Growing up, our Mom had a few dessert staples that we all loved. One of our absolute favorites were these No Bake Cookies.
They are the perfect treat to make when you are short on time because they can be made from start to finish in less than 20 minutes.
Whenever we need a quick treat, I love making these cookies because I always have the ingredients on hand.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make No-Bake Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- Sugar
- Butter
- Cocoa Powder
- Milk
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Quick Oats
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to make No-Bake Cookies
- Combine sugar, butter, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir constantly and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, remove from heat and add the salt, vanilla and peanut butter and mix until well combined.
- Add oats and mix until full incorporated.
- Drop by spoonfuls or using a cookie dough scoop onto foil or waxed paper.
- Let cool before eating.
Storing and Other TIps
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days on the counter or in the fridge.
If you are having a problem with your cookies crumbling too easily or being dry, be sure to take them off the heat earlier.
If you want rounder cookies use a cookie scoop, but growing up our mom always spooned them onto foil so it is totally a preference thing!
Enjoy More Delicious No-Bake Cookies Recipes
There’s nothing like homemade cookies that the whole family will love. Check out our comprehensive collection of cookie recipes here.
- No-Bake Cookie Butter Cookies
- No-Bake Chocolate Bird’s Nest Cookies
- No-Bake Nutella Cookies
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup peanut butter (creamy)
- 2 cups quick oats
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine sugar, butter, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir constantly and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, remove from heat and add the salt, vanilla and peanut butter and mix until well combined.
- Add oats and mix until full incorporated.
- Drop by spoonfuls or using a cookie dough scoop onto foil or waxed paper.
- Let cool before eating.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Hah, the alternative name cracks me up. Around here they are known as “PMS Tamers”
I’m definitely going to call them Gorilla Poops! That’ll have my children in stitches!! So funny. 😉 But they sound completely delicious too. Yum!
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I just made these thanks to you!!! I hope they turn out.. they are in the fridge cooling now 🙂
Ha, the name alone made me stop and click! These look and sound great though, easy treats are always a must!
What a name for them! But they do look yummy!!
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LOVE all the alternative names for these cookies!!! I just had a LAUGH OUT LOUD moment and I SOOOO needed that today!! these cookies are the best and so fast and easy. THANKS for sharing 🙂 have a great day. AshJensen34@msn.com
I made these yesterday and they taste great but they never turned into a cookie. Have to eat them with a spoon after scraping them off the paper. Not sure where I went wrong. Thoughts appreciated! 🙂
Would love to make these but have peanut allergy. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Master: My family’s recipe is the ONLY one I’ve ever seen that does not use PB or any kind of nut butter in no-bake cookies. Let me know if you’d like the recipe. (I personally prefer the no PB cookies over PB no-bake cookies.)
Cecelia- I have the same problem. I’ve tried to make these numerous times with them not hardening at all. Would love some insight into this problem too.
Cecelia- I have the same problem. I’ve tried to make these numerous times with them not hardening at all. Would love some insight into this problem too.
ROFL! We call them cow patties!
Here’s what we do to make them harden: let the boiling mixture boil for one minute EXACTLY, don’t use any sort of low-sugar, no-sugar, organic PB, and mix in the oats ASAP. That seems to help in our house with hardening. Humidity can play a factor as well.
Could you email me this recipe?? beckygrider@hotmail.com
I made these and they ended up pretty dry. Any idea what may have cause that?
These were so easy to make and oh so yummy! :o)
What is a “T”? As in “2 T butter or shortening” and “2 T cocoa”? Is it a teaspoon or tablespoon?
The capital “T” is a Tablespoon. If it were a lowercase “t” it would be a teaspoon. 🙂
What???? I’m supposed to wait until they are cool to eat them? lol
I have a similar recipe that uses a full stick of butter, twice as much cocoa,and 3 cups of oats. The main trick is in the timing. You MUST begin timing 1 minute as soon as it starts boiling, and immediately stir the other ingredients in after that minute. Too little- a runny mess. Too much- dry crumbly cookies.
I’ll have to start calling them Gorilla Poops. My kids have always loved that I call Monkey Bread, Monkey Balls. I’m a bad mom that way.
my family make this cookie but instead of cocoa powder we use chocolate chips and they are put in at the same time as the peanut butter..They are known as Grandma Hanks or PMS Cookies
5
My family calls them haystacks.
