These quick and ultra-chewy no-bake peanut butter cookies deliver big flavor with just a few pantry staples. Made with old-fashioned oats and crunchy peanut butter for extra texture, they set into a crisp shell with a soft, gooey center that becomes fudgy with time. They're naturally gluten-free (and egg-free!) and come together in about 5 minutes using only 8 ingredients. Easily make them vegan with no compromise in flavor or texture.
I was the kid who asked for chewy chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate. In fact, I hated chocolate well into adulthood (blasphemous, I know)! I dedicate these no-bake peanut butter cookies to that chocolate-hating child in my heart.
They're a chocolate-less riff on my chewy chocolate peanut butter no-bake cookies - soft, gooey, and unapologetically peanut buttery; they taste like an extra-fudgy peanut butter candy crossed with an old-fashioned oatmeal cookie. And no chocolate stealing the show.
Instead of creamy peanut butter, I use chunky peanut butter in this recipe because it gives these cookies extra crunch and texture, while old-fashioned rolled oats provide a perfect chewy bite. I love the brown sugar in these no-bake cookies, too; it brings out caramel and molasses notes that pair well with a hint of cinnamon.
Best of all, they're naturally gluten-free and take about 5 minutes to make, without ever turning on the oven.
Getting that Chewy, Gooey Texture
Use a cookie scoop: For working quickly while still scooping even cookies, use a medium cookie scoop!
Get ingredients ready: Timing is key, so it's important to have all your ingredients pre-measured and ready to go before starting to cook the mixture. Otherwise, you'll risk overcooking the mixture (see below!).
Take care not to overcook: Overcooking the liquid mixture on the stove will cause a dry, crumbly cookie rather than a gooey, fudgy one! Every pot and stove cooks a bit differently, so if your cookies turned out drier than you'd like, reduce this cooking time by 15 seconds rather than trying to add more liquid.
Rest before scooping: I found a short 2-3 minute rest gives the oats time to soak up moisture and the caramel base to thicken, so the cookies don't spread into thin disks when scooped onto the baking sheet. If your first one spreads too much, let it rest a bit longer before scooping!
This is the perfect pantry cookie.
These cookies are so forgiving - they're meant to be pantry-staple cookies that work with whatever you've got on hand. Here are a few ingredient notes from my testing:
- Unsalted butter: I use unsalted so I can control the salt level in my baking, but salted, unsalted, or stick-style plant-based butter will all work! Whatever you've got on hand.
- Sugars: A combo of granulated and light brown sugar gives a molasses flavor with a chewy texture. You can also use all granulated sugar or even coconut sugar - these are pantry-staple cookies, so use what you've got!
- Peanut butter: 10/10 recommend a crunchy peanut butter, but I have also made them with creamy peanut butter (and sometimes even add chopped roasted peanuts!). If your peanut butter is naturally separated, make sure you stir it well before measuring.
- Gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats: After testing with old-fashioned rolled oats, quick-cooking oats, and a combo, old-fashioned rolled oats were my clear favorite, creating the most satisfying chewy texture. That being said, the recipe is forgiving and will work with quick-cooking oats. Just note that they absorb more moisture and result in a denser, less chewy cookie that is more fudge-like.
- Flaky salt: Technically optional, but definitely recommended. Flaky salt and peanut butter belong together.
Recipe
Chewy No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, or plant-butter for vegan or dairy-free
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, or sub in more granulated sugar, but the results will be less chewy and flavorful
- ½ cup (120 g) whole milk, or other dairy or non-dairy milk
- ½ cup (123 g) crunchy peanut butter
- 2 ¾ cups (270 g) gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats, or use quick-cooking oats, but the results will be denser and more fudge-like than chewy
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional: Flaky salt, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the butter, sugars, and milk to a medium sauce pan. Set the remaining measured ingredients near the stove, as timing is key.
- Cook the butter mixture over medium-high heat, stirring, until the butter melts and the mixture comes to a full rolling boil in the center (not just around the edges). Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, stop stirring and cook for exactly 1 minute and no longer.
- Remove from heat and working quickly, stir in the peanut butter, followed by the oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, until completely mixed.
- Let the mixture rest for 2-3 minutes for the oats to soak up a bit of moisture while you line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (Without the rest, your cookies will be thin.)
- Scoop 2-tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. I recommend using a medium cookie scoop. If your cookie spreads too much, let the mixture cool for another minute. Scoop all of the cookies onto the baking sheet with a cookie scoop or spoon, shaping them into mounds, if needed. Optional: sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Before removing the cookies from the baking sheet, let them cool completely until firm to the touch, 1-2 hours at room temperature or 15-30 minutes in the fridge.
- Store on the counter in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for a week. Enjoy straight from the fridge or at room temperature.
Notes
Storing no-bake cookies
These cookies will keep on your counter in an air-tight container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for a week. The longer you store them, the texture goes from gooey and chewy to more fudge-like. Both are equally delicious!Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review and rating to let me and others know how you liked it!
Simple but Crucial Steps for Chewy No-Bake Cookies
STOP: Did you measure out all of your ingredients? Are they handy by the stove? Do that first!
Let them cool completely until firm to the touch, 1-2 hours at room temperature or 15-30 minutes in the fridge, then remove from the baking sheet.
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