Recipes

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

This may just be the most deliciously dangerous recipe I have ever posted on this blog.

I’m so excited!

I really can’t take credit for the genius behind these little gems. This is Heather’s recipe and I stumbled upon it last week while working at the yoga studio. You see, Heather goes to my studio and has a fabulous gluten-free food blog AND has written a beautiful little cookbook full of tantalizing gluten-free desserts. She also does a mean warrior two.

I’m smitten. And I eat bread.

Anyway, I came across her cookbook innocently enough on day three of savory week. My palms were sweaty. My whisk was lonely. I paged through Heather’s cookbook hungry and hormonal. And when I came across a recipe for no-bake cookies I had to stop and copy it down. And then run home and make them immediately.

Are you one of those people that once you decide you need something, you need it NOW?

Like, if you don’t put chocolate in your mouth within five minutes the entire world will end?

Yeah, me too. These no-bake cookies come in very handy for those times!

And despite all of the butter, sugar and chocolate in these cookies, I choose to believe they are healthy because they have oats in them!

Thank you, Heather. The world is a better place because of these cookies.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

slightly adapted from Dig In: Sweets: gluten-free food for everyone

makes about 3 dozen small cookies

3 T butter

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 heaping tablespoons cocoa

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter (I like crunchy all natural peanut butter here)

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

Melt the butter on the stove. Add the sugar, cocoa and milk and stir well. Add the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Stir. Add the oats. Stir again.

With wet hands, form little balls of dough and on a wax paper lined plate or pan. Refrigerate for thirty minutes until hard.

You Might Also Like

  • Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
    January 17, 2011 at 5:03 am

    We have made a version of these for years and I definitely thought they were a Pittsburgh thing! Shows my little bubble that I live in. And yes, I am definitely one of those people that sees something and has to make it immediately!

  • Marie-Journey to Body Zen
    January 17, 2011 at 5:10 am

    Those look really good! Of course they’re healthy if they have oats πŸ˜‰

  • megan @ blackberries for jam
    January 17, 2011 at 5:15 am

    I am absolutely an instant gratification type of person too! Like, I must get a kindle and I must make these cookies.

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:38 am

      you totally must!

  • Erika @ FoodFitnessFun
    January 17, 2011 at 5:22 am

    Anything made with peanut butter and chocolate is amazing in my book! Thanks for the recipe – I’ve never made no-bake cookies before! πŸ™‚

  • Nicole
    January 17, 2011 at 5:23 am

    hey, it also has peanut butter! healthy fats! and chocolate! antioxidants!

    they look AMAZING πŸ™‚

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:38 am

      butter is fat-free, right???!

  • Ally (oatsandspice)
    January 17, 2011 at 5:29 am

    Wow, these cookies look SO good! I can’t wait to make them!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
    January 17, 2011 at 5:30 am

    THIS is definitely one of those things I need right now!! πŸ™‚

  • mary (sisters running the kitchen)
    January 17, 2011 at 5:32 am

    hmm 3 T of Butter for 3 dozen cookies? That’s not toooo bad!! and I am definitely someone who once i have something in my mind i have to have it right away!!!

  • megan @ whatmegansmaking
    January 17, 2011 at 5:35 am

    I make a version of these cookies all the time – they’re so good! I love how quick and easy they are. Yours turned out prettier than mine do though πŸ™‚

  • Abby
    January 17, 2011 at 5:35 am

    We used to call these Cow Pies, but I think it was just because we hoped the name would scare people off and leave more for us.

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:38 am

      cow pies! that’s awesome.

  • Baking 'n' Books
    January 17, 2011 at 5:41 am

    The whole wanting to eat it “now” is my problem with baking – I end up eating half the ingredients πŸ˜‰

  • Becki @ Hike, Bike, Eat
    January 17, 2011 at 5:53 am

    Power of the mind! Without that belief system, I could not get through my days.

  • Beth @ DiningAndDishing
    January 17, 2011 at 5:57 am

    I’m a pretty good baker until the actual baking part comes in. Chocolate, peanut butter and no baking sounds like the perfect three :).

  • Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat)
    January 17, 2011 at 5:58 am

    If you ever need a taste tester, I’m willing and available for travel. I work for free food and the chance to chat about Laura (no last name needed).

