These chocolate unbaked oatmeal cookies have that classic peanut butter and chocolate flavor and rich fudgy texture. Easy to stir up a batch for the holidays, or as a quick and simple dessert any day of the week!
As much as I love my own baked cookie recipes – especially my Healthier Sugar Cookie Recipe, Chewy Gingersnap Cookies, and the classic Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies – sometimes I just don’t feel like baking!
Or more realistically lately, I don’t have the TIME to bake!
That’s why everyone needs a tested, proven, and loved no bake cookie recipe…like the one I’m sharing today!
CHOCOLATE UNBAKED OATMEAL COOKIES
I’ve shared a No Bake Cookie Recipe with you before, and that cookie is indeed delicious!
But the chocolate unbaked oatmeal cookies I’m sharing today are a bit different…they’re:
- More peanut butter-y
- More chocolate-y
- More addicting!
- More classic!
This recipe is similar to the classic no bake cookies, but I made a few minor tweaks so that it’s just a bit healthier (and hopefully offers less guilt for eating a handful off the pan!)
INGREDIENTS FOR NO BAKE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES
You only need a few staple ingredients for this no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies recipe, and you probably already have them in your kitchen!
- Butter (unsalted)
- Sugar (I recommend coconut sugar)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (I recommend raw cacao powder)
- Milk (dairy or non-dairy is fine)
- Vanilla extract (make your own!)
- Peanut butter (creamy or crunchy peanut butter or substitute a different nut butter)
- Quick cooking oats (not traditional old fashioned oats)
- Salt
Psst! Want to kick this up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)
HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE OATMEAL CHOCOLATE COOKIE RECIPE
Step 1. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat, parchment paper, or wax paper.
Step 2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and salt. Stir often to melt and combine the ingredients.
Step 3. When the butter has melted, bring the mixture JUST to a boil and let the mixture boil undisturbed for one full minute. Use a kitchen timer!
Step 4. When the timer beeps, remove the pan from the heat and add vanilla, peanut butter, and instant oats. Stir well until everything is combined.
Step 5. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop either 1 or 2 scoops per cookie directly onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2-3” between each cookie. The no bake oatmeal chocolate cookies will spread slightly upon scooping, but they will stop spreading as they cool to room temperature.
Step 6. When the cookies have cooled completely, store them in a sealed container or freezer bag at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
That’s it! You can enjoy the no bake cocoa oatmeal cookies as they cool off and set on the pan, or you can place them in the refrigerator, so they set quicker.
TIPS FOR MAKING NO BAKE CHOCOLATE OAT COOKIES
- You can use natural peanut butter! Most no bake recipes that call for peanut butter REQUIRE that you use conventional peanut butter because natural peanut butter tends to be more oily. I found that with this recipe and my method, you can use natural creamy peanut butter without any problems! I’ve even tested with almond butter and it works great too!
- Use quick oats, not traditional old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats are essentially traditional rolled oats that have been chopped up into smaller pieces. We need the small pieces for the no bake chocolate oat cookies to hold their shape, so if you don’t have quick oats, give your rolled oats a quick pulse or two in a food processor or blender so that they’re smaller.
- Make sure you DON’T STIR the butter/sugar mixture when it’s boiling. When sugar boils – undisturbed – it goes through the sugar syrup stages. By NOT STIRRING, you’re making sure your cookie hardens properly in the end.
- If you don’t feel like scooping out cookies, you can also pour the no bake oatmeal chocolate cookie mixture into an 8×8 square pan and use a piece of parchment paper to press it evenly into the pan. Cool and cut into squares like fudge.
OATMEAL NO BAKE CHOCOLATE COOKIES FAQS
Why won’t my oatmeal no bake chocolate cookies harden?
A few things could go wrong, but if you stir your natural peanut butter well, measure everything correctly, let the sugar boil for a full minute, and DON’T STIR it as it cooks, your cookies will harden properly!
How do you fix no bake chocolate oat cookies that don’t set?
There’s no real “fix” for this, other than to store them in the fridge or freezer. They should still taste amazing though!
How long do chocolate unbaked oatmeal cookies last?
In an airtight container at room temperature, chocolate no bake cookies will last 1-3 days. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to one week, or the freezer for 3-6 months (if they last that long!)
Are no bake peanut butter cookies gluten free?
Yes! If needed, use certified gluten-free oats to ensure they are free from wheat.
MORE EASY COOKIE RECIPES
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Healthy Thumbprint Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These chocolate unbaked oatmeal cookies have that classic peanut butter and chocolate flavor and rich fudgy texture. Easy to stir up a batch for the holidays, or as a quick and simple dessert any day of the week!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar (I recommend coconut sugar)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder (I recommend raw cacao powder)
- ½ cup milk (dairy or non-dairy is fine)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅔ cup peanut butter
- 3 cups instant quick oats
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and salt. Stir often to melt and combine the ingredients.
- When the butter has melted, bring the mixture JUST to a boil and let the mixture boil undisturbed for one full minute. Use a kitchen timer!
- When the timer beeps, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla, peanut butter, and oats. Stir well until everything is combined.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop either 1 or 2 scoops per cookie directly onto the cookie sheet, leaving 2-3” between each cookie. The cookies will spread slightly upon scooping, but they will stop spreading as they cool to room temperature.
- When the cookies have cooled completely, store them in a sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
- At room temperature, no bake cookies will last 1-3 days. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- For longer storage, freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet for one hour and remove the cookies to a freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 85
My Mama always called this kind of drop cookie a “preacher” cookie. Kind of like when the reverend himself would drop by unexpected
Back in my childhood days, we made these with regular rolled oats, not instant. I don’t even know if there was such a thing as instant oats in the early 50’s, but I know that all my mother had was the regular ones.
I don’t use dairy…could I use coconut oil for the butter?
You could, it will not be exactly like our cookies, Kristina.