No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies With Oatmeal

Thanks for sharing!

Sometimes you need a little something sweet in a hurry, and without an oven. These no bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies are an easy treat the whole family will love. Luckily they only take a handful of ingredients and a few minutes to make.

If you are a peanut butter lover, these cookies are the perfect treat for you. They are a lot like the classic no bake cookies, but without chocolate.

While we love chocolate, sometimes it is fun to let the peanut butter really shine. This gives you full peanut butter flavor with that classic oatmeal chew.

A Quick and Easy Treat

Have you ever had one of those nights where you just need a little something sweet but there’s nothing in the house? I have those all the time.  

My sweet tooth is always calling for a little something more.  And while you might not believe this if you have perused the dessert section of this site, but I do actually have a little bit of self control at the store.

So I try not to buy too many easy sweet treats to have on hand.  If all I have to do when a craving hits is open a package, that is too easy.

I like to make it a bit of a challenge.

The problem is… I know my way to the kitchen.  And gosh darn it if I don’t know how to whip something up when it’s needed.

So for better or for worse we are always just a few short minutes away from a treat.  Especially when armed with recipes like this one.

You just need to grab a few ingredients, most of which are pantry staples. Then you can be enjoying the fruits of your labors in about 20 minutes.

Making Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

This recipe is a lot like the chocolate and peanut butter version from my childhood. You start by boiling some sugar, butter, and milk together.

Watch the mixture closely and once it starts boiling, let it boil for exactly one minute. If you boil it too long, the cookies will be dry and crumbly.

If you don’t boil it long enough, they won’t set all the way. One minute is the perfect amount of time to hold them together but maintain a soft interior.

If you are worried about judging the doneness of the sugar mixture just by a timer, you can use an instant read thermometer to make sure they are done. The boiling sugar mixture should be about 235F.

Once your sugar mixture is up to temperature, go ahead and remove the pan from the heat. Then stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.

I like to use regular commercial peanut butter for these kinds of recipes because it gives the most consistent results. I haven’t tried it with the natural peanut butter that needs stirred first, but you can let me know how it goes if you try it.

Now it is time to stir in the oats. I use old fashioned oats, because that is what I always have in the cabinet.

Quick cooking or instant oats also work. In this recipe there isn’t a lot of difference between the two.

Scoop the mixture onto a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper and let the cookies set up. To speed up the process, put the trays in the refrigerator.

Store no bake cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Or freeze the cookies for even longer storage.

What did the boys think?

My husband isn’t the biggest fan of peanut butter, but even he went back for more and then a few more.  Which is a really good thing.  

He and little man were the only thing that kept me from knocking back the whole batch by myself.

They are so easy, so delicious, so peanut buttery and so melt in your mouth good.  In fact, I don’t know why you are still reading me yammering on about them.  Skip to the recipe and run to the kitchen as fast as you can!

More No-Bake Peanut Butter Recipes

If you like peanut butter no bake treats, you may also like monster cookie bites or chocolaty no bake peanut butter bars.

There are also great chunky monkey oatmeal balls and peanut butter maple snack mix.

What are your favorite peanut butter recipes? You can let me know about them in the comments below.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review in the recipe card.

Thanks for sharing!