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:37 am

      yesssss πŸ™‚

  • The Healthy Applea
    January 17, 2011 at 5:59 am

    Love these; great cookies, Jenna; and they’re gluten-free! Wonderful…I’m looking forward to making these cookies over the weekend!
    Have a great day and thanks for the gluten-free yummy cookie recipe!

    • eliz
      January 17, 2011 at 5:00 pm

      Hi there!
      They are gluten-free if you use gluten-free certified oatmeal! Regular oatmeal isn’t necessarily GF.
      πŸ™‚

  • Estela @ Weekly Bite
    January 17, 2011 at 6:01 am

    Love these cookies!! I stumbled upon a version of these a few years back and and LOVE them! They’re my go to ineedaquickcookiefix cookie πŸ™‚

  • Jenna @Eating Green, Staying Lean
    January 17, 2011 at 6:03 am

    That’s too funny! I made a version of chocolate/pb no bake cookies yesterday too (recipe on blog if you’re interested, not trying to publicize), it’s a different recipe but definitely worth trying out! It’s so hard to get away from them, they’re just wayyy too delicious.

  • Bethany @Bridezilla Bakes
    January 17, 2011 at 6:09 am

    There is a lot to like about the PB + Chocolate combination… and one of those things is that there are a lot of no-bake dessert options for it!

  • Lauren at KeepItSweet
    January 17, 2011 at 6:10 am

    These are dangerous!

  • Blog is the New Black
    January 17, 2011 at 6:13 am

    No bake means I can get these to my mouth faster! Oh yea.

  • Melomeals: Vegan for $3.33 a Day
    January 17, 2011 at 6:17 am

    Why do I read your blog every morning when I’m trying to be good? I hate turning my oven on for one small thing, so no bake cookies are the best thing ever.

  • Amanda (Eating Up)
    January 17, 2011 at 6:19 am

    No bake means not a chance they’ll last long!

  • Evan Thomas
    January 17, 2011 at 6:24 am

    I love how simple these are, and that they’re gluten free. I’m definitely keeping this recipe in mind if I need a quick sweets fix.

  • Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama}
    January 17, 2011 at 6:24 am

    I can’t make no-bakes at my house. They are seriously gone in 2.5 seconds. Faster than I can make them. So I just stopped. πŸ™‚

  • Liz @ Tip Top Shape
    January 17, 2011 at 6:36 am

    Oooh, I’ve made these. Definitely tasty. DEFINITELY dangerous πŸ˜‰

  • Jessica @ Healthy Dairyland
    January 17, 2011 at 6:42 am

    I use a similar recipe that calls for more cocoa powder and no chocolate chips. They were my favorite when I was a kid and took them to dozens of sorority functions in college. I also pretend they are healthy because of the oats.

  • Kati @ Living Well
    January 17, 2011 at 6:44 am

    Oh my gosh. The addition of dark chocolate chips?!! Must make these soooon! The problem is the 3 dozen part…

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:37 am

      somehow adam and I have eaten all three dozen in a period of two days…I’m not quite sure how that happened…

  • katryn@rampantcuisine
    January 17, 2011 at 6:53 am

    Definitely health food! Pretty much looks like a granola bar ball to me…

  • Jessica
    January 17, 2011 at 6:58 am

    Umm.. YUM! Gonna have to make these for sure!

  • Michele @ Healthy Cultivations
    January 17, 2011 at 6:58 am

    There’s nothing better than a no-bake cookie… quicker from bowl to mouth. lol These look divine.

  • Heather (Heather's Dish)
    January 17, 2011 at 6:58 am

    i’ll second that…the world IS better! i love the addition of chocolate chips too…the more chocolate the better πŸ™‚

  • jenna
    January 17, 2011 at 7:02 am

    these looks so good i could cry right now!! I have everything to make these bad boy’s…..I was thinking when i get home i’m going to make a lovely dinner….screw dinner and bring on the no bake chocolate cookies…….:) Yum x 10100000!

  • Lisa@ Dishes of Mrs. Fish
    January 17, 2011 at 7:07 am

    I’ve been looking for a no bake chocolate cookie recipe for a long time! My hips thank you!

