Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
Fudgy, chewy oatmeal cookies that set on the counter instead of in the oven. The whole thing hinges on one minute of hard boiling, so have your oats measured before you turn on the stove.
Ingredients
Makes about 30 cookies
Cooked chocolate base
Stirred in off the heat
Instructions
- 1
Get everything in position first
Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper. Measure the oats into a bowl, measure the peanut butter, and uncap the vanilla. Once the syrup comes off the heat you will have well under a minute of working time, so nothing can still be in a cupboard.
- 2
Whisk the dry base together
In a large heavy saucepan, whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt together while the pan is still cold and dry. Cocoa clumps stubbornly once liquid hits it, and breaking it up now is the difference between smooth cookies and ones with bitter dusty pockets.
- 3
Melt in the butter and milk
Add the cubed butter and milk. Set over medium heat and stir steadily until the butter melts and the mixture looks like a glossy, even chocolate sauce with no grit of undissolved sugar on the bottom of the pan. This takes about 5 minutes.
- 4
Boil hard for exactly one minute
Raise the heat slightly and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, meaning bubbles across the entire surface that do not disappear when you stir. Start your timer at that moment and boil for 1 minute, stirring just enough to keep it from scorching. If you have a candy thermometer, you are looking for 230 to 235°F. Pull it off the heat the instant the minute is up. Under-boiled syrup never firms up; over-boiled syrup turns the cookies dry and sandy.
- 5
Beat in the peanut butter and vanilla
Off the heat, add the peanut butter and vanilla and stir hard until the peanut butter melts completely and the mixture is uniform and satiny. The vanilla will steam and sputter, which is normal.
- 6
Fold in the oats
Dump in all the oats at once and stir until every oat is coated in chocolate. The mixture should look thick and glossy and should start to lose its shine within a minute or two.
- 7
Scoop quickly
Working fast, drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto the lined sheets, leaving an inch between them. Use a second spoon or a small cookie scoop to push the mixture off cleanly. If the batch stiffens in the pan before you finish, set the pan over low heat for 20 to 30 seconds to loosen it.
- 8
Let them set
Leave the cookies undisturbed at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, until the tops look matte rather than wet and a cookie lifts off the paper in one piece. They firm up as they cool, so resist moving them early. In a warm or humid kitchen, 15 minutes in the fridge will finish the job.
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Baker's Tips
- 1.
A candy thermometer removes nearly all the guesswork here. Without one, drop a half teaspoon of boiling syrup into a glass of ice water: if it gathers into a soft, squishable ball, it is ready.
- 2.
Humidity is the usual culprit when a batch refuses to set. On a muggy or rainy day, boil an extra 15 to 20 seconds and aim for the top of the temperature range.
- 3.
If the cookies are still soft after an hour, they are rescuable. Scrape everything back into the saucepan, return it to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, and re-scoop.
- 4.
Crumbly, dry cookies that fall apart mean the syrup went too far. Next time start the timer later, at the true rolling boil, and take the pan off the heat a few seconds early.
- 5.
Quick oats are the right choice, not old-fashioned rolled oats. They are cut smaller, absorb the syrup faster, and give the cookies their dense, cohesive texture. In a pinch, pulse rolled oats four or five times in a food processor.
- 6.
Skip natural peanut butter with a visible oil layer. The stabilized kind emulsifies into the hot syrup more reliably and keeps the cookies from going greasy.
- 7.
Use a heavy-bottomed pan at least 3 quarts in size. The mixture climbs the sides considerably once it boils, and a thin pan scorches the cocoa.
- 8.
Swap in almond butter or sunflower seed butter cup for cup, or stir a half cup of shredded coconut in with the oats.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed 3-quart or larger saucepan
- Candy thermometer (recommended)
- Heatproof spatula or wooden spoon
- Two baking sheets
- Parchment or wax paper
- Tablespoon cookie scoop (optional)
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, with parchment between the layers so they don't stick together. They hold their shape better in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and in a hot kitchen that is the better choice. To freeze, set the cookies fully, then layer them in an airtight container with parchment and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes.