A classic chocolate peanut butter no bake cookie recipe that will spark those fond memories of your childhood. Melt in your mouth flavors in these large chocolate and peanut butter no bake cookies!

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Old Fashioned No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Peanut Butter in a stick of 4 cookies.

Boil it, Mix it, & Drop No Bake Cookies

These peanut butter no-bake cookies are hands down my favorite and most cherished cookie recipe. My grandma would make a special double batch just for me, knowing I’d rather not have nuts mixed in. So in this recipe, nuts are optional. Peep her recipe down below. It’s been well loved.

Another thing I love about no bake cookies, is when I use my large cookie scoop, I know right away how they’re going to look and how big their going to be. These are chunky and thick cookies.

If you want to bake oatmeal cookies instead I have a few you can try. Get your baking sheet ready for my brown butter pumpkin oatmeal cookies are delish! These spiced oatmeal raisin cookies and white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies are to die for.

Don’t think I forgot about my roots. I LOVE no bake cookies, so naturally I have a few more for you. Swap out that peanut butter for Nutella in my Nutella no bake cookies.

My butterscotch no bake cookies are extra fun with dark chocolate chips and flaky salt. Also another ode to my grandma with all the butterscotch candies she’s given me.

piece of paper with my grandmas recipe handwritten

Gathering Ingredients for Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

White granulated sugar – A coconut sugar or a monk fruit sweetener can replace white granulated sugar 1:1 if you need to go that route.

Butter – Unsalted butter or salted butter will work fine. Salted butter may add an extra layer of flavor.

Cocoa powder – Any cocoa powder you have on hand will work fine. I love this cocoa powder for just about everything! Hershey’s cocoa powder will work also. An unsweetened cocoa powder is ideal.

Milk – The milk preference of your choice will work. Try almond milk for an additional nutty flavor!

Vanilla extract – A pure vanilla extract will yield the best vanilla flavor. Using a vanilla paste will work also.

Creamy Peanut Butter – Creamy peanut butter with honey is what I prefer in this recipe. The honey adds just a touch more sweetness. Crunchy peanut butter is also another great option. I have not tried any other peanut butter like almond butter or sunflower seed butter. If you happen to try either of these let me know how it goes!

Quick Cooking Oats – Be sure to use quick oats and not old-fashioned oats. Using steel-cut or old-fashioned rolled oats will result in a dryer cookie. Quick oats will absorb that moisture and make for a melt in the mouth cookie.

Chopped nuts – 100% optional in this simple recipe. Just a personal preference of mine to opt for no nuts, but you can add chopped walnuts or pecans.

*see recipe card for detailed measurements

Kitchen supplies you’ll need

Dutch oven
A rubber spatula or Wooden spoon
Cookie scoop
Parchment paper or wax paper

overhead shot of cookies and a glass of milk

How to make Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Add sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk to a Dutch oven or medium saucepan.

On medium heat, stir the mixture until it reaches a rolling boil. Let the mixture reaches a full rolling boil for exactly 2 minutes. Set a timer!

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, creamy peanut butter, quick-cooking oats, and nuts *optional.

Stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate mixture is completely mixed together.

Use a large cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie and drop cookies onto two baking sheets or a sheet of parchment paper.

Using a medium cookie scoop will result in smaller cookies, but more of them.

Allow the no bake cookies set and cool completely before eating.

butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in dutch oven

ingredients melting together in dutch oven

Expert Tips for No-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

The no bake cookie mixture comes together fairly quickly, so don’t take your eyes off your pan.
You should easily be able to double or triple the recipe if using a Dutch oven. They’re typically large enough to handle the extra chocolate peanut butter mixture.
Make sure your mixture reaches a rolling boil over medium heat for exactly 2 minutes to ensure your drop cookies are set properly.
Use quick oats! Old-fashioned oats, while delicious, won’t absorb the melted sugar well enough and could result in a drier cookie. If those are all you have, pulsing oats in a food processor before hand could work, though I have not tried this method.
A tall glass of milk or almond milk with these chocolate no bake cookies will really help balance that rich chocolate and peanut butter.
To cool no bake cookies quickly, drop your cookies onto a prepared baking sheet and stick them in the fridge to set up.

Storage Suggestions for No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

Store No Bake chocolate oatmeal cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week

Store No Bake cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Separate each cookie with parchment paper so they don’t stick to each other.

Can I freeze peanut butter no bake cookies? Freeze no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies in an airtight container, separated by parchment paper, for up to 3 weeks.

Classic Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookie FAQs

Why wont my No-Bake cookie harden?

If your chocolate no-bake cookies do not harden, then it is likely that the butter/sugar mixture did not boil long enough. The recipes requires 2 minutes exactly of a rolling boil.

The sugar needs to reach that “soft ball” stage so when the cookies are left to cool, the sugar will harden some and hold the cookie together.

Why are my No-Bake cookies grainy?

If your cookies appear grainy after setting it is likely one of two things. The sugar mixture wasn’t cooked long enough, or it was cooked too long.

If cooked too long, the cookie will end up dry and crumbly. If not cooked long enough, they won’t set.

Can I use natural peanut butter?

Natural peanut butter tends to separate and may not work as intended. However, if you want to use it, give it a good stir to combine all the oils first.

Tools I use

Dutch oven

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Cookie scoop

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