No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.
All praise to the best flavor combo in the universe!
I’m absolutely convinced that chocolate and peanut butter can solve all problems.
At least, all of my problems.
These cookies? They are embarrassingly easy. Taste like heaven. The best late night snack.
And it all starts with… cereal.
YES. Cereal. Please don’t unfriend me. But not only am I putting cereal in your cookies, I’m putting actual peanut butter cups in your cookies. These lovely little trashed up cookies only take four ingredients though, so I think we’re good. Plus, they are surprisingly different from the classic no-bake cookies with oats (that I do love, but have been over since, like, 1997 due to mass consumption) and you can eat them COLD!
Cold, chilled peanut butter chocolate slices on a hot summer night. This might be the new margarita.
First, I feel it’s necessary to say that this is basically the MOST unappetizing looking dough and cookie log I’ve ever made. I made and photographed these four times in an attempt to save some sort of face because I didn’t want to give you a brown blob of cookies.
Not sure that these really make a huge difference than the other photos I took, but I HAD to share them! They are just too simple. And just too delicious. You need to know about this. Yesterday.
And for all the other chocolate peanut butter freaks out there? You’re going to be all WHERE HAVE THESE BEEN ALL MY LIFE.
That’s what I did. I came across this recipe in Food and Wine a few months ago and was instantly… intrigued. They sounded so good and so rich and even looked, sort of… well… COLD in the picture. Not cold, but like they’d be chilled and fabulous in the heat of the summer.
And that’s exactly what they are.
So back to the cereal. The original recipe calls for Corn Pops, but I had peanut butter Panda Puffs and ended up using those. YES, more peanut butter flavor. You also add the actual peanut butter cups into the food processor and blend them with the cereal. Isn’t this insane?!
I used four Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups and regular old creamy peanut butter (well, a “natural” version). The dough looked so wildly unappetizing (and nowhere near as dark as the original photo for the magazine) that I added in some dutch processed cocoa which intensified the flavor in the most perfect way. Rolled the dough in sprinkles, threw the entire thing in the freezer and in an hour or so, sliced up some cookies!
GUYS. This is almost like fudge. But still fairly light, if that makes sense, from the crushed, powdery puff cereal. I am now completely obsessed with this method and idea of making other flavors of no-bake cookies. Vanilla almond butter?! Chocolate coconut cashew?
It’s the best thing ever.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 cups puffed corn cereal, I used peanut butter panda puffs
- 4 large peanut butter cups, I used Justins, but Reese’s are fine
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, I would NOT use a natural version with oil separation
- 2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder
- chocolate sprinkles for rolling
Instructions
- Place 3 cups of the cereal into your food processor and pulse until powdery crumbs remain. Add the peanut butter cups, peanut butter and cocoa powder and blend until combined and glossy and comes together. Add in the last cup of cereal and pulse just until the cereal pieces break up.
- Use your hands to scoop out the dough and roll it into a log that’s about 8 to 10 inches long. I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and rolled it until very smooth. If it gets too sticky, stick it in the fridge or freezer for 15 minutes. Place the chocolate sprinkles on a piece of parchment paper and roll the dough through the sprinkles to evenly coat. Wrap up the log and place it back in the fridge or freezer (just depending on how cold you want it!) for about 30 minutes. Remove and slice into rounds before serving.
- I do store these in the fridge or freezer if there are extras. They taste wonderful cold. I also find that if they sit out, they can get slightly mushy and just don’t have the texture that I love.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Plus tons of crushed ice coffee. Forever.
28 Comments on “No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.”
I would never unfriend you! This is another fabulous creation, using THE best flavor combination ever.
well these are just genius.
DOUBLE GENIUS!
Girl, I’ve been there. I have so many recipes that I keep photographing and it never looks appetizing, but, really, I should just share the darn things because they taste so good!!! I love desserts like this, though… thrown together in a food processor. And there’s nothing more satisfying than reaching into the freezer for something cold and sweet, especially on a hot summer day!
Wow, I am so completely sold on these it’s not even funny! So much amazingness in one thing should be illegal!
I soo love that these cookies are no bake. They’d be so perfect for the summer for when you’re craving cookies but don’t want to turn on the oven on a hot day. And all those chocolate sprinkles! Yes!
Wow. These cookies look too delicious. Surely gonna try these once.
Thank you so much for the share :)
Oh my goodness, I have to make these for my sister! She is gluten-free and a huge PB/Chocolate fan so these would be right up her alley! And something this simple and satisfying doesn’t have to be gorgeous, even though I think you did a great job styling it! :)
These look so pretty that it’s hard to believe they only have 4 ingredients AND are no-bake! Plus, like, how do you go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter? (You don’t.) Genius!
OMG Jessica. I am sooo making these! Only four ingredients and two are peanut butter cups and more peanut butter? What’s not to love?
I don’t know if these are the new margarita… but peanut and chocolate does rival my favorite summer cocktail!
These sound delicious! But more importantly: the swirl in your jar of peanut butter is the best thing I’ve seen all day.
I think I am going another step with using almond butter and some leftover type of cereal, usually the last part my kids won’t eat. Chocolate, make everything better…….at least to me.
Oh my god love these! I’m not so much about turning the oven on right as it is sweltering enough in my tiny kitchen- but chocolate and peanut butter cookies that start with cereal!? Genius. :-) Thank you!
Oh, my goodness! I’m always looking for treats for my kiddo with Celiac! And, no bake? He can help make them. :o) Thanks for the recipe – perfect kick-off to summer break!
Why am I looking at this while being hungry? :'(
That was a huuuuge mistake.
Will deffo try this as soon as I get back from Korea!!!
Leah / http://www.sunmoonwars.com
Omg! I need these. Like, right about now. Even if its past 12 am.
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hey girl this looks really good! Yummy!
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Peanut butter and chocolate will always win best flavor combo award. I’m going to need to finally buy a food processor…STAT
Thank you for sharing these Jessica. We are headed camping soon and I think these would make a great energy booster after a hike.
love that idea!
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Made these with Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs cereal and rolled them in mini chocolate chips. So good!
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These remind me of my favorite thing I’d make when I was a teenager. They were those peanut butter/ chocolate/butterscotch corn flake clusters. There’s been a few times I thought of those and wondered what they’d be like if I experimented with the basic premise using different cereals and ingredients.
I would never have thought of a loaf sliced up like this though! Or adding cocoa.
Yummy!
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