Originally published Feb 21, 2018
One of the very first recipes I learned to make as a child was Chocolate No-Bake Cookies. I found it in a children’s cookbook that my grandma had given me. It quickly became a family favorite. We simply called them no-bakes.
To this day when my mom comes over (which is only once in a blue moon since she’s two thousand miles away) and we’re inevitably working on a sewing project into the wee hours of the night, she’ll say, ” Why don’t you whip up a batch of no-bakes?!”
At one point I lost the recipe and had to scour the internet to find the right one. There are many variations of chocolate no-bake cookies, but this is our most favorite one! I’m sharing it here so it never gets lost again!
Whether you’re looking for a quick treat to share with a friends or just trying to satisfy your own a chocolate craving, look no further! Chocolate No-Bake Cookies can be your go-to, too!
My two-year-old (who is now 7!) and I made a short video tutorial (the most fun video I’ve made to date) to show you how simple Chocolate No-Bake Cookies are.
If you scroll down, you’ll find the printable recipe as well as some troubleshooting tips.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (margarine will work too)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 heaping Tablespoons baking cocoa
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups quick oats
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa.
While you’re waiting for the butter to melt (and occasionally stirring), measure your peanut butter and line two cookie sheets with waxed paper.
When butter has melted, bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
Continue stirring and keep at a rolling boil for a full minute. If you go any longer than 90 seconds at a full boil, your cookies will be dry and crumbly, but if you don’t go at least 60 seconds at a full boil they won’t set up right.
Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until peanut butter is melted and incorporated.
Add oats and stir until they’re well-coated with chocolate.
Quickly spoon onto wax paper covered cookie sheets. Don’t waste any time here!
Allow to cool and firm up. To speed this process you can put them in the fridge.
Be sure to scrape the pan and lick the spoon. This is a must!
- ½ cup butter (margarine will work too)
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 heaping Tablespoons baking cocoa
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups quick oats
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa.
- While you're waiting for the butter to melt (and occasionally stirring), measure your peanut butter and line two cookie sheets with waxed paper.
- When butter has melted, bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Continue stirring and keep at a rolling boil for a full minute. If you go any longer than 90 seconds at a full boil, your cookies will be dry and crumbly, but if you don't go at least 60 seconds at a full boil they won't set up right.
- Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until peanut butter is melted and incorporated.
- Add oats and stir until they're well-coated with chocolate.
- Quickly spoon onto wax paper covered cookie sheets. Don't waste any time here!
- Allow to cool and firm up. To speed this process you can put them in the fridge.
- Be sure to scrape the pan and lick the spoon. This is a must!
Chocolate No-Bake Cookie FAQ and Troubleshooting
When I bring no-bakes to events (which, like I said, is often) people will say, “Why don’t my no-bakes turn out like yours?”
There are a few critical parts of the recipe that might cause problems for casual recipe followers (which is usually what I am). Here are the main issues people have and how you can solve or prevent them.
My no-bakes are dry
You either boiled them too long (or didn’t remove from the heat source when the time was up) OR you added too much peanut butter, which happens sometimes if you’re an eyeballer who doesn’t want to dirty a measuring cup with peanut butter (am I the only one who does that?).
If your no bakes turn out try or crumbly, have no fear! They go great with ice cream! In fact no-bake crumbles make a seriously delicious ice cream topping!
My no-bakes are sticky/soft
If your no-bakes didn’t set up properly (and you put the right ingredient amounts in), it’s because you didn’t boil for long enough (at least 60 seconds) or you started timing before you were at a full boil.
If your no-bakes are soft or sticky, try putting them in the freezer to firm them up. You’ll have to eat them cold and your fingers will be sticky, but they will still taste yummy.
The first half of no-bakes I spooned out look good, but the last half aren’t as pretty
You need to be faster at spooning on the cookies. The cookies look best if they are spooned out before they cool too much. If you watch the video, you’ll see that I had this issue at the end because I had to move the camera and lights when I should have been spooning out cookies (where are my priorities!?).
My cookies disappeared
I haven’t figured out the solution to this one yet. The same thing happens to me. Every. Single. Time. The only solution I’ve found is to make more.
Seriously, these cookies are the best. Stop reading and go make them now! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Stephanie! I have one very similar, without peanut butter, but with shredded coconut instead. Got the recipe from a friend, who called them Cocoa Quickies:
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c sugar (the original recipe called for 2 cups, but they’re too sweet for me)
1/2 c milk
Heat these three ingredients, then add
3 c rolled oats
1 c coconut (unsweetened)
5 T cocoa
1 t vanilla
Mix together and drop on a sheet of wax paper. Cool, refrigerate, enjoy!
These also disappear fairly quickly, but hey – they’re almost health food!
Thanks for sharing Ingrid!
I didn’t have cocoa one time so I made them without and now that is my favourite way to make them.
Interesting! I can’t even imagine what that would be like! Chocolate is such a main flavor. 🙂 Glad they’re good!
These look super yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yummy! I used sucunat for the sugar and almond milk instead of butter and they still turned out great! Thanks for sharing 😊
I make these all the time and grew up eating them. I have had them fail quite a few times but since they are equally good eaten with a spoon scraped off the wax paper, I don’t mind. Most of the time they turn out great because I do always time them. I think it has something to do with the humidity in the South that causes them to not set.
My mother always called these boiled cookies. I make them (rarely) with organic ingredients and regular rolled oats. I’ve never had them fail to turn out, but I’ve sure had them disappear!
They are really fantastic.
I was offered cookies yesterday but had to turn them down. They weren’t Mrs. Field’s cookies, and they were too small and hard to eat. lol
My wife makes those and you are right, there is something weird going on because those things evaporate really fast!