No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

We'll be honest, we've never met a cookie we didn't like. Chewy or crispy, spiced or chocolatey, salted or sweet — we tend to like them all. This recipe for no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies comes to us from recipe developer and registered dietitian nutritionist, Kristen Carli, MS, RD.

While not crispy, these cookies become fudgey once set. Since the batter doesn't include any flour, there's no rise and no need to bake them. Instead, they're made from chocolate, rolled oats, and melted peanut butter, then chilled to allow them to cool and set. Can you say "yum"?

Since these cookies are fudgey, they're best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Be sure to separate stacked layers of cookies with parchment paper to allow for easy separation. If these are left out at room temperature, depending on the temperature in your kitchen, they may begin to melt and become liquidy.

These simple drop cookies give your oven a break: they start on the stovetop – where all the ingredients are mixed – and then finish and set in the fridge. They are also perfect for making with kids: all of the ingredients are pantry staples, clean-up is easy and there are no raw eggs. If your household has allergy concerns, then swap the peanut butter out with your favorite smooth nut or seed butter like almond, cashew or sunflower butter. Refrigerate the cookies in an airtight container and have chilled treats for after school or as special snacks. This recipe also makes a generous amount of cookies (5 dozen!) so keep it in mind the next time you need a giftable sweet.

Place sugar, butter, and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-low heat; boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

  • Remove from heat and mix in oats, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let cool until hardened.

  • I Made It Print

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    189Calories6gFat32gCarbs2gProtein

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    Nutrition FactsServings Per Recipe 18Calories 189% Daily Value *Total Fat 6g8%Saturated Fat 4g18%Cholesterol 14mg5%Sodium 40mg2%Total Carbohydrate 32g12%Dietary Fiber 2g6%Total Sugars 23gProtein 2gCalcium 18mg1%Iron 1mg4%Potassium 84mg2%

    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

    ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

    (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

    Mix milk, sugar, butter, and cocoa powder in a large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Boil, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add oats, coconut, peanut butter, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.

  • Drop tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto waxed paper and let cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

  • Cook's Notes:

    Store these cookies in a cool place (like the back of your refrigerator) if you don't intend to eat them right away.

    It's important to let the sugar mixture boil for a little bit because otherwise the cookies can be quite "mushy" even upon refrigeration.

    I Made It Print

    Nutrition Facts (per serving)

    222Calories10gFat32gCarbs4gProtein

    Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label

    Nutrition FactsServings Per Recipe 20Calories 222% Daily Value *Total Fat 10g13%Saturated Fat 5g24%Cholesterol 13mg4%Sodium 72mg3%Total Carbohydrate 32g12%Dietary Fiber 2g9%Total Sugars 22gProtein 4gCalcium 21mg2%Iron 1mg6%Potassium 138mg3%

    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

    ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

    (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.

    Can you freeze these? I'd like to send them to my daughter across the country in Washington state and thought maybe they'd ship a little better if I froze them first?

     

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    fortiersmi

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    Consistency can be achieved by weight measurements for ingredients. Also, it seems that the big gap from the comments can be answered with the temperature of the boil when complete. Five or ten degrees can easily make the different between goop and rocks. Some say boil 30-40 seconds, others a minute or so. Temperature at which to stop the boil is key here. Has anyone measured a successful run of this recipe and can cite temperature and, if possible, ingredient weights? Thank you! If I make these, I'll record weights and temperature and report back.

     

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    Buzz C.

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    Can I use almond milk instead of cows milk in this recipe chocolate no bake cookies

     

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    Teresa H.

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    What if I added all the ingredients together before I looked at the directions? Lol geez I can’t believe myself ??

     

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    Keeze M.

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    Can these cookies be made ahead of time for Christmas and then freeze or just store in an airtight container??

     

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    soldbydarlena

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    Have been making these for decades, but these are not the easiest to make set up correctly every time--but they still taste good. Many factors affect how they set up: heat, humidity, how long and hot you boil it, how long you stir it after boiling, what kind of oatmeal, etc, and it's important to work quickly after the boil timer is up. I always set a timer for boiling. After boiling stir in just the oatmeal and only 3 cups of oatmeal, stirring quickly for 2 minutes--and if it is not somewhat less shiny add another 1/2 cup oatmeal. (But I've had it already trying to set up at this point, too, and then they are too dry--I don't know how to fix it when it does this.) Then add peanut butter, and if desired chopped nuts and/or coconut or cereal, stirring quickly before dropping on waxed paper. Hope this helps some who have been having this set up too moist or dry... this really is a rather difficult recipe but even when it flops it still tastes good.

