Magic No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
These no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies are exactly what you need when you’re craving a rich, chewy homemade chocolate cookie but have zero desire to turn on your oven—like in the middle of the summer or at the end of the day.
They’re decadent, but relatively healthy, full of whole grain oats, dark cocoa powder, coconut oil, and peanut butter. I also add raisins for extra natural sweetness. The best part is that they come together like magic in minutes on the stovetop and harden as they cool.
Keep reading to learn how to make these incredible no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies. And make sure you bookmark this recipe because I promise it will become a staple in your house.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients needed to make no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies. Substitutions and variations are in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Cocoa powder. Use good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder like Guittard or Ghirardelli so the rich chocolate flavor shines. And by the way, did you know unsweetened cocoa powder is full of antioxidants and health-promoting compounds that are good for your heart and can reduce inflammation?
Oats. They stand in for flour. I recommend old-fashioned oats for these cookies because they provide a nice chewy texture. They also have a much lower glycemic index than quick-cooking oats, which means the glucose they provide is delivered to your bloodstream more slowly.
Sugar. You can easily get by with ½ to ¾ cup of sugar in this recipe, especially if you add the raisins, which are naturally sweet. If you prefer a zero-calorie sweetener, see the section below for options.
Peanut butter. This helps bind the ingredients together. Creamy peanut butter works best. If you use natural peanut butter, make sure to stir the oil in well before you add it to the recipe. See the section below for other butter options.
Raisins. They add natural sweetness, which allows for less sugar or sweetener in the recipe. Plus, I love the chocolate, peanut, and raisin flavor combo.
Substitutions and Variations
- These cookies come out best with all sugar, but you can substitute part monkfruit or erythritol granualted sweetener (like Lakanto or Swerve). I would use at least half sugar, or the cookies will be too soft.
- Swap almond butter for the peanut butter. If you’re nut-free, use sunflower butter or tahini.
- Coconut oil keeps this recipe vegan (and adds a light hint of coconut flavor), but you can also use vegan or regular butter instead.
- Omit the raisins if desired, or add other types of chopped dried fruit, like dates or cherries, instead of the raisins.
- Swap regular or any type of plant milk for the almond milk.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Chop the oats. Pulse the oats in a food processor about 30 times or until they’re broken down into small pieces. Add the peanut butter and raisins, and pulse about 10 more times to combine.
2. Make the chocolate mixture. Combine the coconut oil, vanilla, almond milk, cocoa powder, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, set a timer for one and a half minutes (90 seconds), and let the chocolate mixture boil, whisking frequently. Turn off the heat.
3. Combine the oats and chocolate mixture. Add the oats, peanut butter, and raisins to the pot of chocolate. Stir well to combine everything. Let this cool for one minute so the batter is easier to spoon into cookies.
4. Spoon out the cookie batter. For each cookie, drop about one tablespoon of the batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them cool for 15-20 minutes at room temperature (or pop the tray in the freezer for 5 minutes if you’re hungry) or until they’re firm enough to handle.
Expert Tips
Use a timer when boiling the chocolate mixture to achieve the right cookie texture. If you boil the chocolate mixture for longer than two minutes, your cookies will be super crisp and crumbly. If you don’t allow at least one minute of cooking time, they’ll be very soft. I find about 90 seconds to be the sweet spot where you get a soft cookie with a dense, fudgy consistency that holds together well.
Note that if you swap a zero calorie sweetener for sugar, the cookies will stay super-soft. They’ll still taste delicious, but may not hold their shape at room temperature. Keep them in the freezer or refrigerator.
Work quickly when spooning out your cookies. The batter starts to set up as it cools. If you wait until it’s too cool, the batter will be very hard to scoop out, and your cookies will look like lumps of coal.
Recipe FAQs
Your cookies will be very soft if you don’t boil the chocolate-sugar mixture long enough. If you end up with super soft cookies that don’t hold their shape when lifted off the pan, chill them and store them in the freezer. They’ll still taste delicious.
Yes, but hot chocolate mix has sugar and milk powder added, so your cookies will taste slightly different. To use hot cocoa mix in place of cocoa powder, skip the sugar, and use one cup of hot chocolate mix.
Store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer for three months.
Related Chocolate Dessert Recipes
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No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup sugar or more to taste. You can also use monk fruit sweetener.
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Lay a sheet of parchment paper over your countertop next to the stove, or on a cookie sheet – It should be large enough to hold 14 cookies.Have a kitchen or watch timer available.
- In a food processor, pulse the oats about 30 times or until they're broken down into small pieces. Add the peanut butter and raisins and pulse about 10 times until combined. Set this aside.
- Combine the coconut oil, almond milk, sugar or other sweetener, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk well over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Set the timer for one minute (60 seconds). Let the mixture boil for one minute, whisking continuously. Turn off the heat after one minute.
- Add the oat-peanut butter mixture to the pot and stir well with a spatula to combine everything. Let the cookie batter cool for one minute.
- Working quickly, spoon the batter onto the parchment paper using a generous tablespoon of batter for each cookie. The batter will harden as it cools, so it's important to do this quickly!
- If desired, press each cookie with a fork to flatten it. Let them cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before eating. If desired, place the pan in the refrigerator or freezer for faster cooling.
- Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
If you print this recipe, you can scan the QR code below to see updates and tips or leave a comment.
Don’t own food processor & need proper weights in gm or oz to make any recipe – cups don’t exist in Europe & are very inaccurate
Thanks for your comment! I updated this recipe to include a button at the bottom to convert to metric units. You can also mix the ingredients by hand if you don’t have a food processor. You will have large pieces of oats but it will still work. Enjoy!
They look yummy and will satisfy my sweet tooth. Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy them. I’ve been enjoying them all week 🙂