  • Gabby (Quest for Delicious)
    January 17, 2011 at 7:12 am

    I do believe I’ll need to be making these in the very near future. (:

  • Justeen @ Blissful Baking
    January 17, 2011 at 7:24 am

    I’m also one of those people that must have something IMMEDIATELY. I’m feeling that way about these cookies right now!

  • Hannah
    January 17, 2011 at 7:28 am

    Wow. These look amazing.

  • Elizabeth@The Sweet Life
    January 17, 2011 at 7:37 am

    Personally, I think each of your recipes are a bit more dangerous than the last! πŸ™‚

  • Stephanie Rose
    January 17, 2011 at 7:45 am

    AH! I needed a gluten free dessert for my track dinner tonight! Perfect! Instant gratification πŸ™‚ Thanks Jenna, and they look amazing!

  • Camille
    January 17, 2011 at 7:55 am

    Oh my gosh, these sounds amazing!
    I have been searching for a no-bake recipe that doesn’t require me to go to the store and I finally found one! Yay!

  • Jess
    January 17, 2011 at 7:57 am

    Jenna: I posted such a similar recipe today! Good minds right:)
    I can’t remember where I found mine, it wasn’t from the gluten free because the recipe doesn’t have butter, but still they turned out delicious!
    check them out if you have time.

  • Moni'sMeals
    January 17, 2011 at 8:29 am

    love it, I also have a very similiar recipe (i add banana) to this and boy is it a life saver and easy!
    I want to try this for sure! πŸ™‚

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:36 am

      mm banana sounds like a great addition!

  • Amanda @ JustAmandaJ
    January 17, 2011 at 8:29 am

    Do you think these cookies would send overseas well? I’m trying to come up with things to send my sister who is deployed right now and those look so yummy!

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:35 am

      No…because since they aren’t baked, they have to be kept in the fridge or else they will get warm and fall apart! I suggest sending a harder (baked) cookie that keeps well…like maybe gingerbread!

      • Amanda @ JustAmandaJ
        January 17, 2011 at 12:48 pm

        Ah, that’s what I figured! Nuts. Yeah, I’ll just stick to baked cookies then and maybe look into some homemade granola to change it up a bit. Thanks!

  • Natalia - a side of simple
    January 17, 2011 at 8:44 am

    Gluten-free? No-bake? I die.

  • Nancy~The Wife of a Dairyman
    January 17, 2011 at 8:44 am

    The oatmeal thing works for me! Those look to die for!

  • Natalia - a side of simple
    January 17, 2011 at 8:49 am

    And ps. 3 T of butter? That’s equivalent to buttering one piece of toast, so these are TOTALLY healthy in my book!

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:35 am

      haha pretty much!!! They are practically a health food.

  • Christie @ Abundant Self Care
    January 17, 2011 at 9:00 am

    Oh my goodness, I have such fond memories of these cookies. I remember sneaking into the kitchen to wipe the “drips” off of the wax paper with my fingers while we waited for them to cool. mmmm….

  • Christine (The Raw Project)
    January 17, 2011 at 9:18 am

    These look amazing and like something I should probably make for my husband soon. Thanks.

  • Amber K
    January 17, 2011 at 9:24 am

    Those.look.delicious! I have made something similar to that and as long as I buy some dedicated gluten-free oats I can be sure I won’t be feeling any pain afterwards! And I must go find that cookbook immediately!

  • Cat
    January 17, 2011 at 9:28 am

    These were a HUGE staple of my chilldhood! I think my mom preferred us to make these since it meant we didn’t have to turn the oven on. I was thiiiiis close to making them myself for the first time as adult (crazy, as I’m 29) over Christmas, but didn’t get around to it. Now I probably will since I’m obsessed with copying all of your recipes πŸ˜‰

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:34 am

      hehe I hope you do!

  • stacey-healthylife
    January 17, 2011 at 9:43 am

    I love no bake cookies so I’m giving this one a try.

  • Krystina (Basil & Wine)
    January 17, 2011 at 9:44 am

    Just a tip: These aren’t technically gluten-free unless you use(d) gluten-free oats. So, anyone who wants to make these and have them be truly gluten-free, be mindful of the oats you use! Bob’s Red Mill makes great ones.

