, or on a clean countertop to prepare for the cookies.
- Next, add salted butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa to a heavy saucepan. I prefer using 2% or whole milk. I feel this helps the cookies set up better. Stir constantly over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a full boil, set a timer for one minute. After a minute, remove from heat. At this point you can either add the ingredients from the mixing bowl to the saucepan, or pour the hot mixture from the saucepan into the mixing bowl. You need to move quickly and stir everything together until it is well blended.
- I like to have an extra set of hands in the kitchen to help with this step – the kids or my husband are usually very willing. Using two spoons, or a cookie dough scoop, swiftly scoop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper to form the cookies.
- The cookies will set as they cool. Depending on the temperature and humidity in your kitchen, this can take anywhere between 10-20 minutes. Keeping everyone away from the cookies as they cool is the most difficult step in this recipe!
Tips for the Perfect No Bake Cookie
Set a timer! 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.
Stick with real sugar. 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.
Use quick-cooking oats. 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 thicker and chewier. 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.
Ways to store. Keep these cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week. They freeze beautifully for up to three months.
Add-in options. If you do want to add a little something extra, you could toss in chopped nuts or coconut to give the no bake cookies an extra dimension.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free oats. Not all oats are gluten-free so be sure to check the packaging before preparing these cookies 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. They will continue to set up and harden as they cool.
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:
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.
This is my favorite recipe, you have to measure and follow recipe exactly how it is written. ❤️😊
very happy with this recipe! Thank you!!
Haven’t made these yet , I was wondering if I don’t add coco will it make a difference
to the recipe? my husband doesn’t like chocolate.
This recipe won’t turn out without the cocoa powder, but I have a recipe for no bake cookies without chocolate!
1 1/2 C quick-cooking oats
3/4 C coconut flakes
1/2 C chopped peanuts
1/4 C butter
1/2 C evaporated milk
1 C sugar
3/4 C chunky peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
Mix oats, coconut, and peanuts. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, and sugar. Bring to a boil and stir for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and mix thoroughly. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto waxed paper. Let stand for about an hour until set.
Quick and easy. For those who have problems with peanuts, substitute cookie butter.
I doubled the recipe, was low on butter so I did half butter and half shortening. I also added tsp of peppermint extract as I made after Christmas.
As long as you cook/boil as directed, these are Amazing and easy to make cookies. They don’t last in our home, so haven’t had the chance to store in fridge or freezer. Thank you for sharing.
Very easy and very tasty
Very easy recipe, love chocolate so this recipe is great!
Finding this recipe has been a lifesaver for those times in which people had arrived without notice and I have nothing ready to offer. Just a couple of minutes later… deliciousness all around XD
Truly the best no bake cookies.
MMMM!! Looks so good and easy to prepare. Will be trying these soon.
Love theses cookies- so quick and easy! Delicious with coconut added .
These are quick easy go to cookies , kids can help, everyone loves them, we like to roll into balls and when firm and cool dip in chocolate and roll in crushed peppermint candy canes for Christmas!!! Or sprinkles!
the best there is was my mother in laws recipe every one loves them
These are our favorite! My recipe has 1/2 cup of cocoa and it’s perfect. I am going to try adding raisins or coconut next time for a different version. I’ve tried chopped pecans and couldn’t even tell the pecans were in them
Easy and Yummy!
Since I was a child, this has always been my favorite cookie. This quick and easy recipe taste just like my mother’s cookie recipe, but easier to make! Thank you for sharing with us!
Merci beaucoup!
Mark
WOW! Quick, easy and YUMMY!
This is a great recipe 🙂
I absolutely love these cookies! Makes up quick, a few ingredients and no baking. Clean up is easy because I don’t need to use a bunch of pans, utensils, etc. These are my go to when I want something quick and tasty.