These quick and easy no bake cookies recipe, homemade with simple ingredients are a classic. These old fashioned no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies are so rich and fudgy with a soft and chewy texture.
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This is one of those recipes that has been passed along countless generations. I am sure your mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers all made these cookies too. Amy yearly Christmas Cookie Boxes would be incomplete without them. Now, I know they are not too pretty to look at but trust me, what they lack in appearance, they make up for it in flavor! They are just as delicious as these Easy Meringue Cookies and these Peanut Butter Blossoms.
Table of contents
Key ingredients for best no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies
- Milk- I like to use whole milk for the most creamy texture.
- Sugar- Be sure to use your every day granulated, table sugar.
- Butter- Use unsalted for best results.
- Cocoa powder- Major key ingredient used for that chocolatey goodness.
- Peanut butter- Using smooth contributes to a nice texture, but you can also use crunchy.
- Oats- Only use the quick cooking kind, not the old fashioned.
- Salt- Even this sweet needs a little savor.
- Vanilla extract- Adds a warm, scrumptious flavor.
Variations
Make cookie sandwiches- By using a filling between two of the cookies, such as Bavarian Cream, Whipped Cream, Dulce de Leche, or marshmallow cream.
Drizzle melted chocolate- On top and toss on some sprinkles for a pop of color.
Drizzle melted butterscotch chips- And drizzle that on top of the cookies once they have set. This gives a subtle caramelized flavor.
Peanut butter can easily be replaced- With any nut butter of your choice. The overall flavor of the cookie will vary accordingly.
Add some espresso powder- For a hint of coffee flavor and they will taste similar to my Coffee Cookies (Espresso Mocha Cookies).
Use other extracts- I added vanilla extract but you can try other flavors for fun. Almond and coconut are both delicious.
Add coconut- You can add ¼ cup desiccated or shredded coconut to enhance the chewy texture of these cookies.
Add espresso powder- To enhance the chocolate flavor even further, you an add ¼ teaspoon espresso powder.
How to make easy classic no bake cookies recipe from scratch?
- Start off by bringing to a boil- The milk, sugar, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan.
- Remove from heat and mix in- Oats, peanut butter, vanilla extract and salt.
- Finally, scoop portions of the mixture- Onto wax paper and let it harden. Enjoy!
Tips and techniques
Only use quick cooking oats- Old fashioned oats don't give the same results.
Use unsalted butter- Because otherwise your cookies can taste too salty.
To make them truly gluten free- Use certified gluten free oats.
Why did my cookies stick to wax paper?- There could be two reasons: 1) The mixture was not cooked long enough and was still very wet 2)Or you need to use a better quality of wax paper.
Set up time- They usually set up in 15-20 minutes but I don't remove them from wax paper until at least 30 minutes have gone by.
Refrigeration is optional- I personally don't refrigerate them and just keep them at room temperature. But there is nothing wrong with keeping them in the fridge.
Not necessarily healthy cookies- I am not really sure I would classify these as healthy cookies. They do have oats and peanut butter which are good for your health but they also have a lot of sugar and butter. Some people have made healthier versions of these cookies with coconut oil and honey or molasses. Honestly, I tried one recipe and didn't like it since it tasted nothing like this classic recipe.
How long to cook- Once the mixture comes to a boil, you cook for 1 minute, while constantly stirring.
Don't overcook the mixture- Because then the cookies will become dry and crumbly.
Don't under cook the mixture- Because then the cookies won't hold their shape properly.
Use crunchy or creamy peanut butter- It all depends on your preference.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Simply replace peanut butter with almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
Try reheating and cooking longer. Add the mixture back into a nonstick saucepan and and bring it to a rolling boil and then let everything cook, while stirring for 1 minute!
If it's still not hardening, then all I can recommend is perhaps baking them until they become crunchy and roughly crushing them. Then, you can use them as a granola topping on ice cream, yogurt, cereal or Yogurt Parfait.
If you don't cook long enough, you will end up with a gooey mess. My friend likes to use a candy thermometer and let the mixture reach 226-228 degrees F and says it works perfectly every time.
The mixture was over-cooked or the measurements of ingredients was not accurate.
Storage
Make ahead- You can make these up to 3-5 days before your event and they will still be yummy.
Room temperature- Just store them in a cookie jar or an air tight container at room temperature and use within 5 days. They never last more than 2 days at my house, though, because they are so tasty!
Refrigerate- You can store these in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freeze- Place in freezer bags to thaw and enjoy up to 1 month later.
More chocolate cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Chocolate Caramel Cookies (Stuffed)
- Chocolate Rolo Cookies
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies (With Cake Mix)
- Chocolate Cherry Cookies (Black Forest Cookies)
Recipe
Classic No Bake Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Milk Whole
- 1 ¾ cups Sugar Granulated
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted
- 4 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- ½ cup Peanut butter Smooth
- 3 cups Oats Quick cooking
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add milk, sugar, butter and cocoa powder and cook at medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
- Then, cook for for exactly 1 minute, while constantly mixing.
- Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, oats, salt and vanilla extract.
- Drop tablespoonfuls on a sheet of wax paper and let the cookies set for 30 minutes or until they harden. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Do not substitute any other type of oats. You must use quick cooking oats!
- Remember that if you cook the mixture for too long, the cookies will become dry and crumbly. If you don't cook long enough, the cookies won't hold their shape properly.
- You can use crunchy or creamy coconut butter. It all depends on your preference.
- You can add ¼ cup desiccated or shredded coconut to enhance the chewy texture of these cookies.
- You an add ¼ teaspoon espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor of these cookies even further.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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