These are delicious! I make a modification with mine though…I use Splenda, and only use 1 cup because otherwise it is too sweet for my husband and I, which also means I only use about a cup and a half of the oatmeal. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I would like it too! I made these with PB and they turned out great! Made them and just left out the PB and they never hardened! ?? cfurcsik@hotmail.com
I have made a recipe similar to this one, and the key to having them set up is to allow the butter/milk/sugar/cocoa mix boil for AT LEAST one min. I usually go longer just to be safe. This is what makes the sugar crystallize and become hard as it cools turning them into cookies! Hope this helps!
Let the mixture boil for 90sec or 1.5 + min before you add PB and remove from heat.
Can I use old fashioned oats instead of quick uncooked oatmeal?
About 30 years ago my husband worked with a good friend who would rummage through his lunch. One day he found a bag of no bake cookies all melted together and asked, “what’s this? Gorilla Poop?” From that day on we called no bake cookies, gorilla poop. I thought it was just our family….
Where did you hear that name?
Our mom had a friend growing up and one day he told her that these cookies looked just like Gorilla Poop. The name stuck and since that day that is what we call them. We thought we were the only ones with that name! We’ve never seen gorilla poop, but maybe they are true to their name….ha ha!
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I LOVE these-I just now made them and they are totally divine. I ate like five! But, mine as well turned out a bit crumbly-I ate two of them with a spoon, from a bowl. Next time I will add more of the wet ingredients, maybe that’ll help.Thanks for this recipe! 😉
We also have been calling them “Gorilla Poops” since my son (at 3 or 4 years old) said “These look like big, fat gorilla poops”! He just turned 30. Before that we called them “No-Bake Cookies”, boring! Funny how one name can stick from so many different families.
Just took these out of the pan and there were perfect. My husband prefers them a little dry so cooking at a rolling boil for two minutes produced just the right consistency. Thanks for the recipe!
Love this recipe! Thought I would comment since I have made them 15 or 20 times since discovering them. Our kids and my picky husband are always asking me to make them. Quick, easy and so far bullet proof to mess up. Thanks for a great recipe. They are wonderful for a quick treat and to take camping.
I would love to have the recipe for the no-bake cookies but with out the peanut butter.
I use to make these all the time when I was in elementary school before my peanut allergy !
Me too, please! olliemint@gmail.com
I learned to make them 37 years ago in Home Ec class and they were always a big hit with everyone at Christmas. Always had to make my favorite uncle his own to take home. Only difference is that I add raisins to them.
I agree with you. The part about mixing it in a pan is not clear at all unless you have made these before. Someone could just mix it in a pan and not realize you had to actually boil not just melt the butter. Thanks for your reply.
I’ve gone to the post and updated the directions. Sorry about that, it is now more descriptive. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you like the cookies!
I have made these several times, they are GREAT! super easy and sooo good!
I’ve been making these for years, but have always used coconut instead of peanut butter. They’re to-die-for. Try it! (:
I use a candy thermometer and heat it up to 250° then just use my cookie scoop to get them out and press them down so they evenly cool
I read all the comments about needing to boil the mixture for one minute, a roiling boil.
A comment from (I assume) the OP said she had gone back to the recipe and made changes to make it include the one minute boil and easier to understand.
Unfortunately, I just looked at the recipe and it doesn’t say anything about boiling for a full minute. Could this be corrected?
That’s what my husband’s family calls them! We’ve been married 20 years and I still can’t get myself to call them that. Haha!
Will this recipe turn out all right if you leave the cocoa out. my husband wants a no bake peanut butter cookie. no chocolate
This recipe might be better. Just leave the chocolate drizzle off of the top.
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/no-bake-peanut-butter-chex-bars/
They give these hints on their YT channel
Yep! Just leave the cocoa out. They turn out great. We do it both ways at our house.
I have made these cookies since I was in Jr. High, more than 50 years. I add all kinds of “extras”. Coconut, can’t forget the M&M’s and even a few nuts if you want. If you like it try it. They are the best!
I just made these cookies. They are very good but I have one problem. They are way too sweet for everyone in the family. I Have a couple of sweet tooth kids and it was even too sweet for them. Instead of 2 cups of sugar can I cut back on that? Will the cookies still come out OK?
Add dark cocoa to enrich the chocolate flavor. I do 1/2 dark and 1/2 regular. All dark makes it too dry.
I would love the no peanut butter recipe “Key Fam “ please email? Thanks so much!
Mine always turn out grainy :/ gross…
This recipe is amazing! Every bite is just as delightful as the first! Although I followed the recipe, mine came out a bit flat. That’s ok though, they were still very delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe!