No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Drop (Printable Version)

Rich, chewy chocolate and oat drops set quickly for an easy, satisfying dessert treat.

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter
02 - 2 cups granulated sugar
03 - 1/2 cup whole milk
04 - 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
05 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

06 - 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
07 - 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
08 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

# Directions:

01 - Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder. Stir frequently until mixture reaches a full rolling boil.
03 - Continue boiling for 1 minute while stirring constantly.
04 - Remove from heat and immediately stir in peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
05 - Fold in oats until fully coated and combined.
06 - Drop tablespoon-sized portions of the mixture onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
07 - Allow cookies to set at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes or refrigerate for 10 minutes for faster firming.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They're ready to eat in 30 minutes flat, no oven required, just a pot and your patience while they cool.
  • The texture is pure comfort—chewy on the inside with that slight crunch from oats that somehow tastes indulgent.
  • They remind people that dessert doesn't have to be complicated to be genuinely delicious.
02 -
  • The one-minute boil is non-negotiable; skip it and your cookies will stay soft and almost fudgy instead of setting into proper cookies—sometimes that's okay, but it's not what you're aiming for here.
  • Don't let the mixture sit in the pan while you're dropping cookies; if it cools too much, it becomes hard to scoop and you'll end up with uneven sizes.
03 -
  • If you're worried about the peanut butter seizing when it hits the hot mixture, have it at room temperature and stir it in slowly while the pan is just barely still warm—patience here pays off.
  • The difference between cookies that set properly and ones that stay fudgy often comes down to that one minute of boiling; treat it like the rule it is, not a suggestion.
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