I don’t have any exciting stories of squirrels breaking into my house to share with you today, just a great no-bake cookie recipe. These chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies are quick and simple to toss together, and are the perfect thing for when you want cookies but don’t want to turn the oven on.
My mom made these cookies all the time when I was a kid. Neither of us remember exactly where they came from, so if you’re reading this and you know where they originated, let me know – I’d love to give credit where credit is due. They are chocolatey, peanut buttery, chewy, and oh-so-delicious. They’re also completely addicting – I have always had a hard time not eating them by the handful.
Ugly But Delicious
So they’re not the prettiest cookies, but this is one of those situations where you shouldn’t judge a book (or a cookie) by its cover. You could probably make them prettier – scooping them with a small cookie scoop would make them rounder for instance – but sometimes an ugly cookie is the best kind (case in point – these Ugly But Good Cookies by Smitten Kitchen).
Plus, this is one of those recipes that is meant to be quick and easy, so why complicate things? Just melt the sugar, butter, cocoa powder, and milk, add the peanut butter, and stir in the oats, coconut, and nuts. Then plop them onto a lined cookie sheet by the spoonful, let them cool, and bing, bang, boom, you have cookies!
They’re delicious on their own, but also make an amazing ice cream topping. Just crumble them up, sprinkle them on, and enjoy!
A few notes:
- I like to use natural (unsweetened) peanut butter, because there’s already plenty of sugar in this recipe. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand though.
- These cookies are gluten free (just make sure you use gluten free oats), and could easily be made vegan – just sub vegan butter and non-dairy milk. I haven’t tried the vegan butter, but it should work great. I’ve used both regular milk and almond milk in mine, and both worked.
- I like to add chopped peanuts to these, but you can use any kind of nut you have on hand. Or use chunky peanut butter and skip the nuts.
- I prefer using old fashioned oats because I like the extra chewiness they add, but regular oats will work just fine too. I’m not sure about instant oats – I’m guessing they’d get too mushy.
- You can allow the cookies to cool at room temp, or pop the cookie sheets in the fridge to speed things up.
- You can store these cookies at room temp or in the fridge – whichever you prefer. Personally, I like them cold, so I keep them refrigerated.
- Love the combo of chocolate and peanut butter and want to eat it for breakfast? Try this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola!
I hope you all enjoy these cookies as much as I do. Make up a batch of chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies today to share with friends and fam (or hoard them all for yourself – no judgement).
Happy (No-) Baking!
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 c sugar
- 5 T cocoa powder
- 1/2 c butter
- 1/2 c milk
- 3/4 c peanut butter
- 3 c oats
- 3/4 c coconut
- 1/2 c nuts optional
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk. Bring to a boil, strirring constantly.
- Add peanut butter and stir until melted and well-combined.
- Remove from heat and stir in the oats, coconut, and nuts (if using).
- While still warm, drop by tablespoonful onto parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheets(or use a Silpat liner), leaving an inch or so in between.
- Allow to cool completely (at least an hour), then carefully peel off of parchment.
- Store in an airtight container, separated by parchment or wax paper. Cookies can be kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator (best option in warmer weather).