No Bake Cookies Without Peanut Butter

Delicious no bake cookies, no peanut butter needed! Simple and quick recipe perfect for when you don’t have any peanut butter available.

My boys (including my husband) love no bake cookies and we make a lot of different styles. But every once in a while we are craving them but don’t have enough peanut butter available.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I don’t like making extra trips to the grocery store for just one ingredient! And that’s why I’ve become pretty decent at adjusting recipes to make up for missing ingredients.

And for this recipe you can make it with a peanut butter substitute or without one! If you do have any of the peanut butter substitutes on hand (find the list below) then definitely use it but if you don’t it’s all good. You can make the recipe without it.

Just follow the recipe as written and ignore the peanut butter substitution.

How to make no bake cookies if you don’t have peanut butter

This recipe is super easy to make. All you have to do is heat your ingredients on the stovetop and then let your cookies set.

It doesn’t require a bunch of dishes meaning cleanup is fast too!

These no bake, no peanut butter cookies are the perfect quick treat when you have a craving for something sweet.

I know what you’re thinking. Don’t no bake cookies include peanut butter?

It’s true, most recipes require it, but if you don’t have peanut butter on hand you can still make this recipe.

Peanut Butter Substitutes

You can use one cup of any of the following ingredients in place of peanut butter. But don’t worry, if you don’t have any of these ingredients either just follow the recipe and ignore the substitute.

• Pistachio Butter
• Cashew Butter
• Almond Butter
• Hazelnut Butter
• Sunflower Seed Butter
• Pecan Butter
• Tahini
• Pumpkin Seed Butter
• Soynut Butter
• Cookie Butter

Keep in mind that each of these will provide a different flavor to your cookies. I love how pistachio and cashew butter taste, but personally I’m not a big fan of pecan butter.

The great thing about this recipe is it’s so versatile. You can add one cup of any of these nut butters or skip it all together!

If you use a natural nut butter be sure to stir it together well before using. The oil will be separated from the butter.

No Bake Cookie Secrets To Success

Make sure to use quick oats when making no bakes. Quick oats cook down faster and offer the perfect chewy texture.

Traditional oats take longer to cook, and if not cooked all the way offer a less pleasant texture.

When using cocoa powder for no bakes you want to use unsweetened cocoa powder. While you can use sweetened cocoa powder, you will have to adjust your sugar to compensate.

It’s quickest and easiest to use unsweetened cocoa powder.

Step by Step No Bake Guide

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Quick Oats
• 1/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
• 8 Tbs. Salted Butter (add dash of salt if butter is unsalted)
• 1 Cup Nut Butter (Optional, see list above)

Add your cocoa powder, granulated sugar, milk, and butter to a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Stir mixture frequently and continue to boil for about three minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in quick oats by hand.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and drop heaping tablespoons of cookie mixture on to pan.

Place pan in your fridge and chill for at least a half an hour. Cookies will firm up and be ready to serve!

Additional Flavor Options

Like I was saying, this cookie is great as is. But there’s no reason you can’t add more flavors if you would like.

A teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract added at the very end can enhance the flavor. You can also add in your favorite flavored chips when stirring in your final ingredients.

Some of my favorites are white chocolate, semi-sweet, caramel, and toffee.

Some people enjoy nuts, and that absolutely works as well. I’d chop them up before stirring them in.

If adding nuts or chips I’d go with about a quarter of a cup and no more than 1/3. You can also add chocolate sauce or frosting (my youngest loves frosting on his no bake cookies).

Conclusion

This recipe is quick making it great as a last minute family treat. If you end up with leftover cookies, you can store them in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a week.

You can also put them in freezer safe bags and freeze them for up to two months.