The first “food” I made as a kid, without adult supervision, was a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie. As an adult, I have modified the “traditional” recipe to make these cookies just as sweet and tasty without all the fat. I’m very happy to share my lower fat version with a deeper flavor profile. They are just as tasty as a traditional no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie.
Flavor Profile of No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies taste like chocolate peanut butter fudge with oats. Various recipes for these cookies are found in almost every southern American church, school, and community cookbook. Most recipes are pretty similar with all of them (at least the ones I’ve seen) loaded with a ½ cup of butter in addition to lots of peanut butter. I never understood why there was so much butter… wait! Am I seriously wondering that? Hello! Southern cooks use lots of butter… duh!!
My First “Cooking” Memory
As I mentioned, no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies were the first… anything I (and my sister) made without adult supervision. My sister and I were home alone during the summer while our parents were working. We REALLY wanted these cookies!! We saw, even “helped”, our mom make these many times. Since they didn’t require oven use, we chanced the phone call to mom for approval (we were good kids, so “yes” we asked for permission). As an aside, my mom’s main (only) complaint about us while growing up was that we didn’t make our beds; Mom, you were lucky that was all you had to complain about! 😉
Yes! Permission Granted with a Caveat…
Mom gave us the go-ahead, BUT we had to call her when we turned on the stove and call her again when we turned off the stove. I don’t recall, but I’m sure my mom was giving us instructions left and right the whole time! 😊 Knowing my mom, I can’t believe she actually let us make those. I’m thankful though, because we were super happy kiddos indulging in the batter on the spoon, from the pan, and the many cookies that followed! I think, secretly, she was too, because she had cookies ready to eat when she returned home from a long day at work.
Difference in My Recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
I LOVE no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. In truth, I eat them like granola bars (at least my version) because the much-reduced butter fat in my recipe prevents a sluggish belly, and you can add dried fruit, coconut, and/or nuts to make them even more satisfying for an after-work-out treat. In addition to much less butter fat, this recipe incorporates a variety of sugars for flavor depth. I use a liquid sweetener, specifically honey, that contains a little moisture to keep the cookies soft over time and prevents a crumbly or gritty cookie. I often make and enjoy these cookies gluten-free using gluten-free oats and vegan using nut milk and coconut oil or plant-based butter… these truly are a worthy treat! 😊
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: Ingredients
For my lower fat no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, you’ll need cocoa powder, milk of any kind, salt, butter (regular or plant-based or coconut oil), honey (or maple syrup for vegan), brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter), and oats (either quick-cooking or rolled).
Prepare the Baking Sheet
Prepare a cookie sheet on which to place the cookie dough. You only need 1 cookie sheet lined with wax paper. The cookies will be sticky, and they remove more easily from wax paper than any other.
Measure & Process the Oats (If Needed)
If you’re using quick-cooking oats, you only need to measure them out and set them aside. However, if using old-fashioned rolled oats which is the only oat I keep in my pantry, then you should pulse them in a food processor to break them down like quick-cooking oats. We need the oats broken down, so they provide a hearty structure to the cookie.
Cook the Chocolate Fudge
Mise en Place
Before beginning the process, have your mise en place of ingredients. “Mise en place” is a French expression meaning “put in place” referring to having all ingredients measured out and ready to go. For this recipe, because the steps move quickly, it’s best to have all ingredients measured out and near the stove before cooking.
Whisk the Cocoa Powder, Sugars, & Milk
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 45 grams (½ cup) of cocoa powder, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, 120 grams (½ cup) of granulated sugar, 150 grams (¾ cup packed) of brown sugar, 85 grams (¼ cup) of honey (maple or agave syrups), and 28 grams (2 tablespoons) of butter (or coconut oil), 4 ounces (½ cup) of milk (nut, coconut, oats, etc.).
TIP: I use a liquid sugar like honey in my recipe because I find the liquid sugar prevents the cookies from drying out and becoming crumby. It produces a soft cookie. The variety of sugars add depth to the overall flavor.
Cook: Boil for 1 Minute
Cook the mixture whisking frequently (I whisk constantly to prevent the mixture from burning). As the chocolate mixture cooks, the sugars will dissolve, and the sauce will become shiny. Cook until a rolling boiling.
Once the mixture reaches a rolling boil, set a timer for 1 minute. Whisk while boiling for 1 entire minute. Turn the heat down a little if needed.
TIP: If you cook the chocolate too long, the chocolate will harden like candy and become dry and crumbly after cooling. If you don’t cook long enough, the chocolate will not harden.
Stir in Remaining Ingredients & Place Mounds on Baking Sheet
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Immediately, whisk in 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 130 grams (½ cup) of peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter). Whisk the added ingredients until smooth. Use a spoon to stir in 300 grams (3 cups) of oats and any other mix-ins until all combined. Immediately after stirring in the oats, use a tablespoon and drop mounds of chocolate oatmeal dough on the wax-lined cookie sheet. You can slightly reshape each cookie using your fingers for a rounder, prettier cookie once all are in mounds as they will still be warm enough to mold.
TIP: Once you remove the chocolate from the stove, you should move quickly as the chocolate begins to harden as soon as it begins to cool. If you wait even 5 minutes, the chocolate might be too firm to drop in mounds on a baking sheet.
Refrigerate until Firm
That’s it! Refrigerate the cookies for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until firm enough to hold their shape. Store them in the fridge; room temperature is too warm, and they will “melt” and be sticky.
