If you've never tried no bake cookies before, drop what you're doing and make this recipe ASAP. You'll love these easy, delicious, and addictive treats.
A few weeks ago, I started craving no bake cookies. I don’t know if it was because Halloween’s right around the corner and I’m in the mood for sweets, because I had oats on my mind due to my recent porridge kick, or because peanut butter and chocolate are just so good together. Whatever the reason, I headed to the kitchen to make my first batch of no bake cookies in years.
See, I used to make no bake cookies all the time. Way back before I started Love and Lemons, they were one of my favorite treats to make for Jack and me. The no bake cookie recipe I used then is long gone (I must have clipped it from a magazine?), but this new version is equally crave-worthy, with a rich chocolate and peanut butter flavor and a chewy, oat-y texture.
If you’ve never made no bake cookies before, I have to give you fair warning: these guys are SUPER addictive and dangerously easy to make. They only require a handful of pantry ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. If you make one batch, you’ll end up with another before you know it. 🙂
No Bake Cookie Recipe Ingredients
It only takes 7 ingredients to make these peanut butter no bake cookies rich, chocolatey, and addictive. You likely have most of them in your pantry already! Here’s what you need:
- Whole rolled oats – Many no bake cookie recipes call for quick oats, but I like the yummy chewy texture of old fashioned whole rolled oats in these cookies. Use gluten free oats to make these cookies gluten free.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – You can’t have chocolate no bake cookies without chocolate!
- Creamy peanut butter – It makes these guys super rich and packs them with delectable chocolate and peanut butter flavor.
- Almond milk – Using almond milk makes this recipe vegan, but if you keep another kind of milk on hand, feel free to swap it in. Any milk will do!
- Coconut oil – Refined or virgin coconut oil will work in this recipe, but virgin coconut oil will add a lovely light coconut flavor.
- Maple syrup – I love the bold, complex sweetness of the maple in this recipe. Plus, it makes these cookies refined sugar-free!
- Vanilla extract – The perfect finishing touch! A splash of vanilla adds depth to the rich chocolate flavor in this recipe.
How to Make No Bake Cookies
Once you’ve measured your ingredients, these no bake oatmeal cookies come together in a flash!
First, make the chocolate/peanut butter coating. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat and stir in the cocoa powder, almond milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Bring to a rolling boil and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Don’t boil it longer, or the mixture will become too thick! Remove the pan from the heat.
Then, stir in the oats. Fold the oats into the chocolate mixture until they’re all thoroughly coated.
Next, shape the cookies! Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to dollop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer the sheet to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes, until the cookies are firm. Then, enjoy!
No Bake Oatmeal Cookies Tips
- Make a double batch, and freeze the extras! This recipe isn’t huge – it yields about a dozen small cookies – so feel free to double it if you’re serving a crowd. Store any leftover cookies in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for a few months!
- Make sure that your peanut butter is runny. Look for creamy peanut butter with a smooth consistency to make this recipe, not the dry, stiff peanut butter that you might find at the bottom of the jar. The richness of runny peanut butter is essential for making great no bake cookies!
- Stir in a pinch of salt. If you use unsalted peanut butter, add a pinch of salt to the chocolate mixture before you stir in the oats. It will really make the flavors in this recipe pop! If your peanut butter is already salted, skip the salt, or taste the mixture before adding any extra.
- Add extra chocolate. If you’re making this no bake cookie recipe, my guess is that you’re a fan of chocolate. To give these guys an extra chocolate boost, press a few mini chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie. Yum!!
Looking for more cookie recipes?
If you’re in the mood for baking cookies, try any of these delicious recipes:
- Sugar Cookies
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Lemon Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Orange Zest Shortbread Cookies
- Or give these brownies a try!
No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups whole rolled oats
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the maple syrup, almond milk, cocoa, peanut butter, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the oats. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the batter onto the baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
Notes
Thank you for this recipe! I’m currently 8 months pregnant and appreciated the lack of refined sugar and how QUICK these were to make! Satisfied my craving without the guilt 😀
I’m so glad you loved it – and congratulations!
I use to make these for a friend, but they recently found out they are allergic to coconut. Is there anything I can substitute for the coconut oil that will work just the same?
