How to Make No Bake Cookies

Guide Note No-Bake cookies date back to the ancient Middle East, where cooks would combine dried fruits, nuts, honey and seeds to form sweet treats.

Although the modern oven is a wonderful invention, sometimes a no-bake cookie is a great choice. They're simple to make with children, don't heat up the kitchen and are usually quick to assemble. This guide to How to Make No Bake Cookies will introduce you to the most common techniques used to produce these easy delights!

Table of Contents

No-Bake Cookie Tips

  1. Feel free to substitute and experiment with ingredients.
  2. Precise quantities are not as important with no-bakes as you don't need to worry about the chemical reaction of leavening.
  3. Add wheat germ or bran to increase fiber.
  4. Check the recipe to see if there's chilling time required.

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Introduction

  • No-Bake cookies became popular in the United States during the Great Depression because they didn't rely on rationed ingredients like eggs and sugar. They were also an efficient way to use up old cookies as most no-bake recipes relied on cookie crumbs instead of flour. While we're no longer subject to food rationing and the ingredients in no-bake cookies have become more elaborate, they're still a simple way to throw together a quick snack.

No-Bake Cookies Basics

(Creative Commons photo by Stephen Witherden)
(Creative Commons photo by Stephen Witherden)
  1. No-Bake cookies do not require the usual cookie ingredients like eggs, flour, baking soda or baking powder as they are not intended to rise.
  2. Although the cookies themselves are not baked, some recipes, like the Pudding No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies, are cooked on a stove top or in a microwave oven.
  3. Other recipes, like the Chocolate Coconut Patties use a toaster oven or oven to prepare some of the ingredients before assembly.
  4. All no-bake cookies require a Cookie Base and a Binder, as well as other ingredients that add texture or help firm up the cookies.
    • Melted chocolate is a common binder because it hardens when cooled.
  5. Some no-bake cookies are shaped into balls or dropped by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Other varieties are pressed into place and sliced into bar cookies.

No-Bake Cookie Bases

No-Bake Cookie Binders

No-Bake Cookie Add-In Ingredients

How to Make Pudding No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies

(Creative Commons photo by Alison H)
(Creative Commons photo by Alison H)

Ingredients You'll Need

Equipment You'll Need

Pudding No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies Instructions

  1. Line the cookie sheets with waxed paper, or spray with a no-stick cooking oil spray.
  2. Combine the sugar, butter and evaporated milk in the 3 quart microwaveable bowl.
  3. Cook on high power until the mixture comes to a boil.
    • This will take 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave.
  4. Continue to boil for 30 seconds.
  5. Remove from microwave and stir in the instant pudding and oatmeal.
  6. Spoon onto waxed paper lined cookie sheets.
  7. Allow to sit at least 15 minutes or until firm.
    • You can refrigerate them to speed this process up.

Pudding No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies Variations

  1. Experiment with different flavors of pudding mix. Chocolate Fudge works well!
  2. You can make these on the stovetop as well. When using the stovetop variation, reduce oatmeal to 2 1/2 cups.

How to Make Haystack Cookies

(Creative Commons photo by Windell Oskay)
(Creative Commons photo by Windell Oskay)

Ingredients You'll Need

Equipment You'll Need

Haystack Cookies Instructions

  1. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper
  2. Melt butterscotch and chocolate chips in microwave.
    1. Cook at high power for 30 seconds.
    2. Stir.
    3. Repeat until melted.
  3. Add remaining pecans, noodles and/or pretzels.
  4. Stir well.
  5. Place by teaspoon full on prepared cookie sheets.

Haystack Cookies Variations

  1. Use a mix of peanut butter and butterscotch chips.
  2. Try white chocolate chips.
  3. Use cereal instead of noodles.

How to Make Chocolate Coconut Patties

(Creative Commons photo by Jessica)
(Creative Commons photo by Jessica)

Ingredients You'll Need

Equipment You'll Need

  • Rimmed cookie sheet
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Mixing spoon
  • 2 cookie sheets
    • You can reuse the rimmed cookie as one of these
  • Waxed paper
  • Tablespoon

Chocolate Coconut Patties Instructions

  1. Toast the coconut.
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Spread coconut in a single layer on jelly roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet.
    3. Place coconut in oven.
    4. Remove from oven after 5 minutes and stir.
    5. Return to oven, and cook another 3 minutes, or until golden.
      • It will take about 8-12 minutes in total to toast the coconut.
    6. Remove from oven.
    7. Allow coconut to cool.
  2. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper.
  3. Combine toasted coconut, almond extract, and melted chocolate in a medium mixing bowl.
  4. Stir until coconut is completely covered with chocolate.
  5. Press about 1 tablespoon coconut mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet.
  6. Repeat with remaining mixture.
  7. Chill in the refrigerator about 20 minutes until cookies are firm.

Chocolate Coconut Patties Variations

  1. Substitute white chocolate, dark chocolate, or butterscotch chips for the semisweet chocolate.
  2. Substitute mint extract for the almond extract.
  3. Use almonds for some of the coconut, and eliminate the extract.

How to Make Rice Krispie Treats

(Creative Commons photo by Madaise)
(Creative Commons photo by Madaise)

Ingredients You'll Need

Equipment You'll Need

  • 9-by-13-inch pan, buttered
  • Large microwave-proof bowl
  • Mixing spoon
  • Rubber scraper
  • Knife

Rice Krispie Treats Instructions

  1. Place butter and marshmallows in a large microwave-proof bowl.
  2. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to melt.
  3. Stir.
  4. Continue microwaving for 1 to 2 minutes, until marshmallows are completely melted.
  5. Stir until smooth.
  6. Add the cereal.
  7. Stir until the cereal is completely coated with the marshmallow mixture.
  8. Scrape the mixture into the buttered pan
  9. Press evenly over the bottom of the pan.
  10. Let cool.
  11. Cut into bars using a sharp knife dipped in warm water.

Rice Krispie Treats Variations

  1. Add 1 teaspoon each of vanilla and almond extract after the marshmallows have melted.
  2. Substitute margarine for butter.
  3. Use Cocoa Krispies instead of Rice Krispies.

How to Make Rum Balls

(Creative Commons photo by Ricardo Martins)
(Creative Commons photo by Ricardo Martins)

Ingredients You'll Need

  • 1 1/2 cups ground pecans
  • 1 1/4 cups finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, divided into 1/2 cup portions
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup rum

Equipment You'll Need

Rum Balls Instructions

  1. Process the vanilla wafer cookies in the food processor until finely ground.
    • If you don't have access to a food processor, crush the cookies by placing them in a self-closing plastic bag, sealing it, and crushing them with a rolling pin. Then proceed with the recipe, mixing the ingredients by hand in a large bowl.
  2. Add the ground pecans, and pulse until combined.
  3. Add 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and cocoa and pulse to mix.
  4. Add the corn syrup and rum and blend until thoroughly mixed.
  5. Shape mix into 1 inch balls.
  6. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl.
  7. Roll the rum balls in the sugar.

Rum Balls Variations

  1. Substitute bourbon for the rum.
  2. Try orange juice for a non-alcoholic cookie.
  3. Use ground hazelnuts instead of pecans.

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