No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are an old-timey favorite and one of the easiest and most delicious cookies you’ll ever make. I think pretty much everyone has had these cookies at one time or another and pretty much everyone loves them.
No oven needed for these cookies which have the most amazing texture and you likely have all the ingredients on hand. You’ll need butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, milk, quick-cooking oats, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.
The butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk are placed in a saucepan and brought to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 90 seconds. Set a timer and keep track becasue the cookies might not set up right if you boil the mixture too long or not long enough.
Then remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. So simple!
In less than 10 minutes you can have the ingredients measured, the batter mixed together and shaped into cookies. These No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies do need a little while to set, but you won’t have to wait long. They should only take about 30 minutes to set up. If they are still too wet at this point, try sticking them in the fridge.
This recipe makes a pretty large batch of cookies- about 24 cookies. They are dense and filling cookies so they will go a long way. That being said, it is hard to not go back for another. 🙂
★★★★★
What readers are saying
Tastes like my childhood! My mom always popped them into the fridge for a really amazing treat. Try them on the counter but also can put some in the fridge! It’ll blow your mind.
Amazing recipe thank you for sharing! My kids adored these, and it brought me closer to my Mom and memories. This was the cookie my mom made every weekend in the summer.
More No-Bake Sweet Treats
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- No-Bake Butterfinger Oatmeal Cookies
- No-Bake Butterfinger Oreo Icebox Cake
Watch the video below to see how to make these easy cookies!
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter,, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces so it meltes faster
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk,
- Stir well and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 90 seconds, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the oats, peanut butter, and vanilla.
- Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Let cool to set.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: Bless Your Heart
My granddaughter and I made these cookies in a hotel that had a kitchenette. However, we were unable to locate a cookie sheet or equivalent. We thoroughly cleaned the kitchenette counter (granite) and put the cookies on the counter where they hardened satisfactorily at room temperature!
The recipe turned out good. Made these all the time for my family. I think this recipe calls for more cocoa than I used in my old recipe.
I made these all the time growing up, but always forget the measurements. I made them vegan with vegan “butter” and almond milk. They set up beautifully! They’re definitely FULL of cocoa– mine look much darker than your pic– but I love them this way!
Don’t agree with the amount of cocoa, that’s how
Much is in my family recipe. Love it, thank you!!
I love this recipe!! It reminds me of the ones they made in grade school.
Thanks for the tip on how much cocoa powder to use when making no bake chocolate no bake oatmeal this will be my first time making them & I want them to taste good
Definitely too much cocoa powder. I knew something seemed different when I made these this time.
I couldn’t find our family’s recipe for these so I used yours. They tasted like a bar of bakers chocolate and my heart is racing – beating out of my chest. Maybe a typo? I think that’s way too much cocoa powder. I finally found ours – we’ve only ever used 3-4 Tablespoons. A half cup is 8 Tablespoons. Others with heart conditions, like me, may want to cut the amount (shown) in half as well. 🙂
The 90 second tip is the secret to success.
If you put them in the freezer they set faster and stay together
Reduce the cocoa to a quarter cup WAY too much
I used rolled oats instead of the quick and it came out dry this time. Maybe i’ll increase the butter a bit next time? My original recipe from the 70’s uses 4T cocoa and 4 T butter.