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Two Twenty One

No Bake Cookies

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No bake cookies cause me to reminisce. The first time I made no bake cookies was when I was in mini 4-H. I’m fairly certain I entered those cookies in the county fair every year of the 3 years I was in mini 4-H. I think I mixed it up one year by using chunky peanut butter instead of smooth. But when something is a sure thing you go with it, especially if you’re only getting a participation ribbon.
 
 
I moved on to bigger and better things when I hit the big leagues– regular 4-H when I turned 8. I won Grand Champion overall at my county fair and went to the state fair twice for cake decorating, earning special merit (top honors) both times. I came a long way from no bake cookies.
 
 
I broke out the no bake cookie recipe last weekend. We were heading to a pool party, and I didn’t have time to make something elaborate. So I channeled my inner 7 year old and whipped up my participation ribbon winning cookies.
 
4 from 1 vote
The BEST No Bake Cookies!
Print
No Bake Cookies
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
18 mins
 
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cookies, no bake
Servings: 2 dozen
Ingredients
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups quick oats
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Place sugar, milk, butter, cocoa, and salt in medium/large saucepan. While ingredients cook, place some wax paper on countertop.

  2. Bring ingredients to a boil, stirring often.

  3. Once boiling, remove pan from the burner.

  4. Stir in quick oats, peanut butter, and vanilla.

  5. Drop cookies onto wax paper. Allow to cool.

 

 
What is your stance on no bake cookies?
Are you a fellow former 4-H member? Head, Heart, Hands, Health, baby.
The BEST No Bake Cookies!

Filed Under: dessert, recipes

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Comments

  1. DecorandtheDog says

    May 18, 2012 at 12:47 PM

    I pledge my to head to clearer thinking….

    Totally a 4-H kid. My pig was reserve champion one year and my duck won best pet. Man, I miss the fair.

    My stance on no bake cookies…I am 100% pro no bake cookies!

    Reply
  2. alanna rose says

    May 18, 2012 at 12:48 PM

    We love no bakes!
    There was no 4H in Detroit 😉 but these were a sorority house staple in college!

    Reply
  3. Kim @ keller-creative says

    May 18, 2012 at 12:56 PM

    I love no bake cookies but always forget about them! Perfect for the summer. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. raechelmary says

    May 18, 2012 at 1:05 PM

    Oh man, no bake cookies are my favorite!! You just reminded me of how much I love them and now I’m going to need to make them! My sisters were in 4-H but I never was, seems like it was a great experience though! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Sarah says

    May 18, 2012 at 1:21 PM

    yeah i was a 4H girl too! i tried to do cake decorating but quit. ha ha. i was more of a crafty girl, myself.

    Reply
  6. Nicole @My Thrafty Life says

    May 18, 2012 at 1:23 PM

    I love these cookies!

    Reply
  7. Ash @ HumberHomeProject says

    May 18, 2012 at 1:46 PM

    Is it 1/2 cup of butter? The recipe just says “1/2 butter” – I’m totally getting cocoa at the store today so I can make these this weekend! 🙂

    I was never in 4-H, but I always loved looking at their exhibits at the fair. I was a scouts girl for a while, but we moved too much to stick with one thing.

    Reply
    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      May 18, 2012 at 2:19 PM

      Good catch, Ash! This is why I shouldn’t be allowed to create recipe cards after 11PM. The “1/2 butter” issue has been fixed. 🙂

      Reply
      • jfjf06 says

        February 25, 2014 at 7:51 AM

        Too much salt! I posted on facebook and alot are saying they dont put salt in theirs.

        Reply
        • Heather says

          January 18, 2015 at 5:08 PM

          Salt helps bring out the sweet flavors. Every no bake recipe I have seen, or any dessert actually, calls for salt.

          Reply
          • Amanda says

            March 17, 2015 at 9:46 PM

            if you use salted butter you don’t need salt…but if you use unsalted you definitely need it!

    • Ash @ HumberHomeProject says

      May 18, 2012 at 6:12 PM

      awesome! I just got home from the store with cocoa & butter – Can’t wait to try these out 🙂

      Reply
  8. Kim @ NewlyWoodwards says

    May 18, 2012 at 4:33 PM

    I cannot BELIEVE you made that cake. Wow! No-bake cookies is still where it’s at. Participation ribbon or not, they are fabulously delicious.

    Reply
  9. reilly @ JourneyNorth says

    May 18, 2012 at 4:36 PM

    Good Old 4-H! I took cooking and baking, but we didn’t have a local fair to enter in or anything like that.
    I don’t think I have ever had a no-bake cookie before. I might have to try these out sometime!

    Reply
  10. Faith says

    May 18, 2012 at 4:54 PM

    Um, yes. I need these today. My mom pushed me into 4-H as a kid. She ended up making my pasta salad the morning of the show and then threw me to the wolves. (“We keep our commitments young lady.”) When the judges came around I couldn’t answer any of their questions as I had no idea what was in it or how it was made. My 4-H career was short-lived.