    • jenna
      January 17, 2011 at 10:32 am

      good tip!

  • Lu @ Done Dieting
    January 17, 2011 at 9:54 am

    Those look amazing. If I don’t have one in my mouth by this evening the world will totally end. I mean that with every over-exaggerating bone in my body. Yummy.

  • Jaime Ramsay
    January 17, 2011 at 10:19 am

    Peanut butter + chocolate = delicious! I’m not sure if I like that you can’t smell the chocolate cooking though..that’s one of my favourite parts of baking!

  • Annalisa
    January 17, 2011 at 10:28 am

    I make a similar one using cocoa powder —

    http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6809.0

    I love that this recipe can be easily decreased so i’m not forced into eating 3c. of oats covered in PB and chocolate……which might have happened over a course of a few weekends πŸ˜‰

  • Kim@Everstrong
    January 17, 2011 at 10:35 am

    Hi Jenna, I want to make these like.RIGHT.NOW..haha – I don’t have cocoa on hand. Will they work if I have all the other items?

  • kate
    January 17, 2011 at 10:56 am

    Is it pathetic that you had me at no bake?

  • Erica
    January 17, 2011 at 11:30 am

    oh my gosh! My sister and I used to make these when we were little all the time. They are ADDICTING! Deliciousness.

  • Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat
    January 17, 2011 at 11:33 am

    Chocolate has antioxidants and milk has calcium – looks like a health food to me!

  • Maria
    January 17, 2011 at 11:47 am

    Oh my goodness. These look amazing. And so easy to make!

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss
    January 17, 2011 at 11:55 am

    No bakes are my all time favorite. Love that these have extra chocolate chips in them!!

  • Wendy
    January 17, 2011 at 3:13 pm

    I am so making these, right NOW!!

  • Liz
    January 17, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    Have you not had these before? These are a pretty standard children’s cookie. We always made them almost exactly as described above, minus the PB and chocolate chips. I don’t have my childhood recipe with me, so I scoured the internet recently (just a couple weeks before you posted this) and found that most online recipes use peanut butter, so I made them with that, too. (I have to say, I prefer to no-PB type.) The addition of chocolate chips looks great – the thing I love about the cookies sans-chips is that they’re made entirely with ingredients that most people always have on hand.

  • Liz
    January 17, 2011 at 3:53 pm

    Oh – just to point out – usually, the cocoa, butter, milk, and sugar is boiled for a couple minutes (different recipes say between one minute and three minutes) which allows these to harden without any fridge time. (Like making candy, where it needs to meet softball stage, or hardball stage.)

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin
    January 17, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    I’ve never made no-bake cookies before but these look awesome! And they’re pretty much like granola bars, so that must mean they’re healthy. πŸ˜‰

  • Molly
    January 17, 2011 at 4:26 pm

    I thought and stared at these all day at work!! After getting off work I drove in the snow storm to the grocery store so I can make them!!

  • Jenny (moonwalkthemiles)
    January 17, 2011 at 6:09 pm

    THANK YOU for posting this! I will make this recipe as soon as I get my hands on some Taiwanese chocolate chips (I wonder if I could just sub chocolate bars?). And you really, really MUST try making no-bake cookie dough truffles one of these days. For your sanity. Meantime I am making it my goal to make these cookies!

  • Katie G.
    January 17, 2011 at 7:08 pm

    I think I need to make these this week or the world may end…thanks for sharing!

  • Sarah
    January 17, 2011 at 7:15 pm

    i make a cookie almost EXACTLY LIKE THESE! The recipe first came form my grandma who lives in delaware. I have changed it up a bit and this year i added butterscotch chips.

    best
    decision
    ever!

  • A Teenage Gourmet (Sami)
    January 17, 2011 at 9:29 pm

    “Like, if you don’t put chocolate in your mouth within five minutes the entire world will end?”

    I know EXACTLY what you mean.

  • Elyse
    January 18, 2011 at 9:26 am

    Hey Jenna,

    When I make no-bake cookies I put in ~1/4 wheat germ and ~1/4 milled flax seed. You will never know that they are in there and… it makes it even MORE healthy πŸ™‚

  • Amanda
    January 18, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Hi,

    I made these today and I have a question….
    Once I added the chocolate chips they all melted, how did you keep your chips from not melting?

