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Guys, are you ready for this? Today is the start of Cookie Week at Wholesome Yum. I’m so excited! Let’s start with some low carb peanut butter chocolate no bake cookies.
But first, what’s Cookie Week? It’s really simple. I’ll be sharing a low carb cookie recipe each day this week, Monday through Friday! We’re doing it in early November, to give you plenty of time to try out these low carb cookie recipes for the upcoming holiday season. If you’re not ready yet, just pin the recipes to make in a few weeks.
The Best Low Carb No Bake Cookies
Since this is my first low carb no bake cookies recipe on the blog, I wanted them to be really special. At first, I contemplated just making peanut butter no bake cookies, but then I instantly thought of chocolate and knew I had to include it.
Is there anything better than peanut butter and chocolate together? I don’t think so! And, I’ve been on a chocolate peanut butter kick lately. (Peanut butter cups or peanut butter bars, anyone?) It was an obvious choice for the direction to go with these.
One thing that annoys me about many no bake cookies recipes is that they turn out too soft. A soft cookie is nice, but I also like a little crunch. It can be a challenge to accomplish that without baking, though.
That is why I’m confident calling these the best no bake cookies. They have chocolate, they have peanut butter, and they’re nice and crunchy! I’m pretty sure those flavors alone are enough to make them a favorite. If not, the amazing crunch will do it.
If that still doesn’t convince you to make these peanut butter chocolate no bake cookies, how about the convenience factor? There are a million things that demand your oven during the holiday season, not to mention endless other things to get done.
No bake Christmas cookies make your life that much easier. They are fast to prepare and free up your oven for other things.
I’m actually going to save these peanut butter chocolate no bake cookies for next summer, too. I know I’ll be avoiding my oven around that time. See how versatile these are?
Ingredients for (Sugar-Free) Easy No Bake Cookies
So, how do you make no bake cookies? It’s the easiest thing ever.
And, it takes all of ten minutes of prep. I’m a busy mom, and even I can find time for that!
The ingredients for no bake cookies are simple. In fact, you only need five (yes, I said five!) of them. The basic ones are your favorite powdered sweetener (I like this one!), cocoa powder, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and almonds. Yay for simple, common ingredients!
Okay, technically there’s also a sixth optional ingredient, which is sugar-free chocolate chips. I love making my easy no bake cookies with chocolate chips! They look pretty, plus they essentially mean I can call these “double chocolate”. (Love, love, love.) But, it’s up to you if you want to include them.
As you can tell by that ingredient list, these are actually healthy, low carb no bake cookies – without butter and without milk! They are sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free (assuming that your chocolate chips are), and completely flourless.
These healthy ingredients mean the cookies are packed with protein and healthy fat. I’ll even admit I’ve enjoyed these for breakfast a couple of times. Did I mention I think these are the best no bake cookies ever? 😉
How To Make No Bake Cookies with Peanut Butter
To make peanut butter chocolate no bake cookies, start by pulsing together sweetener and cocoa powder in a food processor. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, then process again.
At this point, you may need to make some adjustments. Consistency is important if you want your easy no bake cookies to work. The amounts may vary a bit depending on how thick your peanut butter is.
You should have a dense dough that you can press together. If you don’t, it’s easy to fix the issue. Add more peanut butter if it’s too powdery or crumbly, or add more sweetener and/or cocoa powder if it’s too thin.
Once the main dough is just right, add the chopped almond pieces. The reason for chopping them first is so that you end up with a consistent texture. Since the dough is so thick, it doesn’t work very well to just let the food processor chop the almonds. Otherwise, you may end up with some whole almonds and some of them powdered to dust. You’re going for relatively uniform pieces.
Instead, you want to add chopped almonds and pulse only a couple times, just enough to combine them with the dough. Avoid over-mixing. You want plenty of almond pieces left in there. That way, your chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies will be nice and crunchy.
Finally, scoop the cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten the cookies to your desired thickness, then press in the chocolate chips if you’re using those. Refrigerate until firm.
