No Bake Chocolate Haystack Cookies
This easy recipe for no bake chocolate haystack cookies is a great project to make with the kiddos! Fun and scrumptious.
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Some days this happens: you are minding your own business and suddenly this happens: I NEED A COOKIE.
A chocolate cookie.
And for me, that means No Bake Chocolate Haystack Cookies, and not just because they are full of chocolate deliciousness and require no baking. (Don’t you just love a no bake cookie recipe?)
These deliciously sticky cookies are a combo of instant oatmeal and cocoa powder and sugar and butter and milk, and they “bake” up in your fridge.
The hardest part is waiting for them to firm up so you can take that first delectable bite. AND, they can be customized by adding peanut butter, or coconut, or different extract flavors. They are the cookie that keeps on giving!
I also love them because they remind me of one of my favorite people in the entire world, my Aunt Cathy. When I was a kid in Vermont, the only thing better than messing around on the hay wagons…
…was going to my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Jack’s house down the road and around the corner from my grandparent’s farm. And one of my best memories was making these chocolate oatmeal cookies with Aunt Cathy.
I have searched high and low for the recipe (and yes, asked everyone in the state of Vermont) and I was never able to lay my mitts on it.
So this recipe is pulled entirely from my little kid memory banks, but it tastes exactly how I remember them tasting in Aunt Cathy’s Vermont kitchen.
Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Oatmeal: We like instant oatmeal (the plain, unflavored kind) for this recipe because it is chopped more finely than regular rolled oats. If you don’t mind a rustic texture to your cookies, you can try them with rolled oats.
- Cocoa Powder: Look for this unsweetened chocolate powder in the baking aisle of your supermarket.
- Vanilla Extract: You can substitute other extract flavors if you want to introduce another taste to the chocolate. Peppermint, almond and banana are all fun!
- Other Additions: If you want to shake up this recipe a bit, you can add a half cup of either peanut butter (smooth or chunky), raisins or flaked coconut. Or a combo!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, wax paper or a silicone mat. These babies are sticky in ALL the good ways!
STEP 2: Put some butter, milk, white sugar, brown sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted.
STEP 3 : Now turn the heat up to medium high and stir until the chocolate mixture is at a rapid boil. Let it boil for one minute, stirring the whole time, and then turn off the heat.
STEP 4: Stir in some vanilla extract and instant oats until everything is well combined. Cool for 15 minutes.
STEP 5: Here’s where the kiddos come in! Drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. If you have a cookie scoop, this is the perfect time to use it!
STEP 6: Refrigerate your cookies on the cookie sheet for two hours, then remove from the cookie sheet with a spatula. These babies are delicious but sticky, so store them in a single layer in the fridge. That’s if you have any leftover!
🤔 Recipe FAQs
Instant oatmeal is oatmeal that has been sliced up super thinly, pre-cooked and dried, which allows it it be cooked up in minutes by adding hot water. When it is cooked, it has a soft, creamy texture.
Because of all this, it is perfect for adding some substance to these haystack cookies without being too chewy.
You can find it in the cereal aisle – it is commonly sold in single-serving packets but sometimes you can find it in a larger package. Look for the plain kind – there are lots of flavored versions but we want the regular stuff.
Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product that adds a rich chocolate flavor to whatever you are cooking up. Cocoa powder is made when the fat gets removed from cacao beans. The leftover solids are dried and ground into cocoa powder. You can find it in the baking aisle.
It can! These chocolate treats will last several days in the fridge.
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
🥣 Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- Cookie Scoop: This scoop makes meat-ball-making so much easier…and it’s also great for these flavor-packed rum raisin cookies.
- Cookie Sheet: We have a whole lotta cookie sheets but this is the one we love best for our favorite cookies (hello Snickerdoodles!)
- Medium Pot: We have a drawerful of these, but this pot is the one we reach for first.
- Parchment Paper: This paper is great for lining baking sheets, casseroles or anything else where you need a nonstick surface.
- Silpat: Nothing, and I mean NOTHING sticks to these handy silicone mats.
😍 Other cookie recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe card.