Close-Ups of No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Cookies are firm enough to eat! Check them out. Notice the oats dispersed throughout the chocolate. The cookies are soft but hold their intended structure.
Storing No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies will keep for a week or so in the fridge. You can stack these cookies but ensure you separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper, or they WILL stick royally!! For longer storage, you can store them in the freezer in a sealed container or zip-top bag separating layers with wax paper for a couple of months. If you want to transport these cookies to eat on-the-go, wrap them individually in wax paper or plastic wrap since they will stick, particularly if they get warm.
No-bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Final Thoughts
Unlike most no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, this cookie recipe doesn’t make you feel sluggish or sick to your stomach after eating them due to the much less quantity of butter fat. In fact, I never miss the fat because of the nut butter and variety of sugars. This cookie totally satisfies the sugar and chocolate cravings. They are fantastic eaten as a dessert or snack on-the-go like a granola bar. For added health benefits stir in dried fruit and/or nuts with the oats. If you’re not a granola bar kind-of-person, you might really enjoy this souped-up version.
Baker’s Perspective
Aside from cooking a bit over the stove, no-bake cookies are as easy as it gets. I buy organic, gluten-free, old-fashioned oats, so I have the extra step of pulsing my oats in a mini food processor to break them down like quick-cooking oats. If you buy 1-minute oats (aka quick-cooking oats) then you can skip this step.
I think the key in the success of this recipe is not cooking the chocolate mixture too long. If you do, the chocolate will become too hard, and the cookies will be crumbly. I have found that liquid sweetener (like honey, maple syrup, etc.) helps to keep the cookies moist, so the chance of crumbling and drying out or becoming gritty is slim. Since no-bake cookies can be rather unappealing to the eye being simple mounds of chocolate and oats, you can mold them into a prettier, rounder shape once all are placed on the pan.
This is a recipe that needs attention from beginning to end. The chocolate begins to firm once removed from the stove, so spooning mounds onto the pan immediately is imperative. If you wait even 5 minutes, it will be very difficult to spoon out any batter. Being a no-bake recipe, the sweet treat reward is immediate licking the spoon and saucepan… totally worth it!
Taster’s Perspective
During my gluten-free, vegan days, this was the cookie recipe I could eat and craved. I’m back to eating dairy but gluten is still iffy (though I can tolerate a little); thus, using regular milk and butter still creates a cookie I crave. They are sweet like a cookie but not overly sweet. The main fat is from nut butter, so the cookie doesn’t leave a greasy film on the tongue. I love that I can enjoy an indulgent treat and not have a heavy, sluggish gut after eating two or three at a time.
The amount of oats, cocoa, and sugar are balanced. While there is quite a bit of sugar (no more than any other cookie recipe), you get a treat that satisfies the craving and provides satiety along with a few extra health benefits from the cocoa, oats, and even the honey. You know, even if you have your own no-bake cookie recipe, I encourage you to try this one once. You may find it tastes just as good and realize you can have your cake and eat it too… with much less fat.
Check out my YouTube Video on ALL the visuals in making these no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. “No-Bake Fudgy LOWER Fat Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: Gluten-Free & Vegan Friendly with LOTS of Flavor.”
No-Bake Fudgy LOWER Fat Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 45 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 120 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 150 g (¾ cup packed) brown sugar
- 85 g (¼ cup) honey maple syrup, agave, or other liquid sweetener if vegan
- 28 g (2 tbsp) butter plant-based or solid coconut oil if vegan
- 4 oz (½ cup) milk any kind (nut, oat, coconut, etc.)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 130 g (½ cup) peanut butter any creamy or chunky nut or seed butter
- 300 g (3 cups) oats regular, organic, and/or gluten-free, quick-cooking, or old-fashioned
Optional Mix-ins: NOTE: If using the following mix-ins, decrease oats by ½ cup and add ½ cup of any of or combination of the following
- ½ cup dried fruit raisins, dried cranberries, chopped apricots, chopped dates, etc.
- ½ cup chopped nuts peanuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.
Instructions
- Prepare pan by lining a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Measure oats and set them aside. If using 1-minute oats (quick-cooking oats) simply set them aside. If using old-fashioned rolled oats, pulse them in a food processor for 10-20 seconds until they break down enough to look like quick-cooking oats.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add cocoa powder, salt, all sugars, butter, and milk. Whisk frequently while heating. The sugars will dissolve, and the sauce will become shiny. Cook until a rolling boiling. Once boiling, set a timer and whisk for 1 minute, turn down heat a little if needed.TIPS: It's best to have all ingredients measured out and near the stove. If you cook the chocolate too long, the chocolate will harden like candy and become dry and crumbly after cooling.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Immediately, whisk in vanilla and peanut butter until smooth. Use spoon to stir in oats and any other mix-ins until all combined.TIP: Once you remove the chocolate from the stove, you should move quickly as the chocolate begins to harden as soon as it begins to cool.
- Immediately after stirring in the oats, use a tablespoon and drop mounds of chocolate oatmeal dough on a wax-lined cookie sheet.TIP: You can slightly reshape each cookie using your fingers for a rounder, prettier cookie once all are in mounds.
- Refrigerate for about an hour or until somewhat firm. They will be a little soft but should hold their shape. Eat and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Interested in some other sweet treat recipes? Check these out.
Argentine Alfajores Sandwich Cookies
Simple Scottish Shortbread Cookies
Gluten-Free & Vegan Scottish Shortbread Cookies
Latin American Tres Leches Cake
Australian & New Zealand Pavlova
New Zealand Kiwi Quick Bread (Regular & Gluten Free)
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