Made with just a handful of pantry staples, these No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies are both delicious and seriously satisfying. Make them to share with the kids as a lower sugar, higher protein snack or dessert!
Quick, easy, and yummy desserts are even better (to me!) when they don’t need to be baked. And we love this easy no bake cookie as a simple treat to share together in the afternoon or after dinner. The recipe uses just a handful of basic ingredients, can be made ahead of time or enjoyed right away, and is just so darn delicious.
The flavor is similar to a peanut butter cup, with extra texture from the inclusion of oats. You can use a mini ice cream scoop to easily portion out the batter or make flat round cookies if you prefer. Lots of easy options!
(You may also like my No-Bake Chocolate Granola Bars, Trail Mix for Kids, No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies, and No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls as other easy options to try.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to have on hand to make these No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies.
- Peanut butter: I prefer to use creamy peanut butter, in the natural unsweetened style so the cookies are lightly sweetened. If you have a different type of peanut butter, that will likely be fine. Just know the cookies may be sweeter.
- Honey: The honey in this recipe helps the batter hold together without baking the cookies in the oven, so that is why I use it here. Honey works better than maple syrup, agave, or sugar in this recipe.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips are my preferred option here to add cocoa flavor to the cookies.
- Coconut oil: A little melted coconut oil in the mix of the wet ingredients helps to ensure the batter comes together easily and the cookies hold together when formed into balls.
- Vanilla extract: You can use pure or artificial vanilla extract to add flavor to the chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies.
- Oats: Instant oats, quick oats, or rolled oats all work well in this recipe. You can grind the rolled oats briefly In the food processor if you want the final cookies to have a finer texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the overall process involved in making this No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie recipe so you know what to expect. Go to the full recipe at the end of the post for the amounts, timing, and full information.
Step 1. Melt the chocolate, peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a heat-safe bowl.
Step 2. Stir together to make a uniform chocolate mixture with the wet ingredients.
Step 3. Add the oats and stir to cover completely.
Step 4. Portion out into cookies and serve or store.
TIP: The no-bake cookies firm up a little as the chill, so you may want to do that step before you serve them.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use rolled oats, quick oats (quick-cooking oats), or even oat flour in this recipe according to how fine of a texture you want the end result to be.
Yes, though look for an almond butter that isn’t super runny for the best results.
Yes, the oats soften in the wet ingredient mixture which helps them become easier to chew and digest.
You can do it in a small bowl set over a saucepan with a few inches of simmering or boiling water or in a heat-safe bowl in the microwave.
How to Store
Store the No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The cookies do firm up a little when they are chilled. If they become too firm for a child to easily bite, simply let them rest at room temperature for a few minutes.
Best Tips for Success
- Use natural peanut butter, if possible, for just sweet enough cookies.
- Try variations including topping each cookie with a few flecks of salt, using shredded unsweetened coconut for ¼ cup of the oats, or drizzling the cookies with additional melted chocolate chips.
- Store the cookies in the fridge so they stay together as firm no bake cookies.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup natural style unsweetened peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (or full size chocolate chips roughly chopped)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (melted and slightly cooled)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups instant oats (or rolled oats ground briefly In the food processor)
Instructions
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the coconut oil, honey, and chocolate chips into a heat-safe bowl and melt In the microwave for about 15-30 seconds. Let cool for a minute.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to a bowl.
- Stir the ingredients together to form a thick batter. You may need to use your hands to get it fully, uniformly combined.
- Portion out 1-tablespoon-sized balls. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and press flat. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
- Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, then transfer to an airtight storage container.
Notes
- You can store these cookies in an airtight storage container in the fridge for up to a month. Or, freeze them in a freezer bag, with as much air removed as possible, for up to 3 months.
- These are best served straight out of the fridge cold.
- I like to chill the cookies before transferring to a container to ensure that they don’t stick together during storage.
- Use a sturdy spoon to stir the batter together really, really well. If you have any trouble getting the cookies to hold together, squeeze each bit of batter in your hand, which will help.
- Add dried fruit if you like.
- Use rolled oats instead of instant oats by grinding them up briefly in a food processor or blender.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter in place of the peanut butter.
Delicious!!!!
This looks absolutely delicious! We love easy, no-bake recipes especially ones that can be shared with little hands after school. The peanut butter and oat combo sounds like the perfect blend of flavour and texture. Can’t wait to try this one with our team (and maybe sneak it into a lunchbox test 😉). Thanks for sharing!