No Bake Cookies with Chocolate, Coconut, and Oats
These no bake cookies with chocolate, coconut, and oats are incredibly easy to make and require exactly zero time in the oven! They’re also egg-free, gluten-free, and can be easily made dairy-free, making them a great cookie option for your next family gathering.
Why You’ll Love These No-Bake Cookies
- No cooking or baking required. If you need a quick, easy cookie recipe for your office holiday party, or even your family dessert table, these are a great option. They don’t take long to make, only about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how quickly you can roll them. With no cooking or baking required, all you need to do is mix them up, roll them, and chill them in the fridge for a bit before eating.
- Gluten-free cookie option. Unlike many cookie recipes, this one contains no flour, and if you use certified gluten-free oats and coconut, these cookies are a completely gluten-free treat.
- Rich chocolate flavor. We like to use Dutch processed cocoa in this recipe for extra deep chocolate notes.
- Fudgy and lightly chewy texture. While these cookies can be enjoyed right away, they’re best after a short rest in the refrigerator. That will make the butter harden slightly, giving the cookies a soft, fudge-like consistency. The quick oats also add some natural and pleasant chew to these no-bake cookies.
- Great recipe for beginners and kids. Unlike many no-bake cookies, these require no stovetop cooking either. That means that they’re perfect for anyone who isn’t super confident in the kitchen. This is also a great recipe to make with kids because it’s simple and doesn’t require very many steps or challenging techniques.
Ingredients in These No-Bake Cookies
- Butter – we prefer to use salted butter for best flavor. If you use unsalted instead, add a generous pinch of salt to the cookie dough mixture for balance of flavor.
- Sugar – granulated sugar (regular or organic/vegan both work fine) gives these cookies sweetness.
- Liquids – unlike many no-bake cookies, these ones have no milk in them. Instead, a touch of water and vanilla extract act as the liquid ingredients.
- Cocoa powder – we always make these with Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder would also work.
- Coconut – you’ll need sweetened shredded coconut for the cookie dough. You could use unsweetened shredded coconut instead. However, this will make the cookies less sweet and less moist.
- Quick oats – you need to use instant or quick oats for these cookies. Because we don’t bake them, rolled oats or steel cut oats won’t work as they won’t get soft enough to eat.
- Rolling mixture – these cookies get rolled in a mixture of powdered sugar, unsweetened shredded coconut, and a pinch of salt (optional).
How to Make These No-Bake Cookies
- In a bowl and using an electric beater, cream butter with granulated sugar until fluffy.
- Mix in water and vanilla until combined, then mix in cocoa powder.
- Mix in the shredded coconut and then the oats. We find it helpful to switch to a spoon or spatula to mix these in.
- Make the rolling mixture. First, add the unsweetened shredded coconut to a food processor and pulse a few times to break the shreds up into smaller pieces. This is optional, but it’ll provide better coverage for the cookies. Add the coconut to a shallow dish and mix it with the powdered sugar and salt, if using. Note: if you don’t want to use a second kind of coconut, you can use sweetened in the rolling mixture. It won’t coat the cookies as well but it should still work.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop a little cookie dough and place it in your hands. Squeeze the dough together, then roll the dough into a ball about 1 to 1 ½ inches around.
- Roll each ball into the rolling mixture to make sure they’re fully coated.
- For best results, place on a dish or in a container and chill in the fridge until lightly hardened and set.
Our Tips for These No-Bake Cookies
A Note on Using Different Types of Coconut
We use 2 different types of coconut in these cookies: sweetened shredded coconut, and unsweetened shredded coconut, also called desiccated coconut (meaning coconut that has all moisture removed). More information about different kinds of coconut can be found in this article. The sweetened kind goes into the cookie dough, and the unsweetened kind is used in the rolling mixture. It’s hard to find unsweetened desiccated coconut that is finely shredded, so we like to pulse ours in a food processor a few times to get the shreds even smaller. This makes them look more “grated” instead of “shredded.”
We’ve tested this recipe using different rolling mixtures: one with just powdered sugar, one with powdered sugar and finely shredded unsweetened coconut, and one with powdered sugar and sweetened coconut. The best mixture is the one with powdered sugar and finely shredded unsweetened coconut. If you want to just use one kind of coconut in the dough and rolling mixture, use the sweetened kind. It’ll work best in the cookie dough, and it’ll be okay in the rolling mixture.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
Serve these as a no-bake, gluten-free cookie option at your holiday gathering, or add them to cookie boxes for your friends and family!
For best results, we like to store these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge so that the butter stays firm.
FAQs: No-Bake Cookies with Chocolate, Coconut, and Oats
No-Bake Cookies with Chocolate, Coconut, and Oats
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 stick ¼ cup salted butter, softened (use vegan butter for dairy-free)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 cups gluten-free quick oats not rolled oats or steel cut
Rolling Mixture
- ¼ cup powdered/icing sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- Pinch of salt optional
Instructions
- In a bowl and using an electric beater, cream butter with granulated sugar until fluffy.1 stick, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Mix in water and vanilla until combined, then mix in cocoa powder.2 tbsp water, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Mix in the shredded coconut and then the oats. We find it helpful to switch to a spoon or spatula to mix these in.¾ cups sweetened shredded coconut, 2 cups gluten-free quick oats
- Make the rolling mixture. First, add the unsweetened shredded coconut to a food processor and pulse a few times to break the shreds up into smaller pieces. This is optional, but it'll provide better coverage for the cookies. Add the coconut to a shallow dish and mix it with the powdered sugar and salt, if using. Note: if you don't want to use a second kind of coconut, you can use sweetened in the rolling mixture. It won't coat the cookies as well but it should still work.¼ cup powdered/icing sugar, ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, Pinch of salt
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop a little cookie dough and place it in your hands. Squeeze the dough together (there are no binding agents in this dough, so squeezing it will help it stick together), then roll the dough into a ball about 1 to 1 ½ inches around.
- Roll each ball into the rolling mixture to make sure they’re fully coated.
- For best results, place on a dish or in a container and chill in the fridge until lightly hardened and set.
Notes
- If you don’t want to use 2 kinds of coconut, you can use sweetened coconut for the cookie dough and the rolling mixture. However, it won’t be as effective at coating the cookies as the finely shredded unsweetened coconut.
- Be sure to use quick oats and not old fashioned/rolled oats or steel cut oats. Check the label to make sure they’re gluten-free, if that’s a concern.
Final Thoughts
These no-bake cookies are the perfect no-fuss dessert option! Whether you’re a beginner or intermediate cook, a college student or a busy parent, these cookies are an easy treat to make for yourself or for your next party. While we like to make these cookies during the holiday season, they’re great any time of year. If you love this recipe, be sure to let us know in the comments below!
More Dessert Recipes
If you’re looking for more dessert recipes, here are a few of our favorites:
This is a fun, easy no-bake cookie recipe. They are very tasty and very easy to take to your next party.
We’re so glad you like them!