This weekend has been so hot and humid, there was just no way I was turning on my oven to bake. I thought it would be a good time to try an old cookie recipe I had in my files that requires no baking at all. I used to make these cookies when I was in High School and I’m pretty sure it’s a standard recipe that most cookie lovers have tried.
But in case, you don’t have the recipe, here it is, very simply, NO BAKE Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies. It requires only one pan on the stove and a cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper. After melting butter with milk, unsweetened cocoa and sugar, you boil one minute.
Removing the pan from the heat, you add creamy peanut butter, salt, vanilla and quick oats, ( I don’t recommend using rolled or old-fashioned oatmeal). I use rolled oats for every other cookie recipe I make, I never buy quick oats. My old recipe stated quick oats, I knew I shouldn’t change a recipe I knew worked just fine, but I did anyways! I went ahead and used rolled oats, and the cookies were dry and crumbly and literally looked like little golf balls. My husband ate a few just to be nice. So, if you want your cookies to look like the ones below, use quick oats.
The chocolate mixture will look thin at first after adding the oatmeal, but get ready with your cookie scoop or spoon as they will start to set up quickly. Scoop the cookies onto your parchment lined sheet and that’s it! Except don’t miss out on scraping the sides of the pan to try a taste, this is the best part of the fudge mixture.
We used to call these cookie “Cowpies”. I think you can tell the name comes from the shape of the cookie. Now they are known more as No-Bake Cookies. The cookie flavor and texture is like a pan of homemade fudge. They will keep well for a few days chilled in the refrigerator, but really are best the day you mix them up! Keep it simple and bake a batch on a lazy summer day.
- ½ cup butter (4 ounces)
- ½ cup milk (whole or 2%)
- 2 cups white granulated sugar (14 ounces)
- 4 TBL unsweetened cocoa
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 cups quick oatmeal
- Melt butter with milk in saucepan over low heat.
- Add sugar and cocoa and cook until boiling, stirring to make sure that cocoa is incorporated without lumps. Boil one minute.
- Remove pan from heat, add peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Stir until peanut butter is melted and mixed in.
- Add quick oats.
- Mix together then drop by spoonfuls or small ice cream scoop onto parchment or waxed paper lined cookie sheet.
- Cool and enjoy!
I use creamy Jiff Peanut Butter for the best results.
Work quickly once you add the oatmeal to the chocolate mixture. The cookies will thicken once the mixture starts to cool.
You can usebrolled oats but you have to grind them with a few pulses in a food processor . They way we made.them when i was young was to pulverize the rolled oats.
Good idea! I am going to try this with old-fashioned rolled oats. I should have thought of pulverizing the rolled oats, I sometimes grind oatmeal in my blender prior to adding them to chocolate chip recipes.
Hello! I am an independent, contracted teacher with Outschool, and I would like to use your recipe to teach students how to make No-Bakes. I would be sure to give you credit and include a link to your page for my parents to access. Only the parents and students enrolled in my classes will have access to the recipe. I would also like to ask approval to use your picture of finished cookies. Thank you in advance for considering this, and let me know if these two requests are approved.
Have a nice day!
Rebecca Foster
Hello Rebecca,
Yes, you are welcome to link my No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies recipe to your students and parents. You are also welcome to use the cookie photo included in the blog post with credit given to Country Cupboard Cookies. Happy Baking! It really is an easy cookie recipe!
We grew up on these. Although the name was T.O.S. Cookies. This was because they were made on Top of Stove.
Love your nickname for these easy no bake cookies!
my sister-in-law gave me this recipe and to my mother-in-law when I was newly married but we didn’t put peanut butter in it. Because you didn’t bake them, we called them wacky cookies. we have all made tons of these cookies since 1959.
Love the name of wacky cookies.. Sharing recipes is a wonderful tradition!
My sister and husband took their children from Pa to Florida many, many years ago (50+ yrs) They had these no bake cookies for an in car snack. They have been called “Florida cookies” since then.
Love these cookies as a “ traveling cookie” ☺️
Can u subs. The cocoa with chocolate syrup n can u use honey creamy peanut butter to make these cookies. I actually got it from my cuz. Rachel Mclaughlin but I use to make them with my granny Scott when I was way younger
Margie, I think different flavors of peanut butter would work just fine. The chocolate syrup sub though, I never have tried and can’t recommend.
Can you substitute rice cereal for oatmeal?
Made these with my granddaughter today. Absolutely delicious. I used to make them when my kids were little so it was fun to have my granddaughter make them 😊
Carol, I also love baking with my grandkids! They are so full of joy!
Why is it so difficult to get these to turn out right? I’ve made them many times and followed the recipe explicitly. They’re usually always crumbly and don’t stick together. It’s very frustrating.
Cindy,
So frustrating when cookies don’t turn out. I can think of three things that may cause these cookies to be crumbly. Make sure you are using Quick Oats, NOT old-fashioned or rolled oats. Also, work quickly after adding the oatmeal, the cookies set up very fast.
I always use the Jiff brand of creamy peanut butter. Some brands are drier than Jiff.