If you’re super impatient, you could even freeze them if you want to speed up the process. Of course the result is firmer that way, but still delicious.
For another spin on no-bake cookies, try these gluten-free flourless chocolate cookies and swap out the sugar for a low carb sweetener.
Viola – that’s it! Keep your peanut butter chocolate no bake cookies refrigerated and grab one whenever you want a treat. Or, make them ahead for a holiday gathering. No oven required!
Easy Low Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Cookies Recipe:
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RECIPE CARD
Easy Low Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate No Bake Cookies Recipe
Recipe Video
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PrintIngredients
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- 1/2 cup Powdered erythritol (or any powdered sweetener, to taste)
- 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup Peanut butter (creamy, salted)
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Almonds (coarsely chopped)
- 2 tbsp Sugar-free dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
RECIPE TIPS + VIDEO in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!
Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
- In a food processor, pulse together the sweetener and cocoa powder, until mixed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla. Process until smooth and glossy. Adjust sweetener to taste if needed. (The dough will be very dense, but should stick when pressed together. If it's powdery or crumbly, you may need to add more peanut butter, depending on how thick yours is.)
- Pulse in the almond pieces until just combined. (Don't overmix - you want pieces for crunch.)
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough, press it in firmly, then release onto the cookie sheet. Use the palm of your hand to gently press down on each cookie ball to flatten. If using chocolate chips (optional), press them into the tops of the cookies.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up more. Store in the fridge.
Readers Also Made These Keto Low Carb Recipes
Recipe Notes
Nutrition info does not include optional chocolate chips.
Serving size: 1 2-inch cookie
Video Showing How To Make Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies:
Don't miss the VIDEO above - it's the easiest way to learn how to make Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies!
Nutrition Information Per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
More Low Carb & Keto Support
If you want to know more about how to start a low carb diet, want to substitute sweeteners, need a food list, or need support, check these guides:
Low Carb & Keto Diet Plan
Starter Guide 
Sweetener Conversion Calculator 
Keto Low Carb Macro Calculator 
Low Carb Keto Food List + Printable PDF
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51 Comments
Jules
Hi Maya,
I haven’t given the recipe a rating as thought I would touch base with you first. I will preface this by saying I really like your website and recipes and have had much fun and deliciousness creating in the kitchen thank you to yourself.
Unfortunately this particular recipe really tripped me up- it has been my biggest keto ‘baking’ disaster to date. I followed instructions to a tee. The peanut butter I use is the same natural brand I have bought for the last few years and has been used to make no bake cookies many times. I wasn’t sure how these were going to hold together as most other recipes use even just a teeny bit of coconut flour or something to help bind them. My most recent batch of no bake PB cookies even came out on an overnight cycling trip with me and were fine at breakfast time, just softer than they would be from the fridge. So I did have my reservations but thought I would give it a go, I stuck to the powdered sweetener amount in the recipe- knowing it would be too sweet as I use a stevia/erythritol blend- as I thought maybe the magic was in that volume holding it together. In any event, they were just a pretty sloppy mess which was disappointing as the investment in the ingredients is no small matter with the nuts, expensive PB etc. I even out a few in the freezer to see if I could get them to a point where they could come off the baking paper, but still was not really happy. The flavour (other than being too sweet) was pretty delish though.
I scraped the fridge ones back into the bowl and back to room temp, added an egg and 1/2 tbsp coconut flour, some further crushed nuts (macadamias) and a sprinkle of xanthan gum. After that they were in keeping with the consistency of other no bake cookies I have made, but I wasn’t keen on the raw egg aspect, so baked them for 15 minutes at 180C. I allowed them to cool for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. I am pleased to say that I have at least rescued the ingredients, even if it wasn’t quite what I was going for. I cannot imagine what I could possibly have done wrong when others have had such awesome success. I literally measured everything carefully, followed instructions and adjusted as necessary as per your method. I shall put my dunce cap on and enjoy a crunchy cooked version of it now with a coffee 😉
Thank you so much for all the hard work you do though- it really is a great resource here.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Jules, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out as you had hoped. How thick or thin is the peanut butter you used? It definitely sounds like your cookie dough needed to be thickened up a lot! The dry ingredients listed in the recipe should be enough to bind the dough together, but that obviously has not worked out in your situation. You can increase the amount of cocoa powder to thicken the dough or even add a small amount of coconut flour to balance the moisture and make the dough workable. I’m glad you were able to save the first attempt at this recipe, and hope that when you try it again you will have better success with these troubleshooting tips! Best of luck!
