Rich chocolate caramel envelopes fresh oats and peanut butter enriched with cracked Himalayan pink salt and aromatic vanilla for the perfect no bake cookie. Learn how to make no-bake cookies easily.
When I was growing up, my grandparents co-raised me because my mom worked several jobs to make ends meet. Because of this, she didn’t have a lot of time to cook or bake. But the one thing she was excellent at making was no bake cookies.
On her rare day off, she’d make a pile of these cookies and sit them down for us to devour within minutes. To this day, I clearly remember bickering with my brothers on who got the last cookie. They are that delicious and addictive.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of recipes out there that don’t share with you the secret to making these cookies. Turn off those timers, get out your thermometer or glass dish full of water and let’s get started!
The first thing you’ll need to know is how to make milk caramels. If you don’t, I have a great tutorial video on youtube. But don’t worry, I’m going to show both photos and also a step by step video below on how easy it is to make no bake cookies.
By throwing out those recipes that promise cookies in 1 minute that never set, you’ll be much, much happier. Also, less is more, folks. The ones that offer more peanut butter is great in theory but often lead to split cookies that have a weird texture and flavor. You are making chocolate no bake cookies here, folks. Not peanut butter and maybe a hint of chocolate somewhere cookies. It’s all about balance.
So let’s get started! You’ll be amazed at how easy and truly magnificent these no bake cookies are to make.
To Make the Chocolate Caramel Sauce.
Gather ingredients. 
Start out with sugar. 
Add milk, cocoa and butter. 
Clip on a thermometer if using or have an ice water bath ready. 
Melt slowly at first. 
Once you get the butter mostly melted, turn up heat to medium. 
It will start to bubble. Adjust heat to stay at a nice rolling gentle boil. 
Cook until 235F or 113C. 
Remove from heat, add in remaining ingredients. Spoon onto wax paper. Cool.
Now Enjoy the Cookies!
Watch the Video for More Instruction.
I encourage you to watch this video on my how to make these magnificent no bake cookies before trying them. It will really help you avoid the common pitfalls.
Troubleshooting the Cookies
If you have one of these two scenarios, do not worry. I’ll explain why and how to fix them. When it comes to cooking sugar, expect some trial and error in the beginning, especially if you aren’t using a calibrated thermometer. It’s okay. We’ve all been there!
Dry crumbly cookies. 
You cooked them too high and made fudge! Just press into a pan and let cool. 
Cut and Serve. 
No problem is too great. 
Cookies won’t set. You didn’t cook them long enough. 
Pop them in the fridge. Serve them chilled. Next time, cook a little longer.
No-Bake Cookies | Preacher Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups oats (240g)
- 1 ½ cups sugar (300g)
- ½ cup peanut butter (132g)
- ½ cup milk (120mL)
- ½ cup butter (113g)
- ¼ cup cocoa (20g)
- 1 tsp vanilla (5mL)
- 1 tsp salt (5g)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together cocoa and sugar.
- Place sugar, butter and cocoa in a 3 quart sauce pan. Heat on medium until mixture starts boiling, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar and cocoa. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until mixture reaches softball stage 235F (113C.)
- Remove from heat. Quickly stir in oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Carefully place a heaping tablespoon onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Allow to sit untouched until cool, about 30 minutes.
Hi Maggie!! Love these cookies! Going to make me some now! You inspire me.
They’ll be delicious because you made them.