A tried and true recipe for no-bake cookies made with peanut butter and oats topped with an easy cocoa drizzle.
Brutus' favorite food in the whole wide world is a No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie. When he sweetly asked me to make some for his school lunches I assured him that I would.
That youngin is so sweet I would have written him a check too if he'd asked me.
I popped into the kitchen to whip up a batch and realized that I was almost out of cocoa.
Well... what to do? I thought I'd try them without the cocoa (making a few alterations to my recipe to account for that).
And I'm so glad I did because I LOVE these like this! Then I decided to use the rest of my cocoa to make a little chocolate drizzle! I can't wait for him to try one after supper!
UPDATE: I first posted this recipe in 2012 and I want to let y'all know that I still love it!!
I top the cookies with the chocolate drizzle OR sometimes I place a few candies on top (like Reese's Pieces and M&Ms).
NEW: Check out my recipe for No-Bake Monster Cookies which uses this same recipe as a base!
If you love no-bake desserts, check out a few of these recipes too!
- Paula Deen's Banana Pudding - The iconic recipe made with cream cheese and butter shortbread cookies that's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding!
- No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake - An easy pumpkin cheesecake recipe made with cream cheese, pumpkin and pumpkin spice.
- Pig Pickin' Pie - A refreshing and easy pie made with crushed pineapple like the frosting of the classic Pig Pickin' Cake.
- Butterfinger Pie - The original recipe with Butterfinger candy bars, cream cheese, vanilla and whipped cream topping.
- Chocolate Nutter Butter Icebox Cake - A chocolate layered dessert with peanut butter cookies, whipped cream and peanut butter drizzle like a chocolate peanut butter lasagna!
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Icebox Cake - An easy no-bake layered dessert with graham crackers, cheesecake filling and fresh strawberries.
- Italian Bakeless Cake - A layered dessert with pineapple, vanilla wafers, cool whip, coconut and cherries.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 32-36 Cookies
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 5 Mtotal time: 15 M
A tried and true recipe for no-bake cookies made with peanut butter and oats topped with an easy cocoa drizzle.
ingredients:
Cookies
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 stick REAL butter (1/2 cup)
- 2 cups sugar
- Dash of salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cocoa Drizzle
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons milk
instructions:
How to cook No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Cookies
- Line a work surface with parchment paper. Add the quick-cooking oats to a large mixing bowl then set aside.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar, salt and milk then bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once boiling, cook mixture for 1 full minute. Remove from heat immediately. Do not let mixture boil longer than 1 minute.
- Add peanut butter and vanilla to the saucepan then stir until peanut butter is melted. Pour mixture into the mixing bowl with oats then gently stir until well combined.
- Cool 10 minutes then top with Cocoa Drizzle
Cocoa Drizzle
- Combine ingredients then mix well.
NOTES:
If you don’t have parchment paper, a clean, dry counter will work as well but you may need a spatula to move the cookies.
No-bake cookies can be persnickety. If you don’t boil the mixture long enough, they won’t set up. If you boil it too long, they will be crumbly. The recipe below is exactly how I make all my no-bake cookies. Follow it and you should be A-OK.
Only use real butter.
No-bake cookies can be persnickety. If you don’t boil the mixture long enough, they won’t set up. If you boil it too long, they will be crumbly. The recipe below is exactly how I make all my no-bake cookies. Follow it and you should be A-OK.
Only use real butter.
Did you make this recipe?
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Brilliant! I'm rarely without cocoa and always keep the ingredients for my favorite cookies on hand, but these look so good I think I'll try them "blonde" next time on purpose. Love the idea!
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful! some of my favorite flavors all in a no-bake cookie= will be trying these w/the kiddos.
ReplyDeleteThey look mouth-watering!!! Truly favorite flavors all in one beautiful cookie. Thanks so much for linking up to Weekend Potluck!
ReplyDeleteThese look amazing. So glad I came across the recipe! :)
ReplyDeleteJust made these, they are cooling on the counter. I melted some milk chocolate chips and drizzled them on top since I don't have any powdered sugar. I hope they are good! They sure look and smell yummy.
ReplyDeleteI just got done making these. Mine were kind of runny so I spooned it into tiny muffin tins. In the fridge now, Wonder how they will be in the am. I am eating the extra right now, yum warm melted peanut butter n oatmeal. Thanks for the recipe
ReplyDeleteDon't know what kind of butter you used, but when I use tub butter they don't set up like with stick butter. Love 'em better that way though!
Deleteyum
DeleteI made these tonight for my boys and added a few chocolate chips in with the penut butter. They smell so good
ReplyDeleteYum! As a peanut butter with a peanut butter loving husband, I'm going to have to try these! :)
ReplyDeleteI love no bakes! Thanks for bringing this to Weekend Potluck!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Tonya from 4 little Fergusons
Thanks, Tonya! I really appreciate y'all hosting those!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing this recipe. I do not like chocolate and the vast majority of recipes for sweet treats these days include chocolate and are difficult to modify to "chocolate free." This one will be easily convertible!!!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to get home to make these!!!
Aunt B
You're not the first person to tell me that so maybe I need to put some thought into more treats like these without the chocolate! Thanks for your comment!
DeleteI seem to be late to this party, but I just made my first batch...oh.my.word!!!!! Amazing! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCan you use splenda
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. Boiling the sugar creates the "glue" that holds this together and I'm not familiar enough with Splenda to know if it will yield the same results. If you try it, I'd love to know how it turns out!
DeleteI just made these and I also placed in the refrigerator to help them firm up.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure on the measurements for the chocolate drizzle so I will go without that this time.
Has anyone tried eliminating the sugar and used honey as a substitute?
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of oatmeal do you use?
ReplyDeleteI like to marble them! Mix a generous spoonful of the hot mixture with a couple tablespoons cocoa, then partially stir back into the pot. Try it!
ReplyDeletewhen I make these no-bake cookies I sometimes add coconut and nuts in with the oats gives it a different taste not the same ol same ol
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable!!! I made these exactly to your recipe and then poured chocolate chips in and at the end.
ReplyDeleteThey are still in the fridge cooling. But I have had a full spoonfuls to know that these are definitely a new favorite!!
Thanks!!
Well, Ima have to try that!! Thanks!!!
DeleteIs the oatmeal cooked or uncooked? I know a dumb question...but I do need to know....thanks
ReplyDeleteUncooked :)
DeleteI would love to know is the oatmeal cooked or uncooked? thanks
ReplyDeleteI think you can use either I used cooked and they turned out great :)-Mariah
DeleteUncooked.
DeleteMake these with cannabis butter makes good cuz the peanut butter flavors out the cannabis much better than coco...use Incas for pain/sleep sativa's for daytime pain relief an stress ...much more intense than smoking so be careful aan keep away from kids!
ReplyDeleteI just made these with Nutella instead of peanut butter, cause we were running low on PB...all I can say is OMG gooooooooood! :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder how these would taste with Cookie Butter?!
ReplyDeleteyum! made these to take to a quilting event. That is if they ever make it there! LOL!
ReplyDeletei have been making these for years and they are absolutely my fave. they taste just like peanut butter fudge!
ReplyDeleteI love making these! So yummy. We've also made them with rice crispies, and/or cashews. Even yummier!
ReplyDeleteI doubled this recipe, meaning I doubled all of the ingredients except for the vanilla extract. I added two tablespoons (yes 2 tablespoons) of pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract, and they were out of this world. Cooking one minute and using quick oats worked perfectly!
ReplyDelete