Tammy
Can I use regular monk sugar and not powder? I am out and need a chocolate fix.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Tammy, Because these cookies are no-bake, the texture of the erythritol will not change and they will be gritty.
Tara Osborn
These are fantastic! Thanks so much for the recipe. I do need to try a thicker peanut butter because they were too soft, but definitely worth peeling off the parchment paper. Lol!
Gina
I made these cookies tonight. And they are wonderful. Hard not to eat more than one. Mine don’t look like the pic above, more like the video, but not as much texture.
I over pulsed my almonds. But they are so good!
Crystal
These were great! When the dough was done I rolled it up into a “log” in plastic wrap, froze it for a bit (actually overnight because I forgot about it, haha). I took it out in the morning and let it soften a bit and then sliced it. These did NOT last long! Thank you for a great keto friendly recipe.
Glenda
I had an issue. They are too soft, just like when I put them on the parchment sheet. They’ve been in the fridge for hours and did not firm up at all. So I’m layering them between wax paper in a closed container and putting them in the freezer to see if that does the trick. I haven’t really tasted them yet, but so far I’m sure I wouldn’t make these again.
Tet
Do you think roasted cacao nibs would be an alternative to choco chips?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Tet, I haven’t tried that but it should work! Let me know how it goes for you.
Rachel gagnon
I doubled the vanilla because I love it. I also had to add a little water because the dough was kind of dry. I used powdered swerve. They are delicious! A little high though in carbs at 5 each since I’m trying to stay below 20 carbs a day. I also do miss the coconut and outs. But super delicious for sure!!
Rachel Gagnon
So delicious I almost couldn’t stop eating them!
Charlene
These cookies are really fudgy when they are not baked; it feels uncooked when you eat them. They are so much better when cooked. I used Skippy crunchy peanut butter (didn’t need to add any nuts) and I did what someone else did-they added one egg and baked it at 350 for 10 min. I like it this way.
K Grant
I made these cookies tonight and they are delicious! I’ll definitely be making them again. Thank you.
Tera
I kind of hate keto sweets. It’s just not the same. I used monk fruit for this and I just died and went to heaven!!! These are seriously the BEST cookies I’ve made since keto, ever!!! Thank you so much for this recipe. It will get me through Christmas for sure!!!
regina
I cannot wait to make these. Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
I hope you like them, Regina!
Pat Conley
I added a tbsp of coconut oil instead of more peanut butter to smooth it out. NOTE: the chocolate chips are sweetened, no sugar added chips, not just sugar free unsweetened chips. Lily is the brand to look for. I also used Dutch process cocoa for a richer chocolate flavor. This recipe makes a very small batch so you may want to double it. Thanks Maya!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thanks for sharing with us, Pat!
G
Thank you for sharing…my husband is diabetic so we love trying low carb and low sugar recipes …
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Best of luck to you! Thanks for stopping by!
Janet Adey
I made these using stevia which is more powdery that the granulated erythritol I usually use. It made them have a nasty aftertaste and they were not nice at all. 🙁
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Janet, Sorry they didn’t work for you with stevia. It might be that stevia isn’t for you (some people don’t like the taste), or it could be that the amount you used was off (if it’s pure stevia, you’d need much less than the sweetener amount in the recipe). I hope you’ll try them sometime as the recipe is written.
Patty
No oats! No coconut! Not that I’m against these, but every now and then I’d like something different and then…BAM! Your recipe comes along! Out of curiosity, why didn’t you use peanuts instead of almonds?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Patty, You can use either one – peanuts and almonds will both work!