No Bake Chocolate Haystack Cookies
This easy recipe for no bake chocolate haystack cookies is a great project to make with the kiddos!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (see note)
- 3 cups instant oatmeal
Instructions
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment or waxed paper.
- Put the butter, milk, both sugars and cocoa powder in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted.
- Now turn the heat up to medium high and stir until the chocolate mixture is at a rapid boil. Let it boil for one minute, stirring the whole time, and then remove from the heat.
- Stir in the vanilla and the oats until everything is well combined. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
- Drop by tablespoon-fuls onto the cookie sheets (if you have a cookie scoop this is the perfect time to use this!).
- Refrigerate for two hours, then remove from the cookie sheet. These babies are delicious but sticky, so store them in a single layer…if you have any left over!
Notes
-
- Oatmeal: We like instant oatmeal (the plain, unflavored kind) for this recipe because it is chopped more finely than regular rolled oats. If you don’t mind a rustic texture to your cookies, you can try them with rolled oats.
-
- Cocoa Powder: Look for this unsweetened chocolate powder in the baking aisle of your supermarket.
-
- Vanilla Extract: You can substitute other extract flavors if you want to introduce another taste to the chocolate. Peppermint, almond and banana are all fun!
-
- Other Additions: If you want to shake up this recipe a bit, you can add a half cup of either peanut butter (smooth or chunky), raisins or flaked coconut. Or a combo!
Love these cookies! Especially with the coconut added in!
I’m so glad! Coconut makes everything better!
I’m very fond of this delicious desert…it brings back childhood memories with my mom.
I’m almost positive she always added coconut.
I just finished making your recipe , but added 3/4 of a cup of sweetened coconut.
I popped them in the fridge to cool, I know it will what I remember back in the mid 70s!!!
Hi Riki and I have the same wonderful memories of making these at my aunt’s house in Vermont! Love your coconut addition. :)
Hi Kate
I hope you do try them with coconut, if you are a coconut lover you will definitely enjoy them.
I have kept this recipe from my mom and I’ve made them for my kids, and my grandchildren.
They all love them.
I can’t figure out how to make soft oatmeal cookies, if you have any ideas on how to keep them soft please let me know.
Thank Kate
Riki
I am and I will! :)
Hi Riki – about the oatmeal cookies! Usually underbaking them a bit will do the trick. And here’s a recipe from one of my fellow food writers that is all about soft oatmeal cookies – hope this helps! https://sugarspunrun.com/big-soft-oatmeal-cookies/
I’m an early riser so made a batch early this morning. Placed my baking sheets in the fridge so they could chill out for awhile.
Had some left over coconut so tossed it in with the oatmeal & peanut butter mixture.
As of now, they are in the fridge just chill’n out.
Yum! And love the coconut addition! :)
Great memories!
The very best! xoxo
Love these cookies! In my family it was my Aunt Joan’s recipe. More than once I whipped up a batch at 7:00am after learning that morning from my son it was his turn to bring snacks that day. Our recipe is a little different in that it also includes 1/2 cup peanut butter(I use chunky) and a cup of raisins. Best cookies ever!
Aren’t family recipes the best? And peanut butter and raisins for the win!
Gosh, I used to make these years ago around the holidays and hubby would eat them by the handfuls.
Only difference, I didn’t use oatmeal, as I always used Rice Krispies. I just may have to try using the oatmeal.
Thanks for the memories
Ooooh, and I will have to try your version with the Rice Krispies!
Just Do Not use thee store brand Rice Krispies.
I also used Creamy peanut butter in mine.
Okay and okay! :) :)
Yes, cookies to the rescue for many things! I use chunky peanut butter in mine for a little more texture but will definitely be trying your version very soon! Happy moving in!
Thank you – we are almost done with opening all the boxes! Huffing and puffing!
These look delicious! I have a similar recipe for them that uses peanut butter. They are very sticky, but one of the best cookies ever!
I’m definitely going to have to try the peanut butter addition!
I’m very fond of this delicious desert…it brings back childhood memories with my mom.
I’m almost positive she always added coconut.
I just finished making your recipe , but added 3/4 of a cup of sweetened coconut.
I popped them in the fridge to cool, I know it will what I remember back in the mid 70s!!!