These 7-ingredient no bake cookies are filled with oats, peanut butter, and cocoa powder. They're chewy, fudgy, and easy to make—no oven required!
Who else loves no bake cookies?! Made with simple ingredients like oats, peanut butter, and cocoa powder, these classic treats are chewy, fudgy, and packed with delicious chocolate peanut butter flavor. They’re also easy to whip up on the stovetop—no oven required!
I’ve been making this no bake cookies recipe on repeat lately for two reasons. Reason #1: It’s great for making with kids! My four-year-old Ollie loves mixing and scooping the dough. Reason #2: You don’t have to turn on the oven. On a hot summer day, these no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies are the best way to satisfy a cookie craving. Try them the next time you’re in the mood for something sweet. I think you’ll love them!
No Bake Cookies Ingredients
This chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies recipe calls for 7 simple ingredients:
- Oats! They give these cookies their signature chewy texture. I love to use whole rolled oats (aka old fashioned oats) here, but you can substitute quick-cooking oats if that’s what you keep on hand. The whole rolled oats make these cookies extra-chewy.
- Peanut butter – Feel free to use any creamy peanut butter you like. I typically use natural peanut butter, but conventional peanut butter works here too. If you go the natural route, make sure the peanut butter is runny and well-stirred, not chunky or dry.
- Cocoa powder – It gives these cookies their rich chocolate flavor and helps bind them together. Regular and Dutch-process cocoa powder both work.
- Granulated sugar – For sweetness.
- Milk – Any kind you like! I’ve had success using almond milk and whole milk in this recipe.
- Unsalted butter – It adds richness and helps the cookies set.
- And vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make No Bake Cookies
This no bake cookies recipe has four simple steps:
- Boiling the sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa powder
- Adding the peanut butter, vanilla, and oats
- Scooping the cookies
- Letting them cool completely and set
Start by boiling the chocolate mixture. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar, milk, and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, then bring the mixture to a rolling boil, with bubbles forming across the mixture’s entire surface.
Boil for 2 minutes, reducing the heat as needed if the mixture looks like it’s going to boil over. This process thickens the chocolate mixture so that it can bind the cookies together.
Next, add the peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. The peanut butter might look slightly separated at first, but as you continue to stir, the chocolate mixture will become thick and smooth. Add the oats and mix until well combined.
Then, form the cookies. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the oat mixture onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If you like, you can flatten the oat mounds to get more of a “cookie” shape.
Chill the cookies in the refrigerator until firm, 30 minutes or more.
That’s it!
How to Store No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
This recipe uses slightly more peanut butter and slightly less sugar than most, so the cookies come out a bit gooier. As a result, they’re best kept in the fridge. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Let frozen cookies thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or let them sit at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skimp on the boiling time. Set a timer and let the mixture go for a full 2 minutes! If you don’t boil the mixture long enough, the cookies won’t set up.
- Variations are fair game. Replace the peanut butter with almond butter, or make a nut-free variation by subbing in sunflower seed butter. I also love adding chocolate chips to this recipe. Stir in a few when you add the oats. They’ll melt slightly, making the cookies extra-fudgy and delicious!
More Easy Cookie Recipes
If you love these no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, try one of these easy cookie recipes next:
- Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Or any of these 17 Easy Cookie Recipes!
Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, sliced into pats
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ÂĽ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Âľ cup creamy peanut butter*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups whole rolled oats
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, milk, and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Bring to a rolling boil, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a full boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and stir until smooth, then add the oats and mix until well combined. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the oat mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, flattening the cookies slightly if desired.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to firm up. The cookies will become firmer the longer they chill.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Quick and delicious! It was my first experience making no-bake and this recipe is definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad you loved them!
Super simple recipe to make , great recipe to make ahead and perfect for those who have food allergies.
I’m so glad you loved them!
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.
“ÂĽ 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!