No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are filled with crunchy oats, creamy peanut butter and satisfying sweetness. You don’t even need to turn on the oven to make these easy homemade cookies.
Looking for a different flavor of no bake cookie? These No-Bake Oatmeal Scotchies are another reader favorite! OR give our avalanche cookies a try.
What are No Bake Cookies
No Bake Cookies are cookies that don’t require any baking in the oven.
They’re made with a combination of ingredients that stick together and hold their shape, without the traditional flour and egg in most baked cookies.
Today’s recipe is a classic No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie, one of the most popular no-bake cookie varieties.
- Delicious chocolate-peanut butter flavor
- Chewy oatmeal cookie texture
- No oven required
If you’re looking for the perfect recipe to make with your kids, give these cookies a shot! It comes together easily and doesn’t involve the hazard of a hot oven, making it a stress-free option for families to make together.
Enjoy these chocolate oatmeal cookies with a big glass of milk. Or be like me and pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee! A cup of our pumpkin cream cold brew coffee would be delicious!
Ingredient Notes
- Cocoa powder – This is the prominent flavor of these chocolate oatmeal no-bakes, so we recommend a good quality brand here.
- Peanut butter – The sticky nut butter holds the ingredients together so the cookies keep their shape. We recommend creamy peanut butter over crunchy for no bake cookies.
- Quick oats – These are a more finely chopped version of rolled oats. The finer texture allows them to absorb more of the liquid in this recipe and makes the cookies soft and chewy.
- Unsalted Butter – You’ll melt this with milk, sugar and the cocoa powder to give the cookies their richness and moisture. Salted butter can also be used, just don’t skip the added salt called for in the recipe.
Easy Instructions
- First, have all your ingredients measured and ready. This comes to a boil quickly, and sets up quickly. Also, lay out your parchment paper on your counter before beginning.
- Next, over medium heat, you’ll combine the sugar, cocoa, milk, and butter. You’ll bring that to a full boil. Boil for only ONE MINUTE.
- Immediately remove from heat and add in the vanilla extract, salt, peanut butter, and oats. Stir until combined.
- Working quickly, drop by large tablespoon onto your parchment paper (I use two spoons). Allow to set, about 20 minutes. Try to not EAT it all as it sets, haha!
- Store in airtight container at room temperature. ENJOY.
PRO TIP: You can even make No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies without the chocolate. They’re quite tasty, especially if you toss in the Reese’s Pieces!
Tips and Tricks
- Enjoy chilled: Store your no bake cookies in the fridge for a refreshing chocolate treat on a hot summer day. We love the flavor even more when they’re cold.
- Storing: You can also store these cookies at room temperature! They keep well at room temperature for about 5 days or up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Mine never last that long because we eat them within a day or two!
- Do not overboil. Set a timer and keep it to one minute. Over cooking the sugars results in crumbly cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Rolled oats can be used but the consistency of the cookies will not be the same. Because the oat grains are larger, they do not absorb the liquid as well and will not be as soft and chewy.
If your no bake cookies are consistently falling apart, you may be overboiling the sugar, milk and butter mixture. Over cooked sugar turns no bake cookies into a crumbly mess.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, under cooking your butter and sugar will cause the cookies to have too much liquid. Similar to making chocolate peanut butter fudge, the temperature has to be just right for perfect cookie texture!
We have made this recipe with both natural peanut butter (the kind you have to stir) and regular peanut butter like Jif and Skippy. It works well with both kinds, so feel free to use whatever you have.
More Cookie Recipes
- Twix Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Lemon Butter Cookies
- Soft Molasses Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Easy Dessert Recipes
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No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 cups quick cook oats
Instructions
- Over medium heat, cook sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute.
- Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, salt, peanut butter, and oats. Stir until combined.
- Drop by tablespoon on parchment paper and cool. Allow to set about 20 minutes.
Notes
- Enjoy chilled: Store your no bake cookies in the fridge for a refreshing chocolate treat on a hot summer day. We love the flavor even more when they’re cold.