    Reply
  11. Katie says

    May 18, 2012 at 6:54 PM

    Oh mini 4-H! And the ten years of real 4-H that followed… at least we gained some mad skills from it all! 🙂

    Reply
  12. natasha {schue love} says

    May 20, 2012 at 6:42 AM

    Looks delish and so easy! Right up my alley…especially lately!!

    Reply
  13. Marci Spell says

    September 16, 2013 at 9:31 PM

    I JUST made them with 100% Whole Grain Quick Oats… Licking the spoon tasted Great…
    Thanks~!!!

    Reply
  14. [email protected] the Manor says

    October 23, 2013 at 11:44 AM

    I didn’t participate in 4-H but I do LOOOVE these cookies!

    Reply
  15. gale says

    October 29, 2013 at 11:31 PM

    That looks almost exactly like our recipe, except we double it. And one of our kids has peanut allergies so we use wowbutter brand soy nut butter in place of the peanut butter. Probably one of our favorite cookies ever.

    Reply
  16. Randi says

    February 1, 2014 at 3:05 PM

    The one year I was in 4-H (I think in 4th grade), my dad helped me make (by helped, I mean, he did most of the work) book ends that looked like books. 🙂 I still have them.

    Reply
  17. Cheri Gee says

    February 1, 2014 at 5:29 PM

    These sure bring back memories. Do you think we could use Stevia in place of sugar? My DH is diabetic and I hate to make things that he shouldn’t have. Thanks again for sharing the recipe, and I love the beautiful wedding cake. It looks awesome.

    Reply
  18. Renae' says

    February 17, 2014 at 12:30 PM

    Hi, I have been making these no-bake cookies for years, as a substitute for the cocoa…you can you 3-4 instant hot chocolate packages, the cookies taste more ‘milk chocolate’ with the hot chocolate and is a great substitute if you don’t have cocoa!!

    Reply
  19. how to begin a book says

    June 26, 2014 at 4:21 PM

    Great post.

    Look into my web blog :: how to begin a book

    Reply
  20. Andrea says

    July 25, 2014 at 10:30 AM

    This is the exact recipe I use for these cookies–we call them Chocolate Oaties in our house. My kids have each made them for 4H-when they were Cloverbuds. (K5-2nd grade and they can enter anything in the fair and can use mom and dad’s help on the projects). It’s County Fair time this week for my kids. My daughter is in Cake Decorating. She got a Merit award last year, but not this year. Not a happy 11 year old this year! My son got a Merit this year on his Rocket. A couple years ago, his rocket was chosen for State Fair. He loved it! I was never in 4H as a kid, buy DH was. Now, he’s our 4H Leaders Board President and I help out at 4H camp ever year. It’s amazing how much kids learn-from leadership skills to public speaking. I think it’s great!

    Reply
  21. Lora Terry-Steele says

    August 20, 2014 at 3:04 AM

    I was in 4-H! I lived in the country in Idaho. We were crop farmers. I have fond memories of 4-H, especially baking! We baked perfect 2″ cookies, tapioca on the hottest summer day ever, sandwich galore, sewing and drawing! My mom was one of the leaders. Good memories of an easier time. Thank you for the no bake recipe!

    Reply
  22. Kyla Willingham says

    August 28, 2014 at 4:39 PM

    I was in 4-H. I was also a Cloverbud. That’s what the group from age 5-7 or 8. I also did livestock judging and meat judging. The cooking/crafty stuff was always lost on me. Now I cook all the time. My son is starting Cloverbuds soon.
    I’m going to use this recipe tomorrow at my home schooling co-op as a life skills lesson on measurement.

    Reply
  23. Maureen says

    September 6, 2014 at 9:23 PM

    My heart skipped a beat when I saw these! My grandmother used to make these for us when we were little. I have no seen them in over 20 years. I think I will surprise my siblings with a batch!

    Reply
    • gwendolyn alston says

      November 8, 2014 at 3:12 PM

      It has been that long for me too. I loved these in North Carolina. That picture brought back great memories.

      Reply
  24. joyce says

    September 11, 2014 at 11:25 PM

    What am I doing wrong? Mine come out dry and crumbly.

    Reply
    • Leslie says

      October 8, 2014 at 11:40 AM

      Sometimes mine come out crumbly if I boil the sugar mixture too long. My recipe says to boil it for exactly 1 minute.

      Reply
  25. coffeegirl says

    September 23, 2014 at 5:50 PM

    good.. but i guess less salt? not sure where i went wrong…

    Reply
  26. momof2daughters says

    October 9, 2014 at 5:03 PM

    i have to agree, to much salt…. i really was craving these to, now i gotta re-make them w/no salt!!

    Reply
  27. Bridgett says

    October 22, 2014 at 10:53 PM

    No bakes are one of our favorite cookies. I decided to use your recipe instead of mine and I was very pleased. I could taste the salt so next time I will cut it down a little but otherwise they are delicious. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  28. ellen says

    November 7, 2014 at 11:50 AM

    The best no-bakes I’ve ever eaten were made with cream cheese instead of peanut butter; it took the edge off the sweetness a bit. However, mine would never harden. One day my sister mentioned that she had seen our aunt shaving (food grade, canning) paraffin wax into the pot!

