No Bake Cookies Recipe

These healthy, no-bake cookies are a wonderful snack for kids and adults alike, and you don’t even have to turn on the oven!

Mini Chef was being rather insistent about baking some cookies. He might eat clean, but he’s got his Mama’s sweet tooth, and while I try to temper that with plenty of veggies, whole grains, and lean meats, there’s just no denying he’s my kid when he gets his mind set on a treat. So, I finally relented.

No-bake cookies on a white plate.

Strangely enough, a Facebook fan had just asked me about making no-bake cookies. So, I figured it was a perfect opportunity to give it a shot.

I would have to say that of all the desserts I’ve posted on this blog, these cookies would have to be in the top three.

Seriously, don’t make these if you don’t have people around to help you eat them.

I repeat, do NOT make these cookies without having extra mouths to put some in. I promise you WILL eat the entire batch if you don’t. It’s a good thing Mini Chef and my in-laws were around because I could have done some serious damage to that batch all by myself. Seriously, people, proceed with caution!

We got our inspiration from this recipe at Food.com but ended up with two very different and very healthy recipes. Yes, I’m actually going to give you TWO no-bake cookie recipes today.

A metal spatula holds two no-bake cookies.
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About The Ingredients

Honey – Any type of honey will work.

Pure vanilla extract – Use the real stuff, not vanilla flavoring.

Creamy almond butter – No sugar added.

Psyllium husks – Wheat germ or oat bran will work as substitutes.

Chia seeds

Quick cook oats

Dried cranberries – Opt for fruit-juice-sweetened cranberries.

Pecan pieces – Chop these fine.

How To Make No-Bake Cookies

No-bake cookie ingredients measured and sitting on a white marble surface.

Gather all the needed ingredients and measure them.

All no-bake cookie ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.
No-bake cookie ingredients mixed in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon.

No-bake cookies spooned onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Spoon 20-24 small balls of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 45 minutes.

A spatula lifts 2 no-bake cookies up off of a cookie sheet.

Remove the sheet from the freezer and transfer the cookies from the parchment to a Tupperware dish with a good-fitting lid. The best way to remove them from the parchment is to get a good grip and twist slightly or use a metal spatula to help lift them off the parchment.

Storage

Store these in an airtight container in the freezer at all times. They will keep in the freezer for up to six months and can be eaten straight from the freezer.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Here is the second version of this recipe. Follow the same steps in the recipe given.

  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter (no sugar added)
  • ¼ cup psyllium husks (you can sub wheat germ or oat bran too)
  • 2 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 cup quick cook oats
  • 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

More Cookie Recipes

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No-bake cookies on a white plate.

No-Bake Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

A delicious, no-bake cookie you can enjoy straight from the freezer!
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Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Freeze Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 24 Cookies
Calories: 73kcal
Author: Tiffany McCauley

Ingredients

  • cup honey
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • cup creamy almond butter
  • ¼ cup psyllium husks (you can sub wheat germ or oat bran too)
  • 2 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 cup quick cook oats
  • ½ cup juice-sweetened cranberries
  • ¼ cup pecan pieces (chopped)

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon.
    No-bake cookie ingredients mixed in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.
  • Spoon 20-24 small balls of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 45 minutes.
    No-bake cookies spooned onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
  • Remove sheet from freezer and transfer the cookies from the parchment to a Tupperware dish with a good fitting lid. The best way to remove them from the parchment is to get a good grip and twist slightly.
    A spatula lifts 2 no-bake cookies up off of a cookie sheet.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Article from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted on 3/24/11.

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Food and Travel Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated journalist and an award-winning cookbook author and food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. Her food specialty is healthy comfort food recipes.

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72 Comments

  1. graciouspantry says:

    You can try just leaving them out. A few extra oats would be okay.

  2. Do the oats need to be toasted prior to mixing everything up?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      No, they don’t.

  3. OMG! We made the peanut butter ones for Super Bowl last night……they were AMAZING! They taste so much better than the sugar filled ones I think, everyone there loved them and could not believe they were healthy and everyone’s asking for the recipe!! Thank you!h

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Haha! My pleasure!

  4. Is there a difference in psyllium husk & psyllium husk powder? I’m new to the clean eating/healthier living arena. I actually have psyllium husk powder & was wondering if I could use that to make the peanut butter cookie recipe. Thanks! (BTW, thanks for such a great site!)

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      To be honest, I have no idea. I would imaging you could use them the same, but that’s just a guess. Wish I could be more help.

  5. The peanut butter ones rock! I love your use of Chia seeds! They totally take this no bake recipe to the next level of healthy cookies. Great job! Oh and they taste delicious, too! My almost 5 year old loves them as well!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Awesome! 🙂

  6. Could I use flax seed meal instead of the psylium?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Sure! It’ll be a little more “slick” in texture, but it should work.

  7. I used the flax seed meal and it worked great. These are seriously dangerous!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Becky – Haha! Glad they worked out! 🙂

  8. Suggestion on how to make them g-free?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      K Sue – I assume you mean gluten free? You can replace the wheat bran with flax meal if you like. Or just leave it out all together.

  9. We love these cookies. Make them often. We are having family coming to visit tomorrow and they do not eat healthy at all. Everything is processed and full of lots of sugar. They also think that I am crazy for the way I feed my family. So I made these cookies (and added some chocolate chips) to see if they will like a healthy alternative cookie. I’m not telling them that they are clean. Can’t wait to see how they go over! I know it sounds silly but I’m tired of the eye rolling and everyone saying the way I cook doesn’t taste good or is too much. Wish me luck!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Dana – Let me know how it goes!!

  10. Tina@GottaRunNow says:

    I like all of the healthy ingredients. I made the chocolate peanut butter version with wheat germ and only a 1/4 the amount of honey. Tasted great!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Tina – So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

  11. So the cookies were a hit and then I also made your mac and cheese. They gobbled it up. No one knew any difference as to everything being clean. I loved it!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Dana – Fantastic! Funny how people actually like real food, isn’t it? LOL

  12. I don’t think they sell psyllium husk in my area. Can I just leave it out?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Natalie – Sure. Or you can sub with wheat or oat bran.

  13. Charmaine says:

    I haven’t seen any almond butter around my area. Is it ok to use normal butter instead? or almond powder?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Charmaine – No, those subs won’t work. But you can always order almond butter from amazon.

  14. Would the peanut butter be natural or not.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jessica – I’m not sure what you mean. It should be clean peanut butter. So basically, just peanut and maybe salt listed in the ingredient list.

  15. Just wanted to say that I’ve made these several times now and they are a big hit! Usually I make the chocolate ones but today we tried the other ones and even the kids loved them. The flavor is wonderful, and I love the chewy texture after 45 minutes in the freezer. Thanks!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lisa – So glad you liked them! 😀

  16. Oh, I also meant to say that I’ve been using ground flax seeds instead of psyllium husks (because it’s what I have around) and it works great.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lisa – Thanks for letting me know!

  17. These are great I always have a batch in the freezer for a sweet attack , I alsohave used crunchy peanut butter too comes out great!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Diane – Oh! That would be yummy! So happy you enjoyed them! 😀

  18. Question on the cookie made with almond butter. Could you substitute peanut butter or sunflower seed butter instead? What other adjustments would I need to make if I did? I can’t have almonds.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Leigh – Sure! Just about any nut or seed butter will work. The main thing is to keep the amount of oil in the nut butter about the same. Seed butter, in my experience, tend to be a little drier. So you may need to add some oil if you go that route. But play it by ear and add only as needed.

  19. I tried the peanut butter ones 🙂 They are great!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Khloe – Fantastic! So happy you enjoyed them! 😀