Hi Emily, is your friend able to eat butter? It’s a good substitute for the coconut oil here.
I have been replacing my dessert at night with one of the no bake cookies or energy balls from your site and I have lost 15 pounds in the past 2 months.
They are delicious and so easy!
My primary care Dr actually told me about your site and I’m so glad!
Thank you!
Hi Erica, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying these!
3rd time making these. I added ground flax, acai, cinnamon and sprinkled Glucomannan powder to add fiber and Omegas. Excellent!
So glad you loved them!
Recipe is perfect for an easy, please-y cookie. Excellent texture, delicious with the coconut / maple / rolled oats and PB. Everything is delish and I made them for some chefs recently, who went for seconds, no question.
I also added flax seed and chia seed for healthy fun!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Hi I’m really allergic to coconut and for most to sweet desserts that are vegan have coconut in them. I was wondering if you could suggest an alternative thank you
Hi, you could use vegan butter, such as Earth Balance, instead of the coconut oil. Hope this helps!
Hello! I just found your website while searching for dairy and white sugar free no bakes. I made this recipe as stated (other than using oat milk) and holy cats, these taste exactly like traditional no bakes! So easy and so good! I am looking forward to exploring your website and IG. Thanks!!
I’m so glad you loved the no bakes! I hope you find some other recipes you love too!
Is it possible to make these with wow butter ir do you have a nut free substitute that you would suggest?
Hi Silas, I’m not familar with wow butter so I”m not sure.
I don’t see any mention of how to store them after. Do they need to stay refrigerated or can they be kept in a container on the counter ? Thanks! My first time doing no bake and they are amazingly delicious!
Hi Laura, I’m glad you are enjoying them! In the fridge – thank you, I’ll add that.
For this recipe are you referring to all natural peanut butter ( nothing added to it) or to processed peanut butter like Skippy or Kraft?
Thank you!
Hi Sandy, natural creamy peanut butter (not Skippy).
Can you use something else rather than coconut oil?
Hi Jen, butter would work instead.
Really yummy easy treat. I enjoyed adding Flax and hemp seeds as per another suggestion. My only qualm was that I found the mixture a bit runny and turned out too sweet for my taste so next time I will use less maple syrup.
I added some chopped up dried cherries (unsweetened) – it balanced out the sweetness and gave it a little twist
Oh yum!
Sorry if this is a dumb question…recipe says melt oil…isn’t the oil already in liquid form…just want to make sure I am using the right stuff
Hi Linda, depending on the temperature of your room (unless it’s very warm), the coconut oil will most likely be in solid form.
Delicious little bites to satisfy my sweet tooth!
Made these on a whim and was extremely happy with how they turned out!
I used PB Fit Peanut butter powder instead of peanut butter (it’s all I had) and added some ground flax seed and hemp hearts for a little extra health kick in there and it turned out great! Will absolutely be making these again! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Those are the exact mods I am looking to do! Did you up the moisture to account for the pb powder or just make a flax egg? Thanks!
I made the right amount of peanut butter with the PB powder and water and then added it into the recipe so I didn’t have to add any other moisture.
Hope this helps! I have made this several more times since then, and it’s always a hit with the family!
Can I bake this recipe?
No, there aren’t baking leaveners, so they won’t bake into cookies, they’ll probably be a bit of a melty mess.
I tried baking these and they turned out amazing, for anyone looking to bake them. Just let them cool before eating!
Hi, for how long can I keep it in the fridge?
Hi Cynthia – about 1 week.
“¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons” …huh? What a curious unit of measurement. But, we are making it now, fingers crossed it will taste as good as described 🙂
Hello. I would like to know if I can use agave syrup instead of maple syrup.
I used the agave and it turned out very nice
Thank you Jack. I made them with maple syrup and they were delicious! Amazing recipe!
At first I tried making these with half the amount of maple syrup as recommended by a few other commenters, and they were definitely NOT sweet enough. With the written amount of maple syrup, the sweetness is perfect.
I used oat milk instead of almond milk, and I didn’t cook the mixture on the stove for the entire 2 minutes. My mixture was starting to look clumpy (and probably burnt) pretty quick, so I think my stove is hotter on medium heat than Jeanine’s.
Anyway, they eventually turned out great!