No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies is one of my favorite easy desserts to make! They are slightly gooey from the peanut butter, sweet from the chocolate, and filled with delicious oats. Best of all you won’t need to place these cookies in the oven.

a stack of no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies on a plate.


Easy No Bake Cookies Recipe You Must Make

This is an easy no-bake cookies recipe. With this oatmeal no bake cookie, you can make the cookies the same day you need them, with everything you need right in your pantry.

This recipe uses nuts for an added crunch. It’s a wonderful addition to the classic recipe for chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies.

When you follow this recipe, you will get the best flavor and texture for chocolate no-bake cookies.

Ingredients for No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

This is the perfect pantry cookie recipe. You can find everything you need right in there and have delicious no-bake cookies in no time.

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Sugar
  • Oatmeal
  • Milk
  • Butter
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Peanut butter
  • Vanilla extract
  • Chopped nuts
no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies ingredients.

Make These Cookies a Little Healthier

This recipe is already healthy in terms of being gluten-free, but you can substitute pure organic cane sugar for granulated sugar if you’d like.

Instead of using butter, you can try using coconut oil in its place since coconut oil solidifies. However, you might need to store the cookies in the fridge if you find they don’t fully set up at room temperature.

Can You Use Old Fashioned Oats in No Bake Cookies?

For this recipe, you can use either old-fashioned oats or rolled oats. Just know that if you do choose old-fashioned oats they tend to have a sturdier texture. Whereas, rolled oats work well because they tend to soften perfectly for cookies.

Can I use another nut or seed butter instead of peanut butter?

Peanut butter is my go-to for this classic no bake cookies recipe, but if peanut butter is not in your diet then, yes, try another option.

Almond butter, cashew butter, or SunButter would be great substitutes for peanut butter without compromising too much on flavor.

How to Make No Bake Cookies

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa and boil for 1 minute.
melted chocolate mixture for no bake oatmeal cookies.
  1. Remove from the heat and add the oatmeal, peanut butter, vanilla, and nuts. Mix well. 
no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies ingredients in a pan.
no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies mixture in a pan.
  1. Drop the mixture from a teaspoon or a cookie scoop onto wax paper, foil, or parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator until they are cool and firm.
no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies on parchment paper.

Do No Bake Cookies Have to Be Refrigerated?

No, when made correctly, these cookies do not need to be refrigerated in order to set up. However, you can keep them in the fridge if you prefer a cold cookie.

If you do store the cookies in the fridge they will be a little harder than if they are stored at room temperature. If you prefer them a little softer, take the cookies out of the fridge 5 minutes before you want to eat them, and they will soften up perfectly.

no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies in a stack on a plate.

How Long Will No Bake Cookies Last in the Fridge?

If you store these cookies in the fridge in an airtight container then they can last about 2 to 3 weeks. Or you can store the cookies on the counter at room temperature, and they will last about 1 to 2 weeks.

Why Won’t My Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Harden?

For no-bake cookies, the biggest issue is getting the cookies to set up and harden properly. This problem normally stems from the boiling process when making the no-bake cookies.

If the sugar mixture does not boil long enough, the chocolate sauce will not thicken up enough. Then, when you drop the cookies on wax paper they will just spread out and be a big mess.

How Do You Fix Gooey No Bake Cookies?

As long as you measured everything properly, then the problem is that the chocolate and sugar did not boil long enough.

A short-term fix would be to add in extra oatmeal. However, this does not promise that the cookies will set up.

The best option would be to start over and make sure the sugar, butter, milk, and chocolate boil for 1 minute before removing the saucepan from the heat.

no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies on a plate.

I hope you whip up a batch of these cookies. They are a real treat and the kid in your will love these.

Favorite No Bake Desserts

Check out more of my easy cookie recipes and the best dessert recipes here on CopyKat!

This recipe is from the archives of Judy Chatham. I can remember my mother making these pretty often. We never added the peanut butter, and they came out fine.

a stack of no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies on a plate.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies with peanut butter are great to make when you don't have a lot in the pantry and don't have time for baking.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Gluten Free, No Bake Oatmeal Cookies, Oatmeal cookies, One Minute Cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 48
Calories: 81kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 cups oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

  • Combine the sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa in a saucepan, and boil for 1 minute. Then remove from heat
  • Add oatmeal, peanut butter, vanilla, and nuts. Stir until well mixed.
  • Drop from a teaspoon onto wax paper or foil, and place in refrigerator until they are cool and firm.

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Comments

  1. Nena

    We always called these chocolate no-bakes. If you leave the cocoa out they become peanut butter no-bakes and they’re even better.. our family has had the recipe at least 50 years.

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