No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
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Snack time means rolling out an easy and QUICK batch of these winning one-bowl No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies!
With great appreciation, this no bake cookie recipe courtesy of our friends at Southern Living Magazine!
All images and text ©Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average, LLC
No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
According to experts at America’s Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated, if you’re concerned about peanut allergies, look for cookie recipes specifically designed for other nut butters. Neither cashew nor almond butter works well as a direct substitute for peanut butter in a cookie recipe, because neither will produce the same intended results as the initial specification of peanut butter.
That said, I have tried this recipe with sun butter in lieu of the specified peanut butter. While the taste was good, this recipe is specifically a method which uses peanuts and peanut butter. My substitution left these cookies flat and they did not set up as intended. So again, if you’re concerned about peanut allergies, look for cookie recipes specifically designed for other nut butters.
What will be in your cookie tins this season?
Step away from the oven! I am generally NOT a no-bake person when it comes to cookies, but I just may have been converted! This is a no bake chocolate peanut butter cookie that uses creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter, cocoa powder, and healthy quick cooking oats.
These old fashioned peanut butter cookies are reminiscent of the candy cookies which emerged around the time of the depression, using ingredients like butter, honey or sugar as glue to keep the ingredients together. The mixture is made in minutes and is forgiving in that you may use natural peanut butter or your favorite standard store brand.
Ingredients for No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- granulated sugar
- whole milk
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- uncooked quick cooking oats
- dry roasted and lightly salted peanuts
- creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- unsweetened cocoa powder
How This Recipe Came About…
It’s that season where we are all scrambling to arrange our grocery lists for the ingredients to bake holiday cheer! What will be in your cookie tins this season?
The texture is creamy and crunchy and altogether brimming with peanut butter flavor. The quick oats offer a healthy and filling carbohydrate making satisfying cravings in between meals super tasty!
I decided to add these cookies to this years list that would make it to post on Not Entirely Average. Peanut butter cookies are entirely popular as are oatmeal, and to be able to offer a recipe combining both WITH CHOCOLATE that yields 3 dozen is a big win for those following this site for holiday baking.
How Do You Make No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies?
Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and grab a large non stick saucepan. Begin by warming the sugar with the milk, vanilla, and butter in the saucepan over medium heat, turning the heat to high after 1 minute. Bring the mixture to a boil and, stirring continuously, boil for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the oats, peanuts, the peanut butter, and the cocoa until well combined. I found a rubber spatula to be most helpful for this step.
Scoop the mixture onto the parchment while it’s still warm using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop or rounded measuring spoon. Beyond this step, all that’s left is to wait for 15 to 20 minutes for the cookies to cool at room temperature to set up.
Can I Substitute Another Nut Butter For The Peanut Butter?
No. As I mentioned above, according to experts at America’s Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated, if you’re concerned about peanut allergies, look for cookie recipes specifically designed for other nut butters. I did give it the college try and used sun butter as a substitute in equal measure in lieu of the peanut butter. The result left me feeling like I’d wasted money by throwing away less than tasty results.
This kind of brings up a good discussion on the use of substitutable items in recipes. DAILY I receive emails from readers asking why their recipes failed. In 99% of all fails, I eventually discover after questioning, that one or more substitutions were made, or in some cases, major ingredients left out altogether. At this point, the recipe assembled was NOT the recipe I originally shared.
I will ALWAYS offer a substitution IF THERE EXISTS a viable substitution within the recipe card. If you do not see a substitution listed, it’s probably because I could not find one or justify the end result using anything but the ingredient I specified. So again, America’s Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated says if you’re concerned about peanut allergies, look for no bake cookie recipes specifically designed for other nut butters.
Modifying The Norm To Make It Not Entirely Average…
This may be me cheating, but if I try these again, I plan to make them not entirely average by adding sweetened shredded coconut. I also, and because it’s the holidays, thought how unique it may taste to add a singular or bits of many chopped candied cherries to the cookies. It’d certainly take the profile of sweet and salty to another level!
How Long Do No Bake Cookies Take To Make?
Set aside 10 minutes to make these chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies. It will take the cookies longer to cook and set than it will for you to mix them up.
How To Store These No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. That said, I love, love, love a tin for this cookie. Lined with wax paper, the texture stays exactly the same as the day they are made.
Can You Freeze No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies?
Yes, you absolutely can freeze these cookies! Place the cookies on a plate or cookie sheet. Make certain that the cookies are not touching, and freeze for about two hours. Once frozen, transfer cookies to a sealed container or zippered freezer bag. Cookies can be frozen for up to three months.
If You Like This Recipe…
…you might also like:
No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups quick cooking oats uncooked
- ¾ cup dry roasted lightly salted peanuts
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter may substitute crunchy peanut butter in equal measure
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
Instructions
- Stir together the granulated sugar, whole milk, butter, and vanilla extract in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute. Increase the heat and bring to a boil over medium-high. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the saucepan from heat. Carefully stir in oats, peanuts, peanut butter, and unsweetened cocoa until well combined.
- While mixture is still warm, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or rounded measuring spoon to drop tablespoons of the mixture onto a baking sheet(s) lined with parchment paper. Let stand at room temperature until completely cool, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
The nutrition value can vary depending on what product(s) you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use a calorie counter you are familiar with.
Please note that table salt and iodized salt are NOT substitutions for Kosher salt. Do not deviate unless otherwise specified.