No-Bake Cookies
If you grew up in the U.S., there’s a good chance you’ve encountered some version of these chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies—maybe as no-bakes, cowpies, mudpies, preacher cookies, or one of the many other names families seem to have for them. In our house they were simply called “No-Bake Cookies” and they were everyone’s favorite.
Made with common pantry staples and requiring little more than a saucepan and some wax paper, these were a summer staple growing up. I don’t recall Mom ever saying anything about not wanting to turn on the oven, but we had no air conditioning and spent most summer days at the beach from after breakfast until nearly dinner time. These were one of the few cookies we were allowed to have as a snack, and they often came along on our day‑trips. Mom made them by the double or triple batch because we went through them so quickly (to be fair, we were a family of six).
I loved when I got to make these with Mom — although mostly I just helped with the scooping. If you’ve ever made these before, you know you need to move fast to get all the fudgy, peanut‑buttery oat mixture scooped and plopped onto wax paper before it sets in the pan. Now imagine doing a double or triple batch and how quickly you’d have to work. Mom would set up two sheets of wax paper along our longest counter. As soon as the mixture was ready, she’d park the pan between them and scoop to one side while I scooped to the other. Inevitably there were stray drips of the mixture between the actual cookies — I thought of those as my reward for helping. I’d peel them off the paper before they were even truly set.
Although these are often called cookies, that’s a bit of a misnomer. They’re really more of a candy or confection and have quite a bit in common with my Grandma’s Old Fashioned Fudge (or my Old Fashioned Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge variation).The boiled mixture of sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa is essentially a soft‑set fudge. The vanilla and peanut butter bring additional flavor, and the oats create the chewy texture these treats are known for.
I got so comfortable with Mom’s No‑Bake Cookie recipe that I used it for my first ever cooking demonstration — a middle‑school class presentation that my friend and I worked on together. They’re so quick to make that we were able to cook them, scoop them, let them set, and serve them to the whole class before the bell rang… and we weren’t the only presenters that day. Granted, I did bring all the ingredients pre‑measured — but still!
Today, these are still a nostalgic favorite of mine and have become a favorite for my kids too. Over the years I’ve made a few small tweaks and changes, but at their heart they’re still the same cookies I made with Mom.
No-Bake Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Line a section of counter next to the stove with waxed paper
- Combine sugar, butter, milk, cocoa powder, salt and (if you're using it) espresso powder in a medium saucepan, place over medium high heat.400 g (2 cups) sugar, 112 g (½ cup) butter, 120 ml (½ cup) milk, 24 g (4 tbsp) cocoa powder, 2 g (½ tsp) salt, 1/4 tsp (¼ tsp) espresso powder
- Bring to a rolling boil and continue boiling for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes (use a timer).
- Remove from the heat, immediately stir in vanilla and peanut butter until combined.64 g (4 tbsp) peanut butter, 8 ml (1 ½ tsp) vanilla
- Add oats, stir until well combined. All of the oats should be fully coated in the syrup.240 g (3 cups) quick oats
- Quickly drop mounds of the mixture by tablespoon or small cookie scoop (#40) onto wax paper, about 1 inch apart.
- Allow to cool undisturbed until fully set and easily removed from the wax paper (about 15-20 minutes).
Notes
- Mom’s recipe calls for a 1–1½ minute boil, but I use 2 – 2 1/2 minutes because my kitchen is at a higher elevation and the syrup takes a bit longer to reach the right consistency. If you want to be precise, use a candy thermometer and pull the mixture off the heat at 230–235°F.
- This recipe is wonderfully forgiving when it comes to the cocoa and peanut butter ratios. I increase both in my version for a deeper, more intense flavor, but you can go the opposite direction or even skip the cocoa entirely (or swap in peanut butter powder) for a pure peanut butter experience. If you’d like to experiment, adjust in small increments—about 1 tablespoon at a time—until you land on your perfect balance.
Private Notes
Nutrition
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