Name: Healthy No Bake Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 12-14 Cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp coconut oil (can sub vegan butter or butter); 1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky); 1/2 cup pure maple syrup; 3 Tbsp cocoa powder or cacao powder; 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/4 tsp. salt; 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (Certified gluten free, as needed)

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Healthy No Bake Cookies – All the chocolate peanut butter flavor you love from traditional no-bakes, made with healthier ingredients. These are gluten free, vegan, and delicious!

One of the first recipes I ever learned to make was no bake cookies. I loved standing by the stove, stirring and sneaking taste after taste after taste of the batter. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter was so delicious to me, and I loved that I didn’t have to monitor batch after batch of cookies in the oven.

The love has continued! These days, my recipe doesn’t include the 2 cups of sugar that the original had, but it still has the chocolate peanut butter flavor and the ease I love from the original. (PS – For a good time, look at the photos of that first no bake cookie recipe–ha!)

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Here’s how I made my childhood favorite a bit healthier…

What You Need to Make Healthy No Bake Cookies:

PEANUT BUTTER. I use natural peanut butter, with just peanuts or just peanuts and salt. Crunchy or smooth peanut butter will work beautifully. (I like crunchy, my kids like smooth).

PURE MAPLE SYRUP. Pure maple syrup–the real stuff, not pancake syrup–doesn’t add any maple flavor, just sweetness. I love it for these cookies and tend to find the best price at Costco or online. If you need a substitute, I wouldn’t recommend honey as it tends to overpower the other flavors, but you can get away with agave if you need to.

UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER OR CACAO POWDER. – Here’s where the chocolate flavor comes from! Cacao powder is raw, where cocoa powder has been roasted. Both work in this recipe, so pick your favorite! (Just be sure it’s unsweetened)

COCONUT OIL. I use virgin coconut oil which does have a tiny bit of coconut taste, but you can use expeller pressed (refined) coconut oil for no coconut taste. Or, you can sub vegan butter or regular butter, if you prefer.

VANILLA EXTRACT. A little vanilla is the “it” factor for me in these cookies. If you leave it out, you’ll notice something’s missing. PS – If you can ever find Mexican vanilla, dive on it!

SALT. Another one of those essentials you’d miss if you left it out. Salt will wake up the other flavors and keep the cookies from tasting flat. If you use unsalted peanut butter, you may want to add an extra tiny pinch to the batter. (I also sometimes like to put a pinch of this coarse salt on top of the finished cookies)

(GLUTEN FREE) ROLLED OATS. Oats themselves don’t contain wheat gluten, but they’re often farmed and processed in ways that cause cross-contamination. If you’re gluten free, make sure you buy certified gluten free oats. I like Bob’s Red Mill and Trader Joe’s brands. (You *can* use quick oats if you have to, but I recommend rolled/old fashioned for best results).

Are Healthy No Bakes Really Healthier?

Calorie-wise, these healthy no bake cookies are very close to my classic no bake cookies. However, the macronutrient breakdown (carbs, protein, fat) of those calories looks a lot different:

HEALTHY NO BAKES – 151 Calories, 7.9g fat, 15.8g carbs, 3.3g protein, 7.2g sugar, 2.1g fiber

CLASSIC NO BAKES – 149 Calories, 5.2g fat, 23.5g carbs, 2.9g protein, 17.8g sugar, 1.2g fiber

So, the healthy no bakes have about 1/3 fewer carbs, less than 1/2 the sugar, more protein, and more fiber than the classics. I’d say–yes! They’re a healthier treat.

Tips for Perfect Healthy No Bake Cookies

Don’t over-boil. I know a watched pot never boils, but an unsupervised pot will over-boil. These healthy no bake cookies will go grainy and crumbly fast if you boil them much longer than directed. Once you see bubbles coming to the surface of your mixture, you know they’re boiling. Let it go 2 minutes from that point.

Parchment or a nonstick silicone baking mat. Use parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat to line your baking sheet. It’ll make removing the cookies MUCH easier after they’ve set.

Cookie scoop – I use a 1 1/2 Tbsp cookie scoop and I usually get 12-14 cookies from my batch. You can use a larger scoop for fewer cookies or a smaller scoop for more cookies.

Pat them down a bit. These won’t spread like traditional no bakes do, so after scooping, use your fingers or the back of your cookie scoop to flatten them out a bit.

How to store. These healthy no bake cookies keep best in the refrigerator, and they’ll last about 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge. If you need to, you can freeze them.

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