    Reply
  29. gwendolyn alston says

    November 8, 2014 at 3:11 PM

    I loved these cookies as a child growing up in North Carolina. My school cafeteria used to serve them. We called them peanut butter delights. So delicious!! I think I will make a batch this weekend.

    Reply
  30. Mark says

    December 2, 2014 at 5:04 PM

    I remember my mother made these with coconut in them. They were great!

    Reply
  31. [email protected] says

    December 19, 2014 at 1:49 AM

    “…for my club, my community, my country, and my world.” Wow, you just took me back 30 years! Thank you!
    Love, love the no-bakes. Although I’m before your time, I too entered them in our state fair. 🙂
    Live on 4-H, live on….

    Reply
  32. Fairy Boyce says

    January 1, 2015 at 9:48 PM

    What is the secret for getting the cookies to firm up? Sometimes I make them and they are perfect and other times when making them they turn out to soft and will not firm up. Love, love, love these cookies but they are always better when firm.

    Reply
    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      January 1, 2015 at 11:47 PM

      Weird how sometimes they firm up and sometimes they don’t, right? Sometimes I have to add a little more peanut butter and oats to get the consistency a little thicker. Try that next time.

      Reply
  33. Kimberly says

    January 30, 2015 at 2:18 PM

    My Grandma always made them with chunky peanut butter, I’ve had them once without nanda didn’t care for them.
    I learned how to make them when I was 6 years old. My favorite childhood cookie.

    Reply
  34. Lisa says

    February 8, 2015 at 10:14 PM

    I had totally forgotten about these! Thanks for the quick trip down memory lane, made me smile 🙂

    Reply
  35. Janelle says

    March 1, 2015 at 1:53 PM

    Yay for 4-H! I did all 9 years- raised pigs, did cooking, showed my horse, did art! Great program! 🙂 getting ready to make your no-bake cookies now 🙂

    Reply
    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      March 3, 2015 at 12:19 PM

      Woot, 4-H! 🙂 I hope you enjoyed the cookies!

      Reply
  36. Paula says

    May 9, 2015 at 2:35 PM

    These are what my grandma use to call real cool cookies. This is the exact same recipe she used.

    Reply
  37. Jessica says

    July 1, 2015 at 12:38 AM

    Every time I see a recipe for these I can’t figure out how they would turn out okay with such a short cook time. My family uses almost the same recipe, except no salt and a whole stick of butter + we add the vanilla in the beginning. We boil them on low for about 10 minutes, until they reach the “soft ball” stage (they form tiny balls when dripped into a cup of cold water). We add the oats as needed, so probably less than 3cups, and we add a tiny splash of milk to keep them shiny and not too dry when they harden. If we don’t cook them long enough they are complete mush.

    If you want to do fudge, start out with mostly the same ingredients. 2 cups sugar, 3tbs cocoa, 1tsp vanilla, 1 cup milk, and a half stick of butter. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low for about 20 minutes, checking often toward the end. When it reaches the soft ball stage, remove from heat. Carefully use an electric mixer to beat the mixture. It will eventually start to get thicker. When it starts keeping its shape a bit, add a splash of milk and beat for about one more minute. Then pour into a buttered pan to cool/harden. Best fudge ever.

    Reply
  38. Leah says

    July 16, 2015 at 5:06 PM

    I was in 4H & Girl Scouts. Loved and stilll love no-bakes. So do my granddaughters. Teaching them all to cook. Their mom doesn’t cook and Dad works. Their mom works hard at home so Granny cooks and gives cooking lessons. So fun!

    Reply
  39. Dotty Hollander says

    November 29, 2015 at 12:31 PM

    How many of the no bake cookies does the recipe make?

    Reply
    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      December 1, 2015 at 11:10 AM

      It depends on how large you make them. I can usually get around two dozen cookies.

      Reply
  40. Sue McIntyre says

    September 11, 2016 at 7:44 AM

    Great memories, great no bake cookies. In the south, cosider the humidity. It really does effect the firmness of the cookies. Thanks for sharing.?

    Reply
  41. Pat McC says

    July 3, 2017 at 9:18 AM

    This recipe was published in either Women’s Day magazine or Family Circle in the summer of 1965. I was staying in Kentucky with my sister that summer. It is my family’s favorite cookie recipe. It can be changed a bit by leaving out the chocolate and substituting brown sugar for the white. We cook it just under 3 minutes at a full boil. I have also added crushed up nuts instead of peanut butter to the brown sugar version. Have never added vanilla as the recipe did not call for it.

    Reply
  42. Pat McCollem says

    July 3, 2017 at 9:18 AM

    This recipe was published in either Women’s Day magazine or Family Circle in the summer of 1965. I was staying in Kentucky with my sister that summer. It is my family’s favorite cookie recipe. It can be changed a bit by leaving out the chocolate and substituting brown sugar for the white. We cook it just under 3 minutes at a full boil. I have also added crushed up nuts instead of peanut butter to the brown sugar version. Have never added vanilla as the recipe did not call for it.

    Reply
  43. Wanda says

    November 19, 2018 at 7:55 AM

    Can you freeze these cookies. I am starting my Christmas baking and would like to add this one to my list.

    Reply

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