This no bake peanut butter cookie recipe is easy to make with no baking and just a few minutes’ work. Easy enough that the kids can help!
Here’s a no bake peanut butter cookie recipe kids are sure to love! I’m also including some other cheap and easy summer treat ideas that will make life easier and are kid approved! Not all recipes have to be cooked or complicated and these no bake peanut butter cookies are perfect!
Most of us don’twant to bake in the heat of summer, but the kids still need cookies and lots of them. These make perfect summer snacks, fillers for school lunches and more. Who doesn’t love cookies, and especially when they’re easy.
This peanut butter cookie recipe is super easy to make! Just spread the cookies with peanut butter filling and dip in chocolate. Older kids can make these cookies themselves and younger kids can help mom make them (if Mom is feeling adventurous LOL).
This no bake peanut butter cookie recipe starts with:
Ritz crackers or Ritz-style butter crackers. I have always found these handy crackers to be a great base for desserts and other snacks!
Peanut butter. Any kind will work. Creamy peanut butter might be easier to use for this recipe, but crunchy would probably be fine if you don’t mind a thicker crunchy center!
Chocolate almond bark. The recipe calls for chocolate, but you can easily use white almond bark or melted chocolate chips if you prefer.
To make this no bake peanut butter cookie recipe:
This no bake peanut butter cookie recipe is super easy. Start with the Ritz crackers, spread peanut butter over the top and then top with a second cracker.
Next, you’ll melt the almond bark in the microwave. You have to be careful not to burn the almond bark. To avoid burning it and achieve the right consistency, microwave 30 seconds at a time, stir and then melt a little more until it is the right consistency. It should take around 2 to 2 1/2 minutes altogether for most microwaves.
Then you’ll lay each cookie on a piece of wax paper and allow the chocolate to harden. If you like, you can also roll the dipped cookie in a coating, like coconut or sprinkles.
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Melt the almond bark in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl.
Dip the crackers in the melted almond bark. Lay each cookie on wax paper and allow the chocolate to harden.
Notes
Try spreading different things that sound good on the crackers, like:
marshmallow fluff
Nutella
fruit flavored jam
or a combination of these
You can also dip the cookies in other flavors of almond bark, like white almond bark.
For a tasty texture, you can use crushed pretzels or coconut and mix into the melted almond bark before dipping.
For a fancier presentation, you can also dip the cookies in the almond bark first and then roll in coconut or sprinkles.
Here are some other snacks for kids that are just as easy as our no bake peanut butter cookie recipe!
Years ago when food was a lot more expensive and not nearly as plentiful, most people didn’t waste anything. People scraped every drop from the bowl and even 1-2 Tablespoons of leftoverswere saved to use in some way, including leftover frosting. Often I will decorate something and have just a tiny bit of frosting remaining. This recipe is the perfect answer to that dilemma becauseit only needs a tiny bit of frosting.
Frosted Crackers
Spread any frosting on soda crackers for a treat the kids will love. These are so good you may find yourself opening a can of frosting just so you can make some. It is a great inexpensive snack to make for when all those neighborhood kids are at your house and you need something fast and easy.
Butter and Jam Crackers
Spreadregular soda crackers with a thin layer of butter. Then add your favorite jelly or jam.
I love doing this all the time. These aren’t only good in the summer. They’re also great with chili or soup in the winter. It is that salty, sweet taste we like so much. I have also used peanut butter in place of the butter – with or without the jam. It is a lifesaver when you are out of bread to add these to a meal.
Peanut Butter and White Corn Syrup
This simple snack recipeis one of our favorites. Like the others, it is so good with chili or soup. I often eat this combination for my lunch.
Mix equal parts peanut butter and white corn syrup. Then spread on soda crackers. Sometimes, I use a little less syrup than peanut butter.
If you like this no bake peanut butter cookie recipe, you might like these recipes:
Easy No Bake Fudge Cookies Recipe
7 No Bake Christmas Candy Recipes Kids Can Make
No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe – Easy And Delicious!
No Bake Peanut Butter Pie Recipe!
No Bake Cookie Dough Cookie Bars Recipe
20 Easy No Bake Cookies Desserts And Snacks Recipes
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If you've glanced at other no-bake cookie recipes then you'll see how important it is to boil the sugar mixture long enough which will help the cookies to set. Boiling too long will cause the cookies to be dry and crumbly. However, if you don't boil long enough the cookies will not set and will be runny.
The most common mistake with peanut butter cookies is using the wrong type of peanut butter. The BEST peanut butter for today's cookies is a processed creamy peanut butter, preferably Jif or Skippy.
The Peanut Butter Balls recipe in the 1933 edition of Pillsbury's Balanced Recipes instructed the cook to press the cookies using fork tines. The 1932 or 1933 recipes do not explain why this advice is given, though: peanut butter cookie dough is dense, and without being pressed, it will not cook evenly.
If you don't flatten the cookies first, then the fork does double duty – it performs both functions. One very subtle result of creating the pattern is that the little tips of dough bake up crisper than the rest of the cookie, giving you both a bit of additional texture and deeper taste where the dough is more baked.
To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.
Measuring is key in baking. If your cookie contains excess sugar or fat, it will spread while baking. If your first batch of cookies spreads, try adding a few tablespoons of flour to help thicken the remaining dough.
The oils in natural peanut butter tend to separate, causing cookies to spread and take on a gritty texture. You can use it, but conventional peanut butter is preferred for the best cookie texture.
Prep your Peanut Butter Cookie recipe up to 24 hours in advance, cover it and refrigerate it so you are ready to bake at a moment's notice. The kids can even help you scoop, roll and flatten the cookies. If the dough is too firm to scoop, let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Butter will make your cookies taste buttery; shortening will make them taste suspiciously vacant, like Katy Perry's voice post-autotune. Yes, shortening yields chewier cookies than butter does, because butter contains water and shortening doesn't.
Adding a small amount of vanilla extract or cinnamon for extra flavor. Mixing in cocoa powder or cacao nibs for a chocolate peanut butter. Mixing in a small amount of coconut oil for a creamier texture and a hint of coconut flavor. Mixing in a small amount of powdered ginger or nutmeg for a spicy kick.
Peanut butter cookies don't spread as they cook, so you have to flatten them before hand. This ensures that the middle will cook through before the outside burns. As for the pattern created, it actually creates slightly more surface area, so you'll get more browning at the extra edges that you create.
These early recipes do not explain why the advice is given to use a fork, though. The reason is that peanut butter cookie dough is dense, and unpressed, each cookie will not cook evenly. Using a fork to press the dough is a convenience of tool; bakers can also use a cookie shovel (spatula).
If you're wanting to use natural (no sugar added) peanut butter, the cookies will be less sweet and they will likely spread out more. Using natural peanut butter will change the structure and texture of the cookies. Why are my cookies dry and crumbly? This is most likely a classic case of using too much flour.
If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.
But because natural peanut butters don't contain these stabilizers, the oil in peanuts tends to separate from the peanut solids when sitting on the shelf. The process of oils and solids separating, known as syneresis, is completely safe, but it's still really irritating.
Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly. You should use unsalted butter to control the salt content, but if you only have salted on hand, reduce the amount of added salt accordingly. Sugar sweetens the cookies and makes them an enticing golden brown.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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