This Peanut Butter Chocolate No-Bake Cookie recipe has been a staple in my household since a friend shared the recipe with me over a decade ago. These are easy no-bake cookies made with no flour and no eggs and they can be ready in under 30 minutes!
Peanut Butter & Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
These Peanut Butter/Chocolate No Bake Cookies are one of the easiest cookies I’ve ever made. Made without flour and without eggs, they’re a bit different from so many of my other cookie recipes, and taste something like a hybrid between cookie and candy.
A friend shared this no bake cookies recipe with me years ago when I was a kid wanting to bake cookies but without so much as a half cup of flour in the house. I’ve held on to the recipe it ever since and have made it probably hundreds of times.
The scrap of paper that the recipe was scrawled on has since been rendered completely illegible by hundreds of chocolate thumbprints, but over the years I’ve committed it to memory (and made quite a few tweaks because as you know I can’t help myself).
What You Need:
- Oats. I recommend quick oats for this recipe. Quick oats give (in my opinion) a nicer, chewier, less-coarse texture and I prefer them (same reason I prefer them in my Oatmeal Cookies!).
- Peanut Butter. Crunchy or creamy will work, but I don’t recommend using a natural peanut butter (the kind where the oil separates and it needs to be stirred).
- Sugar. I use a blend of white granulated and light brown sugar. I love making no-bake cookies with brown sugar, it adds extra flavor and sets them apart from any other no-bake I’ve tried. Consider it your secret ingredient.
- Milk. I recommend using whole milk and this is all I’ve ever used. Some readers have reported success using 2% milk, skim milk, and almond milk, though!
- Butter. I use salted for this recipe. If you only have unsalted you can add 1/4 teaspoon of salt in with the butter
- Cocoa Powder.
- Vanilla Extract.
I get a lot of requests for flourless or egg-free cookies and this is one that’s incidentally egg free and flour free without sacrificing anything in terms of flavor!
How to Make No-Bake Cookies
This section is intended to supply you with a visual (though you can also check out the video in the post). All of the measurements and details you need are in the recipe below, but here I”m going through the steps as they correspond to my photo collage above:
- Combine butter milk, sugars, and cocoa powder and stir well.
- Stir over low heat until butter is completely melted.
- Once butter is melted, increase heat to medium (do not crank up the heat to speed up the process!) and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly. Boil (still stirring) for one minute and then remove from heat.
- Add peanut butter and vanilla extract and stir until completely combined.
- Add oats and stir until they are all completely coated in chocolate.
- Drop by heaping tablespoon onto a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet. Allow to cool completely before enjoying.
The one minute of boiling is critical. If you don’t boil for one minute, your cookies may not ever set up and you’ll have gooey peanut butter/chocolate puddles instead of firm peanut butter chocolate no-bakes. If you boil for too long, the cookies are liable to end up dry and crumbly. I highly recommend using a timer!
FAQs
Do No Bake Cookies Need to be Refrigerated?
No, they do not need to be refrigerated. No Bake Cookies should be stored in an airtight container and will last about a week at room temperature. If you prefer to refrigerate them you can (still in an airtight container) and they will last longer, but refrigeration is not necessary.
Can You Use Old Fashioned Oats Instead of Instant Oats?
Yes. I prefer to use quick oats because I like the texture best, but you can substitute old fashioned oats, and you would use the same amount of oats as is called for in the recipe.
Can I Leave Out the Cocoa Powder?
Yes, the cocoa powder can be left out (without any substitution) and the cookies will be fine. Of course, they will not have the chocolate taste though (I shouldn’t have to say this, right?).
Can I Leave Out the Peanut Butter?
Yes, the peanut butter can be left out and the cookies will still turn out.
Why are My Cookies Dry and Crumbly or Why Did my No-Bake Cookies Not Set Up?
If your cookies turned out dry and or crumbly, then most likely they boiled for too long or the heat was too high while they were cooking.
If your no-bake cookies did not firm up, most likely they did not boil for long enough. These cookies are more of a cookie/candy hybrid than a true cookie, and as with some of my candy recipes (like my peanut brittle) the humidity can also affect how the cookies turn out. If you try to make these on a humid day you will probably need to boil them for a bit longer.
Enjoy!
More Peanut Butter/Chocolate Recipes You Might Like:
No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces (113g)
- ½ cup whole milk¹ (120ml)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (200g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (25g)
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter² (165g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups instant/quick oats³ (285g
Instructions
- Prepare two cookie sheets by lining with wax paper and set aside.
- Combine butter, milk, sugars, and cocoa powder in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Don't bump up the heat to speed up the process or you run the risk of your ingredients not combining properly and your cookies not setting properly.
- Stir ingredients frequently until butter is completely melted (I recommend using a long wooden spoon as a metal spoon can become really hot).
- Increase heat to medium and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
- Boil, still stirring constantly, for 1 minute (I recommend using a timer, see post for more details on why it's important to not over or under-boil) then remove from heat. Continue to stir the mixture for several seconds.
- Add peanut butter and vanilla extract, stirring until peanut butter is completely combined and melted into the mixture.
- Add oats and stir until coated in chocolate.
- Drop no bake cookie mixture by approximately 1 ½-2 Tablespoon-sized spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
- Allow to cool (approximately 20-30 minutes) before serving, the cookies will harden as they cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 03/16/2018 I’ve added additional tips, tricks, photos, and notes 11/1/2019. The recipe remains the same (just with more helpful hints)!
Linda Vasconcelos
I made these this week they are easy and really nice, but they are definitely more of a chocolate than a cookie.
Tania
Always a favorite at my house!!
JUDY HALL
I always use a small cookie scoop when I make no bake cookies have never tried with brown but I’m gonna try now
JEff
Good Good
Lori
They turned out SO GOOD!! 🙂
Nicole
Recipe is perfect! I doubled it, and it still turned out with the perfect combination of setting up well and still being moist and creamy! This one is a keeper. Thank you for the advice of setting the timer for the boil; I think this made the difference.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Nicole! 🙂
JEff
Good Good
Ben
Perfect recipe!
???
I would like to give advice, my great grandma always did this recipe and here’s some tips.
Use a separate boil for oats peanut butter and all the the dry ingredients
Then make the chocolate like thing with your coco powder and ingredients in a pan on the stove.
Wait a second for chocolate to cool down and do not bring to a full boil you might burn it.
Then dump it into your dry ingredients and stir last off the more peanut butter the better!
Heather
This recipe is excellent, and easy enough that even I had no problems. They turn out wonderful every time! On a whim, I decided tonight to experiment substituting Nutella for the peanut butter. They turned out great!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Heather! 🙂
Margaret
Has anyone tried this with a diabetic variation or half the amount of sugar? I have always made this growing up at my Grandma’s house. I love them…!