Whenever I make, see or hear about these No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies it brings me back to my first year as a teacher. I had been assigned to a three-room schoolhouse, one of the last in the region. There were 60+ students, three teachers, two school cooks, and a custodian. The cooks were old fashioned country cooks through and through. They never measured anything and everything came out perfect. They would often supplement the school pantry with supplies from their home to make the breakfasts and lunches to their liking. As you can imagine, what they made were no ordinary school meals; kids and the school staff loved what they created.
One of the items they would make were these No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies. They called them chocolate cow-pies. The kids would giggle and then gobble them up.
To recreate this recipe I had to do some digging. I remembered the basics but little else. After some research, and a multitude of tries I was able to recreate those delightful chocolatey no-bake cookies I remembered as a first-year teacher. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies
Ingredients: Makes approximately 2 ½ dozen cookies
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- ½ cup smooth style peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- ½ cup dark raisins
Directions:
Line two sheet pans with parchment and set aside.
Combine cocoa, sugar, and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, allow the mixture to boil for 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter, butter, salt, and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir until smooth, add the vanilla and then add the oatmeal and raisins. Stir until the oats are thoroughly coated. Working very quickly, using a small cookie scoop, drop small mounds of the mixture onto parchment. Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes: These cookies can be made any size you desire. I wouldn’t recommend doubling this recipe because the mixture sets up quite quickly. If you don’t care for the raisins, subtract them or substitute roasted peanuts. The peanuts add a nice crunch.
These No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies were a big hit with my taste testers. The fact that they had chocolate and peanut butter in them may have been part of the draw. Another reason may be they’re super easy and very quick to prepare. For me, with the summer heat in the triple digits, a no-bake cookie is a welcome option that doesn’t heat up the kitchen. Whatever the reason, these cookies are truly a delight.
Time to eat…
If you enjoyed this “No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies,” check out Palmier Cookies, Easy Peanut Butter Cookies, Coconut Macaroons, and Homemade Oreo Cookies.
P.S. Take a moment to check out and purchase some of the tools I used for this “No-Bake Chocolate Oat Cookies” below. 🙂