No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Always a hit at pot luck dinners and summer barbecues, these no bake peanut butter chocolate oatmeal cookies have been made more healthy with a few easy substitutes. 

But don’t let that fool you – the flavor still rocks!

No bake desserts are super easy to make, and come together in a flash without heating up your oven.  And this version of these yummy cookies is dairy free, vegan and gluten free.

Keep reading to find out how to make these tasty oatmeal cookies.

Both kids and adults will love these healthy no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies. They make a perfect snack or dessert and you can use them as part of a quick breakfast, too.

For another great chocolate dessert, try these skinny dark chocolate cupcakes. No guilt and so dark and rich!

Making these no bake peanut butter chocolate oatmeal cookies

I made these cookies more healthy with just a few easy substitutes.  Coconut oil replaces butter, and maple syrup and mashed bananas give the cookies their light sweetness. 

I used crunchy peanut butter to give the finished cookie a bit of extra crunch.

The whole recipe only has 1/4 cup of chocolate chips so the calories can be kept down, too.

Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will make clean up easier later.

In a saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the coconut oil, crunchy peanut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup and mashed banana until the ingredients have melted and are smooth.  This takes just a few minutes!

The mixture is very rich, since I used a 100% cacao unsweetened cocoa powder.  It took me a while to get used to this deep taste in a dessert, but now I actually prefer it to overly sweetened cookies!

Whisk in the vanilla extract, rolled oats, and sea salt. The mixture will be quite thick now. I used gluten free oats. 

(Be sure to also check out my recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies with just 70 calories each!)

The last step is to fold in the chocolate chips. Don’t worry if a few start to melt.  Be sure to check your label for gluten free and vegan on the chips.

Enjoy Life is a reliable brand that works for both.

Place heaping tablespoons of the dough on the prepared cookie sheet. The recipe makes 18 cookies.

Place the cookies in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so that they can set and harden. Store the cookies in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy!

Time to taste the no bake peanut butter chocolate oatmeal cookies

These cookies are rich with a bit of extra crunch from the crunchy peanut butter.  They have a light sweetness that comes from the pure maple syrup combined with mashed banana.

I love that having one of these won’t raise my blood sugar as much as cookies sweetened with refined sugar do.

Because the cookies use less chocolate than a normal no bake cookie, they are more chewy and have a softer finish than you might expect.  It makes the cookie a bit more creamy tasting.

If you are looking for a light sweet treat to have with a glass of milk in the afternoon, try this one.

The recipe makes 18 cookies, each with 122 calories. Just perfect for a sweet treat when you are trying to watch your weight and control your blood sugar.

Want a reminder of this recipe for later? Pin this photo to one of your healthy cooking boards on Pinterest.

This post first appeared on my blog in December of 2013. I have updated the post to add a video, nutritional information and new photos as well as a step by step tutorial.

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