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We have Stacy from Stacy Makes Cents to thank for today’s recipe for no bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
It’s not her recipe, but as soon as I saw her post for these old-fashioned no bake cookies, I had to rush to the kitchen to make a batch of my very own.
They’re an oldie but goodie from my past that I hadn’t made (or thought about) for years. And I’m not sure why because they are…
- delicious
- quick and easy
- have a short list of ingredients that I usually have on hand
- can be made on the stovetop (no oven required)
And, most importantly, these easy delicious no-bake chocolate cookies remind me of home.
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies?
I love cookies because they’re naturally portion controlled, so they’re great for those of us who are watching our weight.
According to my calculations, each no-bake cookie has just 107 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
5 SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
4 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
3 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Of course, you need to have the willpower to stop at one or two 🙂
If you’re like me, a woman of questionable will power, share them or hide them, or keep them under lock and key!
You’ll find this recipe, with all kinds of variations, all over the internet. It’s an oldie but a goodie, probably dating back to the Great Depression, when no-bake cookies first became really popular here in the US.
And like Stacy mentioned, they go by lots of different names:
No-Bake Cookies. Boiled Cookies. Preacher Cookies. No-Bake Oatmeal Fudgies. Chew Charlie’s. Cow Pies (Yikes!)
I turned to my tried and true recipe from a favorite old cookbook, The Yankee Church Supper Cookbook (affiliate link), which calls for a little less sugar than many others. They turned out delicious, just like I remember Mom’s tasting.
Recipe Notes
I used old-fashioned oats, since that was what I had in the pantry. Many recipes specify either quick-cooking or old-fashioned. Since quick cooking oats are cut into smaller pieces, they will create a less chewy cookie.
I also used Dutch-processed cocoa, again since that was what was in the pantry. This helped give the cookies a darker color and richer flavor.
Be sure that your mixture is really boiling before you begin to count your boiling time. This is probably the trickiest part of boiled cookies. If you don’t boil them long enough, they may not set up and too long can cause them to be hard and grainy.
It’s likely they may not set up if you make these no-bake cookies when it’s really humid. These cookies are not a fan of humidity! If they don’t set up, it’s not the end of the world. They’ll still taste delicious!
If this happens, just eat them with a spoon, or keep them in the refrigerator so they stay firm.
I love that you can make these cookies lots of different ways…
Recipe Variations
- More crunch: use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth for added crunch.
- More spice: add a dash of cinnamon to the sugar/butter mixture.
- Tropical taste: add 1/2 cup shredded coconut with the oats.
- Nuttier: add 1/2 cup chopped nuts with the oats.
- Fruitier: add 1/2 cup dried cranberries, or raisins, with the oats.
- Cookie bars: press cookie mixture into a greased, foil-lined 8-inch square pan for no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookie bars.
Here’s another no-bake, old-fashioned favorite sweet treat – Chocolate Cornflake Crisps!
If you like these easy, no-bake cookies with chocolate, oatmeal and peanut butter, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers friendly no-bake recipes including WW Crock Pot Rice Krispies Treats, Chocolate Marshmallow Bark, No-Bake Peanut Buttery Cookie Bites, Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits and 4-Ingredient No-Bake “Brownies”
If you’ve made these No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch-processed)
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups rolled oats, quick cooking or old-fashioned (quick is better)
Instructions
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa, sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a rolling boil (surface will be covered with bubbles) and continue to cook for 2 minutes while stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until creamy and well blended.
- Then stir in the and oats until well combined.
- Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or a silicone mat, making about 36 cookies and then flatten them slightly with your damp fingers or the back of a wet spoon.
- Let cool until set.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 5 SmartPoints (Green plan) 5 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 4 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 3 PointsPlus (Old plan) I used old-fashioned oats, since that was what I had in the pantry. Many recipes specify either quick-cooking or old-fashioned. Since quick cooking oats are cut into smaller pieces, they will create a less chewy cookie. I also used Dutch-processed cocoa, again since that was what was in the pantry. This helped give the cookies a darker color and richer flavor. Be sure that your mixture is really boiling before you begin to count your boiling time. This is probably the trickiest part of boiled cookies. If you don’t boil them long enough, they may not set up and too long can cause them to be hard and grainy. It’s likely they may not set up if you make these no-bake cookies when it’s really humid. These cookies are not a fan of humidity! If they don’t set up, it’s not the end of the world. They’ll still taste delicious! If this happens, just eat them with a spoon, or keep them in the refrigerator so they stay firm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Yankee Church Supper Cookbook (affiliate link) by Clarissa Silitch.
In this video, April shows how easy it is to make your own version of healthy no bake 100 calorie cookies with peanut butter, oats and chocolate chips:
Watch how you can easily make your own healthy no-bake oatmeal energy balls with chocolate chips:
More Lightened Up No Bake Sweet Treats for WeightWatchers
- No-Bake Upside-Down Peach Blueberry Pie (HungryGirl)
- WW No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheerio Bars (RecipeDiaries)
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie (SkinnyTaste)
- Healthy Vegan No-Bake Maple Cookies (Cookin’Canuck)
- No-Bake Skinny Strawberry Shortcake Trifle (SkinnyKitchen)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Almond No-Bake Cookies (DrizzleMeSkinny)
Helpful Articles for Weight Watchers
- A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding the WeightWatchers Program
- A Comprehensive List of Articles & Tips for WeightWatchers
- What Foods Should I Eat in a Day on WeightWatchers
- WeightWatchers Zero Points Foods List
- WeightWatchers Friendly Meal Plans
- Why We Are More Motivated the Closer We Get to Our Goals – Another powerful WW Weekly Workshop Topic.
One of my favorite go to cookie recipes. Easy to make and very yummy!
Wow…these brought back childhood memories. My mom use to make them quite often. I thought chocolate and peanut butter would be off limits with WW. Who knew dieting could taste so good!
Could you substitute Truvia for the sugar and Almond mild for the reg. milk? And, if so, do you know what the WW smart points would be? I have always loved these cookies.
Hi Shirley, I’m really not sure. Haven’t tried with nondairy milk or Truvia. If you do, please let us know how they turn out! – Martha
I,ve been making these since I was a kid. It’s a family favorite.SO GLAD I found this recipe again!!! ANOTHER PLUS-it’s gluten free!!!
Just made these tonight. Used 2% milk and instead of sugar I used 1/4 honey and about 1 tsp stevia. Turned out good. They fall apart, but can’t complain since I did change the recipe. They are semi firm though and refrigeration would probably firm them more. Definitely tasty though.
I’m looking for a Really old WW chocolate cookie. I use to eat them every morning. But they were baked.
Oatmeal, margarine, powdered milk, vanilla peanut butter or not. I can’t remember amounts but I’d have everything measured throw in the vanilla maybe water?? Bake them while I was doing my hair. Then I’d dunk them in my 1/4 cup of oj. Wish I could find hat recipe. It was on a WW news flyer maybe 39-40 years ago! Wow I just had an OLD moment.
These are so good! We’ve been making them as long as I can remember. My grandmothers version is a little different from this recipe. Two cups of sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa, a dash of salt and boil 1 minute. You have to work quickly or they’ll firm up before you’re finished. I’m in a humid area though air conditioned and they firm up every time but ingredients directions and have to be followed completely. We sometimes leave out the cocoa for a stronger peanut butter flavor…yum!