     

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    Kanopolis Kook 2

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    JUST LIKE MOM USED TO MAKE! I allow it to boil for only 30-40 seconds, otherwise the cookies are dried out. This makes slightly gooey cookies once they've set up - an awesome texture right out of the friedge. I always add a handful of shredded coconut (1/3C or so). Fun to throw in nuts, and even a few marshmallows at the very end. Versatile and tasty as ever. BEWARE: I've gained 4lbs since finding this recipe last month. :)

     

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    Lets Cook

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    I love this cookie recipe! It has been one of my favorites for when I have a sweet tooth and need something quick! You can also add a little bit of coconut (1/4 cup) to it if you want, but they are delicious without!

     

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    Miss Diggy

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    25

    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    I just made these and they are delicious! It is just my husband and myself, so I halved everything for the recipe, and it was still great. We used chunky peanut butter and they turned out perfect for us. To try something out, I crushed up some pretzels when there was about a cup and a half of batter left just to see what it would taste like. I mixed the pretzels in with the remaining batter, and spooned them on wax paper. Now I wish I had mixed pretzels in with the entire batch! :) They were delicious! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!!! :)

     

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    christaadell

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    17

    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    Jenny, I too over the years have had trouble with this recipe not turning out every time. I have found if you consistently use real butter or parkay margarine and evaporated milk, bring to boil on medium heat and then cook only 1 minute more mine turn out every time. These tricks have helped me hope they work for you too. Also mom used about a 1/4 less oatmeal this helped the cookies to be a bit thinner and spread out to look like a cookie. I read somewhere once that the weather can affect them also.

     

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    mcalislr

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    The trick and the utmost importance is to bring the first six ingregiants to a ROLLING BOIL for one minute. It breaks or makes the cookie. Most important. One minute ROLLING BOIL. NOT 1 minute 5. Seconds or 55 seconds. 1 MINUTE

     

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    jf2692

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    You are basically making fudge. Depending on humidity and temperature timing your boil will only work some of the time. The best method is the use the soft ball method. While you are boiling drop a small drop of the mixture into a glass of cool water. When it forms a soft ball it is done. This happens at 235 degrees F. This gives you much more reliable results. Google Soft Ball Stage.

     

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    Janet M.

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    I’m a big fan of dark chocolate and honey. That being said I substituted the creamy peanut butter for Peter Pan honey roasted peanut butter. On the 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder I used 2 tbs of Hershey cocoa powder and 2 tbs of Hershey special dark chocolate. Definitely brings out a new level of flavors.

     

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    speedracer50-50

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    Mexican mocha with almonds.

     

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    Joe B

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    No bake chocolate oatmeal drop cookies recipe

    1/2 cup butter or margarine 2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate (Bakers) 2 cups granulated sugar Pinch kosher or sea salt 1/2 cup milk 2 tablespoons peanut butter (I prefer chunky peanut butter) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups quick-cooking oats **I also add 1 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

    Why are my no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies dry?

    A: Chances are if the no-bakes turned out dry and crumbly it was because you overcooked them. While we call them cookies, oatmeal no-bakes are really more of a confection or fudge with oats stirred in. When it comes to candy, the longer it is cooked, the drier and harder it becomes.

    Why won't my No bake Oatmeal Cookies won't Harden?

    – FAQ About No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies If your cookies are too soft and not set, the cookie batter was not cooked long enough. In order for the cookies to properly solidify, the mixture must be cooked until it reaches 230 degrees Fahrenheit. This takes around 1 1/2 minutes on medium heat.

    Why are my No bake Oatmeal Cookies gooey?

    If your cookies are mushy even after they've set, try refrigerating them. Some of the ingredients, such as butter, chocolate, or peanut butter, will not stay completely set at room temperature. Just like a stick of butter, the longer they sit at room temperature, the looser and stickier the cookies will get.

    How to make cookies without an oven?

    Place a trivet on the pan (any wire rack/idli mould). Place a steel plate on top of it and cover the pan to preheat on a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Take a spoonful of the chilled cookie dough, roll it into a ball, flatten them and place it on top of the plate in the pan. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.