These No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies are a quick and easy treat you can make when you’re in a pinch! With only six simple ingredients and a hands-on prep time of less than 10 minutes, this no-bake cookie recipe will easily become one of your favorites!
If you love peanut butter, then these No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are right up your alley! No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies were a staple of my childhood, so I modified my favorite cookie recipe to feature that delicious creamy peanut butter flavor I love more prominently.
Welcome to 2023’s 12 Days of Cookies!
These No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies are Day 7 of our 12 Days of Cookies!
Be sure to check out all of the other days for more goodies!
Day 1 – Cherry Biscotti
Day 2 – Sour Cream Cookies
Day 3 – Chai Spritz Cookies
Day 4 – Millionaire Bars
Day 5 – Chocolate Chip Potato Chip Cookies
Day 6 – Nana’s Oatmeal Cookies
Day 7 – You’re on it!
Day 8 – Coffee Cake Cookies
Day 9 – Meringue Christmas Trees
Day 10 – Cookie Sticks
Day 11 – Christmas Buckeyes
Day 12 – Melted Snowman Cookies
SAVE THIS EASY RECIPE FOR NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
What kind of oats should I use for No Bake Oatmeal Cookies?
You absolutely need to use quick-cooking oats for this easy dessert recipe. Quick oats are much creamier and smoother than rolled or old-fashioned oats. That’s important for this recipe since we are not baking anything, and the oats don’t have time to soften. No one likes stiff, chewy oats!
Ingredients for No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Gather the following pantry staples to make this no bake cookies recipe:
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons whole milk (A lower fat milk is fine, too)
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup quick cooking oats
How to make No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
This really is the easiest cookie to make. The hardest part is letting the cookies set up before eating them!
- First, prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with wax paper or parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and milk, then bring the ingredients to a full rolling boil over medium heat. Set a timer and boil the sugar mixture for exactly one minute! If you boil too long, your cookies will be too dry. If you don’t boil long enough, the cookies will be too soft.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, then stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the quick oats and stir them into the peanut butter mixture while it cools, about 5 minutes. The cookie dough will thicken as it cools.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon) to place the dough onto the wax paper about an inch apart. Allow the cookies to cool and set completely before serving. Enjoy!
How to store No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Store these delicious cookies in an airtight container or in a Ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or for up to a week in the fridge.
Can you freeze No Bake Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze these no-bake treats! Place the cooled, set cookies in a freezer bag, push out any extra air, and pop the bag in the freezer. They will last up to a month when stored properly.
I like to eat them straight out of the freezer, but you can also just thaw them on the counter for a few hours.
Can I use a different kind of peanut butter?
Crunchy peanut butter works fine in these cookies, although the texture will be different. I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter as it will result in a drier cookie. Stick with creamy peanut butter for the best results.
Recipes for Peanut Butter Lovers
If you love peanut butter, oh, you’re going to love these dessert recipes! You can find all my peanut butter recipes here. These are a few of my favorites:
These Peanut Butter Brownies are heaven for peanut butter lovers. Just the right combination of chewy and fudgy, like the best brownie should be, but packed with creamy peanut butter instead of chocolate.
The best Peanut Butter Cookies are made from scratch, with love. Sweet and chewy with a little crispiness on the edges, these classic cookies have all the old-fashioned peanut butter flavor you crave.
Peanut Butter Bread is soft, moist quick bread loaded with creamy peanut butter. A big slice of this easy bread with a glass of milk makes a perfect after-school snack for the kids.
This No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie is made with an Oreo crust, fluffy peanut butter filling, fresh whipped cream, and delicious toppings, making this treat a great choice for company or family game night!
Mini Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecakes – individually sized peanut butter cheesecakes with a Peanut Butter creme Oreo for the crust, surprise mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the middle and drizzled with chocolate.
Looking for a quick peanut butter cookie that takes just a few ingredients and very little effort? Then you’ll want to make these 3 Ingredient, 13 Minute Peanut Butter Cookies! There’s a sugar-free version, too!
More No-Bake Desserts
Trying to save time and keep your kitchen cool? Try a new no-bake dessert recipe next time:
- No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
- No Bake Oreo Pie
- No Bake Chocolate Bourbon Balls
- No Bake Peanut Butter Smores Cookies
- No Bake Pumpkin Lush
Most of my Dream Bar recipes are no-bake recipes, too. Which flavor is your favorite?
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No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup quick-cooking oats
Instructions
- Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with a piece of wax paper.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, butter, and milk, and bring to a rapid boil. Once boiling, boil for exactly 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.
- Add the oats and continue stirring while mixture cools, about 5 minutes. It will thicken the more it cools.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about one tablespoon) place dough onto the wax paper and allow to cool and set completely before serving.
Comments & Reviews
Instead of using oatmeal, can you use rice crispies for this recipe?
Can these cookies be made with rice crispy cereal instead of oatmeal?
I sent in a question over a month ago and it was never answered. Can you give me a reason for that?
My apologies, Sandy. Sometimes comments are approved and I don’t see them, so I thank you for bringing this up again.
Since I haven’t made this recipe with anything other than the oats, I can’t say specifically, but I’m sure there’s a recipe for it somewhere on the internet. I would recommend doing a Google search for “No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies with Rice Krispies”.
In the meantime, I’ll work on creating my own recipe for them.
Thank you!
Lynne