    Thanks!

  • heather
    January 18, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    hey jenna!
    thanks for the shout out. glad you like the cookies. they are one of my weaknesses. i want to make sure that your readers understand that if they use regular oats these are no longer gluten free cookies. they must be made with gluten free oats in order to qualify as gluten free…just want to make sure no one gets sick if someone makes these for a gluten free friend.
    thanks!

  • Lisa
    January 18, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    No Bake cookies are my specialty! My family and friends always request them. YUM.

  • Stephanie
    January 28, 2011 at 9:16 pm

    I make a version of these WITHOUT the butter!! I melt the chocolate and peanut butter first, add warm milk, then stir in the oats last. When the chocolate cools and hardens, the cookies are ready to eat. delicious.

  • El
    February 21, 2011 at 7:11 pm

    These look amazing. So simple I can’t wait to try them!

  • Lindsey @ Cereal for Dinner
    February 21, 2011 at 7:17 pm

    My mom makes a variation of those and has done so ever since I was a child. They are still my absolute favorite dessert of all time!

  • Erica @ A Healthy Habit
    February 21, 2011 at 7:58 pm

    Have been looking for a yummy “healthy ” no bake recipe for a while now! Ill try this one out!
    I’ve been reading your blog for a while and I LOVE IT!! Decided to start up my own…hope you visit!

  • The Carnival Post Mortem: The Carnival Improvement Plan | Adventures in Tralaland
    March 18, 2011 at 7:02 am

    […] install the lock.Β  But I thought about it.Β  Not that it mattered, after I ran across a recipe for no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies.Β  They’re delicious–you must make them.Β  I […]

  • kaori
    March 30, 2011 at 11:47 am

    These were so delicious and easy to make. I will definitely make them again, probably when I need chocolate like, NOW πŸ™‚
    Thank you so much for sharing!

  • Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run]
    April 5, 2011 at 11:14 pm

    unsweetened cocoa?

  • Dixie Caviar
    July 4, 2011 at 8:18 am

    Made these for a 4th of July party. Amazing, except for half of them never actually made it to the party πŸ˜‰

  • Kaitlin
    September 6, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    Just made these for the first time– SO GOOD. I made generously sized cookies– about 12. freaking rad.

    also, you don’t specify, but should one take the pan of melted butter off the burner before adding other ingredients? or even out of the pan? i took my pan off the burner but added everything in the warm pan– made for some melty chocolate chips!

  • October Goals Recap « Fit Chick Britt
    November 2, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    […] #2: Cook 2 new recipes per week. This was a big fail. I think I made one thing- Jenna’s No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were delicious. I haven’t been grocery shopping in ages and when I go I usually pick up just […]

  • Worlds Best Cookie: Healthified | One Real Thing
    November 9, 2011 at 8:00 pm

    […] up a couple of recipes. I didn’t have anywhere close to all the right ingredients. Β I found one that was […]

  • The Gluten Free Lab » taking a page out of our book.
    January 2, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    […] and included it in our cookbook, Dig In: Sweets. This recipe has been floating around the web (see here and here, thanks girls!), so we thought we’d share with you a page out of our book. […]

  • tiffany
    July 10, 2012 at 11:02 am

    do i have to put coca in them .. its the only thing i dont have at home

  • Amanda Gibson
    July 29, 2012 at 2:51 pm

    Two words: chocolate orgasm. I saw this recipe and immediate got up and made them. I was stealing bites while the mixture was still hot. These are sure to please my husband and our sweet tooth!

  • Julie V.
    August 1, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    Just made these for the dentist appointment tomorrow. Perferct for a chocolate craving.

  • Photo of the Day, 2/1/13 « Anderstons in the Andes
    February 1, 2013 at 7:44 am

    […] we actually ever ate at home, but Ryan was craving it one day, and now we know how to make it.) 4. Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies (We only made these once, because we had to get chocolate chips from the US and they are all gone […]

  • Nurit
    February 28, 2014 at 9:52 am

    hmmm, these look so delicious and I’d love to try making them… but… what is 3 T butter? tablespoons? sticks? I can’t figure it out. πŸ™