Jan Krassner
Could I make these with almond butter? Any tweaks needed?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Jan, Yes, you can. It should work the same.
Jan Krassner
Thanks, Maya!
Kathryn
I added an egg and a little more peanut butter. I baked at 350° for 10 minutes and they made amazing peanut butter chocolate cookies!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
I am so happy you liked them, Kathryn! Thanks for stopping by!
Heather Monk
this website is awesome!!! i didn’t think i would like this keto diet, but i really do!!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thanks so much, Heather! Hope to see you back again!
Jessica
Since so many people have trouble with the peanut butter, do you mind telling what peanut butter you use?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Jessica, This is the peanut butter I use for this recipe.
Valerie Lane
Do u think I could make like brownies instead of cookies? Also, pecans instead of almonds?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Valerie, yes I’m sure instead of forming these into cookies just put the whole batch into a pan and cut out pieces like brownies instead. Also, pecans would work just fine instead of almonds.
Heather Monk
I think you probably could… it would be delicious!!!
Karine
I made them last night, the taste is amazing but they never took shape, they stayed really runny, we had to scrape them off the paper with a spoon to eat them, wonder what I could of done differently…
Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Karine, I’m glad you liked the taste but sorry you had issues with the consistency. I’m guessing it’s because your peanut butter was too runny. It needs to be a pretty thick one. If yours is more runny, you could try grinding up more almonds to a finer consistency and adding that to the mix to thicken (or just add some almond flour). Also, did you refrigerate them? They do need to cool to firm up. For the batch you already made, if they are too soft even from the fridge, you could always freeze them, too.
Christy
I made these today! They have been in the fridge for 5 hours and still not getting hard. Are they suppose to be like cookie dough texture?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Christy, Yes, they are soft no-bake cookies with crunchy pieces.
Betty peters
I am both gluten free and type 2 diabetic. I love your recipes but am using someone’s wifi and she asked if I would please use less. I will be sending my granddaughter your email so I can still get your wonderful recipes.
Tanya
These sound really good! Is the cacao powder unsweetened?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Tanya, yes, the cacao powder is unsweetened.
Carol
Hi Maya,
Would it be okay to add Dr. Axe Multi Collagen protein to these cookies? I am trying to add this somewhere but not sure where it should go.
They say it has no taste, so I also wanted to try it in Good Dee’s brownie mix. Last time I tried making those in an 8 x 8 pan, they came out so flat and dry. They would not rise after checking them every ten minutes for an hour! Big mistake. I saw a picture of the finished product and they were HUGE!
Can you help me? Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Carol,
You could probably add some protein powder to these cookies, but you’d need to alter the amounts of other ingredients, unless you’re only adding maybe a tablespoon. If you add more, you’d probably also need more peanut butter to compensate for the dry protein powder, and by then I’m not sure if you’d also need more cocoa and/or sweetener to maintain flavor and sweetness.
I do have a peanut butter fudge recipe here that uses Dr. Axe Collagen Protein Powder in it. I hope you’ll try it!
As for any issues you had with Good Dee’s, I would recommend contacting the brand directly. They will have more experience with what may have gone wrong.
Cindy Mrva
Hi, Looks like a good and tasty recipe but I have a nut allergy. Is there anything I can substitute for the almonds? Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Cindy, Peanut butter is also a main ingredient in these cookies, so are you allergic to that? It might work to use sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of almonds, and possibly sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter, but the flavor would be different.
Marion Robinson
Hi Maya,
I love any no-bake low carb recipe, as they can usually be whipped up quickly.
However, I can’t seem to find any peanut butter, or even loose peanuts to make my own, that don’t come from China.
I avoid anything from there. I live on the West coast of Scotland, & although we have fabulous, organic stores etc. along with organic farm shops, nowhere can I find non-Chinese peanuts. Any ideas?
Thanks, I just love your site.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Marion, I’m not familiar with stores in Europe, but maybe you could purchase online?
Mary
Hi Marion, not sure you can receive something from Amazon.co.uk but there is a Planters Peanut available and it originates from the UK. Maybe that would work.