These classic Chocolate No Bake Cookies are made just like you remember them - without peanut butter and with both oatmeal and coconut!
They are the exact same recipe that I have been making almost my entire life. While I do enjoy the variations, these are hands down my favorite and quite simply..the BEST!
I do make a peanut butter oatmeal no bake cookies version quite frequently as well, and we used these with our chocolate no bake cookies for our Easter Egg Nests with phenomenal results!
Although these quick and easy no bake cookies look like a gooey mess when you are done cooking the syrup and adding the oatmeal and coconut, they turn out beautifully if allowed to set up for the appropriate amount of time.
As noted int he recipe, I almost always make my no bake cookies in the evening and drop them onto waxed paper on a counter or table where I can leave them undisturbed over night to really come together.
There's also a bit of science to the cooking time, but as long as you make sure that the syrup is at a nice rolling boil (but not threatening to boil over) for a full minute you will find that they turn out perfectly every time.
Enjoy!
Chocolate No Bake Cookies (without peanut butter) Ingredients
My classic chocolate no bake cookies version includes sugar, butter, milk, cocoa, vanilla, quick oats and coconut. The choice of oats is important as the quick oats yield the best texture for no bake cookies. Old fashioned oats or steel cut oats will result in more 'chew' in your cookies than is usually preferred. The chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies (without peanut butter) is based on the same recipe, but omits the coconut as well.
For a tasty holiday cookie, we love using these no bake cookies in our Chocolate Peppermint No Bake Cookies!
How To Make Chocolate No Bake Cookies
- Heat a medium saucepan with the butter, sugar and milk over medium high to high (enough to bring the syrup to a boil).
- Stir frequently to prevent burning!
- Once the butter is melted and the syrup has reached a full rolling boil, cook for 1 minute then remove from heat.
- Add the vanilla and cocoa and stir to combine with the syrup.
- Then add the quick oats and coconut and stir until evenly coated.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and allow to cool and set up for at least an hour. I usually make mine in the evening and allow my chocolate no bake cookies to set up over night.
📖 Recipe Card
Chocolate No Bake Cookies (without peanut butter)
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup butter (salted, one stick)
- ½ cup milk
- 4 tablespoon cocoa
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups quick oatmeal (do not use old fashioned or steel cut oats)
- 1 cup coconut (shredded)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan with the butter, sugar and milk over medium high to high (enough to bring the syrup to a boil). Stir frequently to prevent burning!
- Once the butter is melted and the syrup has reached a full rolling boil, cook for 1 minute then remove from heat.
- Add the vanilla and cocoa and stir to combine with the syrup. Then add the quick oats and coconut and stir until evenly coated.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and allow to cool and set up for at least an hour. I usually make mine in the evening and allow my chocolate no bake cookies to set up over night.
Patricia says
I love the original no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies!! 💝 no coconut or peanut butter. I learned how to make these cookies when I was a kid in the 70’s, with my new neighbor friend. Her family had the recipe for generations. She became my very best friend. Thank you for your wonderful site. I love the name too 😊
Debbie Turner says
I am so happy to see the original recipe. We got it from a cookbook that the gas company in Kansas City gave out. Of course, the recipe book was lost after my Mama passed away.
N. Manhas says
I just made this recipe using maple syrup (1 1/2 cups) instead of sugar and replaced the butter with coconut butter (also named creamed coconut). I didn’t have vanilla so I used a spoon of coffee and I used chocolate from my bar cacao I purchased online from Peruvian cacao makers. My coconut also was not sweetened. I stay away from processed sugar as I don’t feel good after consuming it. Thanks for a delicious recipe that I was able to easily change. I put small scoops into silicone cupcake liners and tossed them into the freezer to set quickly. They are so delicious!
Yu says
Bonjour ! Est-il possible de remplacer le beurre par de l'huile ? Merci et bonne soirée
"Good morning! Is it possible to replace the butter with oil? thank you and good evening"
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Oui! Je les fais aussi avec de l'huile de noix de coco, vous pouvez donc utiliser votre huile de cuisson préférée dans les biscuits. La seule différence est que j'augmente le temps d'ébullition à 4 minutes (au lieu de 1 minute). Apprécier!
"Yes! I make these with coconut oil too, so you can use your preferred cooking oil in the cookies. The only difference is that I increase the rolling boil timing to 4 minutes (rather than 1 minute). Enjoy!"
Yu says
Merci beaucoup pour votre réponse ! Je vais essayer cette recette sans tarder ^^
BLC says
I tried this recipe and it was delicious without peanut butter however, I had to add an extra cup of oats as 2 cups made it more like soup. Even with 3 cups it took a while to set up.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
I use three cups total (oats+coconut in this case) of dry ingredients for my no-bake cookies. Did you opt to skip the coconut? If the cookies took a long time to set, then the syrup either needed to boil a few seconds longer or your boil wasn't strong enough. Make sure that you get a full rolling boil, which has rapidly bursting bubbles. And you need 1 solid minute at a good rapid rolling boil. Thanks for stopping back in to share your results, and hopefully they set up beautifully for you next time!
GT says
Beautiful texture and quick-to-set. Delicious, classic recipe. Following the recipe with no amendments, I got 21 cookies using a standard ice cream scoop. Thanks for sharing!
Julia says
Great recipe.perfect proportions.i did add a little more coconut. I also did half dark cocoa and 1/4tsp espresso 😋
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yum! Espresso is the perfect addition for really making the chocolate flavor 'pop'!
CarlaR says
I'm 63 years old and have been cooking my whole life, and have the recipe to my Granny Ruby's no bake chocolate peanut butter recipe that's absolutely the only recipe that I always use. Since I was out of peanut butter, I decided to search Google for a recipe without peanut butter and found yours
Loli Fowler says
I am so happy to have found your site. I used to make these years ago and I lost the recipe. They are SO good. My kids used to make them. Now they are (old) middle aged men. What does that make me? Too bad I didn't find you before Christmas. I'll make them tonight. Thanks.
Ruth says
If I drastically reduce the sugar (down to 1/3 cup), will it affect the cookie being able to set/solidify?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, most definitely. This particular no-bake cookie style is based on reaching a certain point in the boiling that makes the sugar set. Reducing the sugar will result in soft mounds that will not set. You can, however, use a sugar substitute like Swerve, Stevia, or xylitol. Thanks for asking!
Dr K says
I loved No-Bake Cookies as a kid, but never made them before. Tried this recipe last week. I’ve already made a second batch because they were so incredibly yummy! Takes me back to the 70s.
Donna Hoskins says
These were the best no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. I didn’t have any coconut to add to the recipe. But they were still delicious. I made these at 11:45 pm. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Kay says
Looks like a lovely recipe!! Did you use sweetened shredded coconut for this recipe?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, I did 🙂 I have unsweetened and desiccated coconut in my pantry too, but I always use the sweetened coconut for no-bake cookies. Enjoy!
Marie Wood-Bullerdick says
The original is no coconut, no peanut butter! Brought the recipe home from school in 1961 ! Original is the best!!!