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No-Bake Cookies

Chocolatey, buttery, nutty little nuggets of joy, no-bake cookies are minutes of work and yield days of delight!

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a stack of no-bake cookies on the counter made with Milk, Butter, Cocoa powder, Sugar, Oats, Peanut butter, Vanilla and Salt

Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies Are As Just Awesome & Easy as They Sound

Chewy, nutty, chocolatey no-bake cookies are just the best. They’re insanely easy and they hit every cookie craving we have—they have an oaty, dense texture and are chockablock full of peanut butter, butter and cocoa. They’re sweet enough to please the kids, but kissed with just enough salt to suit our grown up tastes, too. As an after school snack or emergency treat delivery for a friend in need, they are just generally awesome. We’ve cooked up an exceptionally flexible, easy no-bake cookie recipe, one that’ll hopefully allow you to use what you’ve got at home already to cook up a batch of no-bake cookies that’ll satisfy even the most demanding sweet tooth.

Milk, Butter, Cocoa powder, Sugar, Oats, Peanut butter, Vanilla and Salt in bowls on the counter to make no-bake cookies
sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder in a sauce pan for no-bake cookies
sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder being simmered in a sauce pan for no-bake cookies
sugar, milk, butter cocoa powder, oats, peanut butter, vanilla and sea salt being stirred together in a saucepan

What Are No-Bake Cookies Made Of?

Like we mentioned, this no-bake cookie recipe was created with flexibility in mind, meaning we’ve tried to give you some ingredient options when possible. We think that a pinch of flaky salt sprinkled on top of the finished no-bake cookies makes them totally divine, but if you don’t have it, skip it! No biggie. If you want your no-bake cookies to be extra peanutty, use chunky peanut butter. If you want the oats to be the textural star, use smooth. But whichever peanut butter you choose, be sure to not—repeat not!—use a ‘natural’ peanut butter. The smoother texture of the non-natural peanut butters (we’re talking about Jif or Skippy) works better here. OK! Now that you know all about these cookies, here’s what you’ll need to make our no-bake cookie recipe:

  • Milk

  • Butter

  • Cocoa powder

  • Sugar

  • Oats

  • Peanut butter

  • Vanilla

  • Salt

peanut butter and chocolatey no-bake cookie batter in a saucepan being stirred with a wooden spoon

How To Make No-Bake Cookies

A bit like making fudge, chocolate no-bake cookies can also be thought of as stovetop cookies! The cooking process simply happens on the stove instead of in the oven, and somehow feels easier than traditional baked cookies for reasons that we can’t quite explain. Here’s how to make classic no-bake cookies:

  1. Cook! Gently simmer together the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder for four minutes.

  2. Dough! Fold in the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and sea salt, and let it cool a bit and cohere.

  3. Scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.

  4. Chill! It'll take about two hours for the cookies to be firm & ready to eat.

peanut butter and chocolatey no-bake cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet topped with flaky sea salt and raw sugar
peanut butter and chocolatey no-bake cookies topped with flaky sea salt and raw sugar on the counter

Tools You’ll Need

More Delicious, Easy Cookie Recipes to Try

peanut butter and chocolatey no-bake cookies topped with flaky sea salt and raw sugar on the counter
peanut butter and chocolatey no-bake cookies topped with flaky sea salt and raw sugar on the counter

Fill That Cookie Jar!

This might be the perfect cookie recipe for those of us who are more comfortable with cooking than baking. It’s a cookie that you, well, COOK instead of bake! And it’s very forgiving, too. Loaded with butter, chocolate and peanut butter, what could possibly go wrong? If you make this no-bake cookie recipe, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

No-Bake Cookies

  • Serves: 20
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  5 min
  • Calories: 187

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup crunchy (or smooth) peanut butter (not natural)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp raw sugar, optional
  • Flaky salt, optional

Method

  1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment or wax paper, set aside.

  2. In a medium pot set over medium heat, combine the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring often until the cocoa powder and sugar have fully dissolved, about 4 minutes total. Remove from heat.

  3. Stir the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and sea salt until the no-bake cookie batter looks uniform.

  4. Let the dough cool slightly in the pot for 15 minutes.

  5. Drop scoops of dough of about 2 tablespoons each onto the prepared baking sheets. You can leave them round or gently flatten them, whatever you prefer. You should have about 18-20 cookies.

  6. Sprinkle the cookies with raw sugar and flaky salt, if you’d like to.

  7. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill the no-bake cookies until they’re very firm and lift easily away from the parchment paper, about 2 hours.

  8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories187
  • Protein3 g
  • Carbohydrates28 g
  • Total Fat8 g
  • Dietary Fiber2 g
  • Cholesterol13 mg
  • sodium92 mg
  • Total Sugars19 g

No-Bake Cookies

Questions & Reviews

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  • Karle Ann Levinson

    I happen to have Buttermilk on hand, but no whole milk. Wonder what that would taste like?! Thoughts?

    WE Wouldn't recommend buttermilk in this recipe, much too sour.

  • Tori Bergstrom

    Why not natural peanut butter? And if so, what brand do you recommend? Thank you!

    Natural is too oily for this recipe. Any brand will do, hope you enjoy!

  • Allecia

    Can I use regular dry oats instead of the "quick-cooking"?

    We haven't tried it with regular oats we suggest using the quick-cooking since we couldn't vouch for it.

  • Jenn

    These were BOMB! So easy and so delicious! I will definitely be making them again and again!

    Thanks Jenn, we are so glad you enjoyed them!