Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies are the ultimate quick and easy peanut butter dessert, coming together completely in one saucepan…in less than 10 minutes! No baking, no mess, and full of salty-sweet deliciousness — this classic truly checks all the boxes.
In addition to a foolproof No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, we’ll also cover what goes in them and just what those ingredients do for your cookies, whether or not these tasty morsels should be deemed a healthy choice, and one simple step to ensure your cookies always stay the perfect texture! Plus, how to store and freeze Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies!
Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies are a classic no-bake dessert perfect for those who love a good salty-sweet combo. The base of the cookie comes together in less than 10 minutes on the stovetop and yields a gorgeous melt-in-your-mouth, praline-like texture, speckled with chewy, flavorful, old-fashioned oats.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR NO-BAKE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies come together quickly and easily on the stovetop. They don’t require any flour or leavening ingredients and are mostly made up of oats, peanut butter, milk, butter, and sugar. The ingredients are as follows:
- Old-Fashioned Oats
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Milk (Whole or 2%)
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Salt
The combination of both granulated sugar and brown sugar gives these cookies wonderful texture, and the molasses from the brown sugar adds extra flavor. If you’d like to add even more flavor and an extra special touch to your cookies, hit it with a little pure vanilla extract. However, this is certainly not necessary for a great tasting cookie.
ARE PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE COOKIES HEALTHY?
As mentioned earlier, there is no flour in the ingredient list, making these Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies a gluten-free snack. The body of the cookie is made up of old-fashioned oats, making them a semi-healthy snack. Unfortunately, the sugar content makes it a lit-tle bit difficult to call them a full-on healthy snack. What’s not unfortunate, however, is the flavor and the protein bonus you’ll get from the combination of the oats and peanut butter.
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE COOKIES
- Bring milk, butter, and sugar to a rapid simmer.
- Add peanut butter and salt. Stir until smooth.
- Add oats. Stir to combine.
- Drop dough on wax paper to set.
1. THE SIMMER
These cookies start with milk, butter, and sugar in a saucepan on the stovetop. Actually, they start and end on the stovetop. They are no-bake cookies after all. This stage is sort of like making candy, but don’t let that scare you off — all you have to do is stir occasionally and allow the mixture to simmer.
The simmer stage is important because it brings the sugars to a temperature that ensures the cookies set up nicely and offer a melt-in-your-mouth texture. As soon as you start to see bubbles form around the edges and creep in toward the center, set a 1-minute timer. When the timer goes off, kill the heat.
2. ADD THE PEANUT BUTTER
After your sugar mixture is ready, carefully add in the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla (if using). Carefully is a keyword here — the sugar mixture will be very hot. Stir the peanut butter until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. ADD THE OATS
The last addition to your Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies is the old-fashioned oats. If you’d like a cookie with a softer, less chewy bite, you could sub in quick-cooking oats.
4. SCOOP AND SET
You’ll scoop the mixture onto either wax or parchment paper in heaping tablespoons. You could also scoop the dough onto silicone baking mats if you have them.
To make your Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies look more like cookies, feel free to gently mold them into cookie shape once cool enough to touch.
HOW LONG DO THEY TAKE TO HARDEN?
How long your cookies take to set will depend on how hot your sugar mixture got and the humidity levels in your kitchen, however, on average Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies should take between 15-30 minutes to set up completely.
HOW TO STORE PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE COOKIES
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies do not need to be refrigerated and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days without losing too much quality.
HOW TO FREEZE THEM
If you’d like to enjoy your cookies for any length of time beyond this, you should consider freezing them! You can keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. To freeze them, transfer the cooled cookies to an airtight, freezer-safe container or a freezer-safe zip-top, gallon-sized bag.
If using a container, try to use one that houses the cookies snugly, but not such a tight fit that they are crammed to the point of breaking. If using a zip-top bag, be sure to remove as much air as possible before sealing.
I recently had a friend with a gluten allergy attend one of our BBQ’s at home, and I wanted to be sure there was a dessert available she could enjoy. These cookies were a perfect choice — fuss-free, quick to assemble, and loved by both the grown-ups and the children! They received rave reviews, and nobody seemed to be missing the flour one bit.
A 10-minute, crowd-pleasing cookie. Pretty sure desserts don’t get much better than that! Please, enjoy!
6 MORE EASY PEANUT BUTTER DESSERTS YOU’LL LOVE
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies feature everything you know and love about classic, bakery-style peanut butter cookies, only made better thanks to the addition of melty chocolate chips.
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats are another no-bake peanut butter dessert you’ll love! Loaded with Rice Krispies, melty marshmallow, and big peanut butter flavor.
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies are thick, soft, and practically melt in your mouth with every single bite!
- Cap’n Crunch No Bake Peanut Butter Pie is the ultimate peanut butter dessert featuring a Golden Oreo – Cap’n Crunch crust and a peanut butter filling made with salted caramel and cream cheese! The perfect make-ahead party dessert!
- Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate not only make for a decadent snack, they’re the all-time best homemade gift for the peanut butter lover!
- Thumbprint Hershey Kiss Cookies are dreamy, melt in your mouth peanut butter perfection topped with a kiss!
Make perfect Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies in just 10 minutes with this no-fuss recipe! A classic, salty-sweet cookie everyone loves!
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
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Have ready a large sheet of wax or parchment paper laid out on a work surface.
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Add the milk, butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until combined. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer and simmer for 1 minute.
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Add the peanut butter, vanilla (if using), and salt and stir until smooth. Then, add the oats and stir to combine.
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Scoop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto the wax paper and allow to set, 20-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Makes 20-24 cookies.
These sound very moreish – must be the combination of peanut butter and oats. Love how simple they sound to make too.
I love that sweet and salty flavor profile! So addictive!
ohhhhhhhh these look delicious! I love peanut butter in any form, especially cookie form
So love PB cookies – even more so when they are no bake -like these!
I always love having no bake recipes on hand. Love how you can see the oats.
These cookies do not need to be baked which make them especially convenient to try them out. I made these cookies with additional melted chocolate topping. What do you suggest if a person has a peanut allergy, what can be the substitute of peanut butter? Will sunflower seed butter work with same amount?
Hi Corrie! I would have to test that out before recommending it. Sometimes the healthier “butters” have higher water content and lower sugar content which would likely affect the end-result of the recipe. I’ll be sure to comment back if the experiment ever takes place in this kitchen 😉 Thanks for your question!