No-bake desserts encompass a wide variety of treats, from no-bake strawberry cheesecake to dark chocolate peppermint fudge. While you might think the only no-bake cookie recipes would be edible cookie dough, no-bake cookies can have the same chewy, tender crumb as their baked counterparts. While you may not need to turn on the oven for no-bake cookies, you do have to turn on your stove. And, in addition to a pot, a candy thermometer is the one kitchen tool that’ll ensure your no-bake cookies are moist and cohesive.
No-bake cookie recipes like our chocolate oatmeal cookies use the stove’s heat to combine and thicken the sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa powder. The key is to bring these ingredients to a boil to essentially transform the sugar into caramel that’ll help bind the oats for a more cohesive no-bake cookie. However, if you boil the sugar for too long, the sugar will get too hot and harden. And, hardened sugar will make for dry, crumbly no-bake cookies.
It’s hard to know exactly how long to boil the mixture; some recipes call for one minute while others call for between two and five minutes. Therefore, a candy thermometer is the tool you need to make sure the sugar doesn’t get too hot because it’ll give you a precise temperature. When the sugar mixture reaches between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll know it’s ready to turn off the heat and stir in the oats.
More no bake cookie tips
While many recipes use a blend of cocoa powder, sugar, milk, and butter for the rich and bubbly cookie foundation, you can make no-bake cookies dairy-free by swapping butter with coconut oil and milk with plant-based alternatives like coconut, soy, oat, or almond milk. You can also swap white sugar for honey or maple syrup. In addition to a thick caramel-like foundation, a spoonful or two of peanut butter is a flavorful and creamy binding agent that contributes to the fudgy chewiness of no-bake cookies. If peanut butter isn’t your favorite, almond or cashew butter are great options.
Cocoa powder has a pure and rich cacao flavor, and there are many types to choose from. But Dutch-processed cocoa powder like Guittard Cocoa Rouge has the most depth of flavor. If you’re a chocolate lover, you can always add chunks of semi-sweet chocolate chips to each cookie mound before leaving them to set. Another option would be to melt chocolate chips with coconut oil in the microwave to drizzle over the cookies with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt to balance the sweetness. For that matter, you could use this salted caramel sauce recipe for a sweet and salty topping to complement the chocolate.
No-bake cookies are quick and easy to make, but they take patience and willpower to complete. A 45-minute to an hour stint in the fridge will give them the best chance to set.