- Storing: You can also store these cookies at room temperature! They keep well at room temperature for about 5 days or up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Mine never last that long because we eat them within a day or two!
- Do not overboil. Set a timer and keep it to one minute. Over cooking the sugars results in crumbly cookies.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Video
Nutrition
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are the perfect summer dessert recipe. Whip up a batch in minutes!
My son is vegan and I used plant based butter and almond milk… still wonderful!
Omg! I have not eaten or made these in years. I’m in tears because my Momma used to make these when I was a kid and this recipe took me back to the 70s and her with these everywhere cooling lol. Momma passed last year and it’s amazing how many things bring her to mind. I made a batch but they didn’t set. Oh well still nice I’ll nail it next time.
I like to make cookies for my co-workers. These were easy and they loved them. I’ll continue trying out your recipes on them.
Why does my cookie look dull when they cool. I’d like for them to be nice and shiny like your pictures
Dull cookies is usually a sign of boiling them for too long or on too high of heat. They usually still taste amazing, but they may have lost their shine. Some cocoa powder brands also result in dull cookies.
These are far and away my husbands favorite cookies! The recipe is so easy and he just loves them!
These were one of my favorite cookies as a kid – I haven’t had them in years! I can’t wait to make them this weekend!
I love no bake cookies! I could eat an entire tray myself!
I made up a quick batch of these delightful cookies before my kids came home from school the other day and they were gobbled up in almost no time. Wonderful recipe!
My kids absolutely love these cookies! We are making another batch this weekend!
I always like finding no bake cookies recipes. My girls will love these!
I am saving this recipe to make with my kids! I love no bake cookies!
I would love to print this recipe, but unless I have missed it the first six times I have looked, I can’t find it. Is it printable? I find I am more likely to make something if it is printed rather than going back to find a pin.
Yes there should be a print option right inside the recipe card.
Gotta tell you…these no bakes are called “Preacher Cookies” and here’s why: Many years ago when preachers would visit his members, he would often be invited to stay for a meal. These cookies could be made in just a few minutes and be a perfect dessert to have later after the meal or give him to take with him. Or that’s how the story goes…. in our area (Virginia) they were unheard of until a preacher came to our church from Missouri. The preacher’s wife made them for the youth group (and we LOVED them) and said they were the preacher’s favorite. So, after every mom in the congregation had to get the recipe, we called them Preacher Cookies. Either way, they are always good if they set up! LOL!!!
Please stop your recipes from popping on on my home page!!
I’m assuming you signed up for notifications (It’s not something I can do or stop on my end). You’ll have to unsubscribe, Sorry!
Your cookies look shiny in the picture. Is it because you use regular milk instead of evaporated milk or do you have another secret? My MIL always makes these at Christmas and hers are dull after they set.
The ones that I scoop out first are shiny…and by the end of the batch they are dull, LOL.
I’ve always loved these no-bake cookies and haven’t had them in years! Thanks for the beautiful reminder.
These have been my family’s all time favorite cookie for as long as I can remember!!
Their so easy and so addicting!! I love to sneak one….or two?….while they are still warm.
Now that we are talking about them, I have such a craving for one!
Love no bake cookies!!! Oh and your butterscotch no bake cookies are a family favorite over at my house!! I make them all the time!
The butterscotch are my favorite as well 🙂
I love these cookies! They were the first recipe I learned to make when I was little and the first recipe I memorized. So I have remembered the recipe for over 30 years. I am from a big family and this was one of the treats we made often. I prefer them right from the freezer, but I will take them from the fridge, at room temperature or a hot spoonful straight from the pan. My youngest loves them, but my oldest and husband won’t touch them. More for us. Lol!
How many cookies does the No Bake Chocolate Cookies make ?
A lot, haha!! These are so hard to count because it really depends on how big of a spoonful. Let’s just go with dozens.
I haven’t made this classic in such a long time and they always went over well at get togethers! Funny how when a person starts a blog the automatically think everything has to be made “better” than the original but sometimes a classic just can’t be beat!
Classics are the best. I need to pull out my old recipe book and see what other gems are in there 🙂