Peanut butter no bake cookies with old fashioned oats

These No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are quick and easy treats that are wonderfully simple and SO delicious! You only need a handful of simple ingredients and under an hour of your time to make a batch of these no bake cookies.

Peanut butter no bake cookies with old fashioned oats

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

“No bake.” Those are two of my favorite words ever! As much as I love baking, sometimes it can be really nice to not have to worry about preheating and all that jazz. Besides just being super easy to whip up a batch of, these cookies are also perfect because of how delectable they are. Chocolate and peanut butter anything – yes please!

With flavors of chocolate and peanut butter all combined with old-fashioned rolled oats, these cookies are hard to pass up on. They’re chewy, thick cookies that hit the spot every time. And if you have little ones in the house, they’ll love helping make them! While it’s technically best to use tools that don’t make a mess, it’s also fun to get your hands a little dirty when making these no bake cookies, especially if you’re making them with the kids.

I love making no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies all year long. They’re perfect for cookie exchanges around Christmas, goodie bags during Halloween, and as a chocolatey treat on a summer night. I mean really, what time of the year isn’t made sweeter with chocolate and peanut butter?! Once you taste how chewy and delicious these cookies are, you’ll also be craving them 24/7 like me!

Peanut butter no bake cookies with old fashioned oats

How to Make Them

The joys of no bake recipes are unparalleled. No preheating, no warming up the whole kitchen, and no waiting forever for the cookies to bake! These cookies are almost too easy to be true.

Prepare. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.

Boil. Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for 1 minute.

Stir. Remove from the heat once it boils for a minute. Then add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.

Cool. Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes.

Peanut butter no bake cookies with old fashioned oats

How long will these no bake cookies stay fresh?

In an airtight container in the fridge, these easy cookies will stay fresh for up to 3 days. While I enjoy them cold right out of the fridge, you can also let them adjust to room temperature for about 20 minutes before enjoying if you’d prefer.

Can I add anything else to this simple recipe?

I think these cookies have the perfect amount of sweet flavors and chewy texture. However, there are quite a few things you can switch up or add to really make them your own! Here are just a few ideas –

  • Add chopped peanuts for additional peanut taste and a delightful crunch. However, you may need to add a little bit more butter and milk to keep the consistency just right.
  • Make these no bake cookies vegan by swapping out the regular dairy milk for a plant based alternative, like almond or oat milk.
  • If you want to make these cookies even sweeter, try adding a tablespoon of dark brown sugar to the mix! Of course, you could always add an extra splash of vanilla extract as well.
  • Salted or unsalted butter both work well in this recipe, it’s really just up to what you prefer. Salted butter gives the sweet ingredients a nice balance of salty and sweet, while unsalted butter goes pretty undetected and helps only with the consistency, not the flavor of the cookies.
Peanut butter no bake cookies with old fashioned oats

Give your oven a rest with these easy no bake recipes. Your electric bill will thank you!

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Peanut butter no bake cookies with old fashioned oats

Get the Recipe: No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Sweet, chocolatey, easy No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are the simple, stir and drop cookie that's quick to make. So fool proof the kids can almost make them themselves!

4.60 from 10 votes

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment

  • baking sheet

Instructions 

  • Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.

  • Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for until the mixture comes to 230˚F on an instant read thermometer or candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

  • Add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.

  • Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes.

  • Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Video

https://youtu.be/2Ge3xmvqnvEVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Recipe (https://youtu.be/2Ge3xmvqnvE)

Why do my No bake cookies turn out gooey?

Most recipes online say to cook for 1 minute, but this always produced overly soft, sticky, gooey cookies for me that never firmed up. You really need to cook the sugar mixture at least 2 minutes. Humidity can also affect the boil time. So, if your cookies are too soft, boil the sugar an extra 15-20 seconds next time.

Why won't my No bake Oatmeal cookies won't Harden?

Boil them longer if the cookies are too wet or won't set. If the cookies are still not thick enough, add more oats. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the sugar's temperature. Remove sugar from heat once it reaches 235 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why are my No bake Oatmeal cookies dry?

A: Chances are if the no-bakes turned out dry and crumbly it was because you overcooked them. While we call them cookies, oatmeal no-bakes are really more of a confection or fudge with oats stirred in. When it comes to candy, the longer it is cooked, the drier and harder it becomes.

Why did my No bake cookies not set?

Why did my cookies not set? The main reason that chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies don't set up is because the mixture did not boil long enough. Make sure to wait and set your timer once the mixture comes to a rolling boil.