Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies (Printable version)
Soft, chewy no-bake peanut butter cookies made with oats, butter and vanilla—ready in minutes.
# What you need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups granulated sugar
03 - 1/2 cup whole milk
04 - 1 cup creamy peanut butter
05 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
06 - 3 cups quick-cooking oats
07 - Pinch of salt
# How To:
01 - Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
02 - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the granulated sugar and whole milk, stirring constantly until the sugar fully dissolves.
03 - Bring the mixture to a gentle rolling boil while continuing to stir. Once it reaches a full boil, stop stirring and let it cook for exactly 1 minute to ensure proper cookie setting.
04 - Remove the saucepan from heat. Immediately stir in the creamy peanut butter, pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform.
05 - Working quickly before the mixture begins to set, fold in the quick-cooking oats until every oat is thoroughly coated and well combined.
06 - Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, drop rounded portions of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
07 - Allow the cookies to rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes until fully hardened and set.
08 - Once completely cooled and firm, transfer the cookies to an airtight container for storage. They will keep at room temperature for up to one week.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Zero oven required, which means you can make these even in a dorm room or on a humid summer day when turning on the oven feels like a personal attack.
- The peanut butter flavor is front and center, rich and deeply satisfying, without needing fancy equipment or obscure ingredients.
- They set up beautifully in about fifteen minutes, making them one of the fastest desserts you will ever pull off.
02 -
- The one minute boil is not a suggestion, it is the difference between cookies that hold their shape and sad little puddles of oatmeal.
- Have everything measured and ready before you turn on the stove because this recipe moves fast once it starts.
03 -
- Stir the peanut butter in off the heat so it does not separate or get grainy, which I discovered after ruining a perfectly good batch by leaving the burner on.
- Slightly dampening your hands or the cookie scoop prevents the mixture from sticking and gives you neater, rounder cookies.