Back before our real food conversion, I use to make a form of the classic no-bake cookie on a regular basis. You know, the kind you whip up in a saucepan and then plop on waxed paper to cool and harden?
Well, last week I was in need of some quick cookies for a picnic, so I went to grab my trusty recipe.
And I stopped dead in my tracks. TWO whole cups of sugar to make one small batch of cookies.
Now, don’t misunderstand, I am far from being a no-sugar purist. I still fight my sweet tooth, annnnndd, it often wins.
However, I’m trying to cut down on foods that have an unreasonable amount of sugar in them, and this one definitely seemed on the unreasonable side…
So, like any good food blogger would do, I set out to tweak the recipe beyond recognition.
And, lo and behold, we have a winner!
And guess what? I actually like this new and improved recipe far better than the old one. (Plus, it doesn’t leave that granulated, sickly-sweet, sugaring coating in your mouth. A major bonus if you ask me….)
I also converted this recipe to be dairy-free, though it doesn’t have to be. Feel free to substitute regular milk and butter for the coconut oil and coconut milk if you like. (We are currently on a 6 week, dairy-free trial diet for hubby. Why haven’t I mentioned this before? Well, probably because my milk cow just freshened, and talking about changing my family to a dairy-free lifestyle makes me break out in a cold sweat. Perhaps I’ll share the whole story another day… UPDATE: We are no longer on the dairy-free trial, and are back to “normal” for now…).
Chocolate Coconut No-Bake Cookies
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 3 T. cocoa powder
- 2 cups quick oats (feel free to use soaked and dehydrated oats here if you would like)
- 1 t. real vanilla (of course, homemade vanilla is the best)
- 3 T. natural peanut butter (use homemade peanut butter too, if you like)
In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut oil, coconut milk, and honey.
Boil for one minute. Remove from the heat. Stir in shredded coconut, oatmeal, cocoa powder, vanilla, and peanut butter.
Scoop onto a piece of waxed paper, or a very well-greased cookie sheet. You can make them any size that you would like, but I find a good size for my family is right around 1/4 cup of “dough” per cookie. Pat/smoosh into a circle, and allow to cool on the countertop for around an hour.
Once they’ve hardened somewhat, carefully transfer and store in the refrigerator.
(Unlike the original recipe, they don’t do well being stored at room temp. They become too soft and melted. However, I think they are actually better cold anyway!)
They are so. good. Rich and decadent, you will never, ever know they are completely free from any sort of refined sugar!
- ½ cup coconut milk
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 3 T. cocoa powder
- 2 cups quick oats (or soaked and dehydrated oats)
- 1 t. real vanilla
- 3 T. natural peanut butter
- In medium saucepan, combine coconut oil, coconut milk, and honey
- Boil one minute, and remove from heat
- Stir in shredded coconut, oatmeal, cocoa powder, vanilla, and peanut butter
- Scoop onto a piece of waxed paper, or well-greased cookie sheet
- /4 cup of "dough" per cookie-just pat/smoosh into a circle
- Allow to cool on countertop about an hour
- Once hardened transfer and store in refrigerator
Hankering for more cookie recipes? Check these out:
Really? just a 1/2 cup of honey and you liked them that much? I really need to try this. I haven’t made no-bake cookies in years, but I love the idea of a treat that uses that much less sugar!
Yup- a 1/2 cup suited us just fine! The first time I made them I added a little bit of dry stevia powder. However, the 2nd time I left it out and didn’t notice a difference. And of course, you can always add more or less honey to taste.
These sound great! I have a no-bake cookie recipe my mom always made that was similar but still used sugar. I have been using honey more and more as a sweetener so I am excited to try this recipe out. I am off to go camping this weekend so this might be a perfect, simple cookie to whip up and take along. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, it is the PERFECT camping cookie! We took them on our day-trip to the creek the other day.
These look awesome. I love no-bake cookies! How many cookies does this recipe make?
It really depends on how big you choose to make them. I think I got around 1 1/2 dozen or so.
You not only rock the party, you OWN the party! This is fabu!
Why thank you my dear. 😀
I can’t wait to try these!!!!!
Oh yum!!!! These look wonderful! I can hardly wait to give ’em a try…I’m sure my husband will love ’em. Thanks for the great recipe.
Yup- I can guarantee that these are hubby-approved at my house! 🙂
I have thought about the dairy free diet too but it makes my hands all clammy and my head hurt when I think of everything that has dairy in it. Plus I love milk…fresh would be even better.
Oh trust me, I know the feeling! I was not a happy camper when the Dr. suggested it, but so far, so good…
I’m so excited to try this! I LOVED traditional no-bakes. Too much. I would make them after the kids went to bed, scoop about 2/3 of them onto the counter and then plop on the couch with a giant spoon and a still warm pan. It was sad. Now that I’m buying the more expensive unrefined sugars, I couldn’t bring myself to use 2 whole cups in such a small recipe. My cheapness won over my cravings.
I definitely hear ya! 2 cups of sugar is just too much for me anymore… (although I remember the days where I wouldn’t have even thought twice about it…)
I will have to try this recipe…I’m on a dairy and wheat free diet right now due to allergies. One question though…are you using coconut milk from a can or the stuff in cartons that you find in the isle next to the soymilk that is meant for drinking/putting on cereal?
I use organic canned coconut milk. The stuff in cartons has to many additives for my tastes.
These were great, Jill! I added some raisins (about 1/4 cup) and my husband LOVED them. The perfect amount of sweetness – thanks!
What condition is the doctor recommending a dairy-free diet for? I am lactose intolerant, and tried going dairy-free for 2 weeks when my family went out of town as an older teen. It was the first time my stomach had felt good in years. However, now that we have our own dairy animals, I have found that I can drink up to 2 cups of raw goat milk, or 1 cup of raw cow milk a day without difficulty, or a similar amount of raw dairy products. Most doctors have no familiarity with the difference raw rather than pasteurized makes in milk, and some even think raw milk will kill you! Since we have been drinking raw milk for 14 years, I’m pretty sure its not going to harm us.
Recipe sounds great.We make no-bake cookies a great deal in the summer, so we don’t heat up the house.Do you think that one can substitute maple syrup( being a vermont girl) for the honey. We have an honey allergy?
I think it would definitely worth a try to sub maple syrup for the honey. The only issue you *might* have is the dough being a little runnier, so maybe start out with a little less? Let me know if you try it!
Just found this today, while searching last-minute for a recipe for our little children’s class – LOVED these, and was able to easily substitute carob for the cocoa. Thank you!!
Oh yay! So happy it worked for you- and good idea about the carob!
Thank you SO much for this recipe. I went to make No-Bake Cookies this weekend for the family and refused to feed my young kids who only get an occasional treat 2 cups worth of sugar!! The hubby was hoping for cookies, and now I can serve cookies without feeling the slightest bit of guilt!! I may make ONE small adjustment…more coconut, but that’s only because I am a coconut fiend!! 🙂 Many thanks again!!
You are very welcome Ruthann! Enjoy!
I tried these for the first time today and they are delicious! I’m a huge fan of traditional no bakes and can practically eat the whole batch by myself, so I was really skeptical. I used butter and milk and I only had sweetened coconut (baby steps) and they are so yummy. I don’t even miss all the sugar or chocolate chips. Thank you!
Yay– love reports like this Geneva! Glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
If I use (cow) milk, do I still boil it with the oil and the honey?
Yep! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. We have been doing no white flour, no white sugar, less processed foods for two weeks an I really needed a treat!
I will definitely try your other recipes out!
Thanks
I made these yesterday and they are a hit for the entire family. Yum! We are doing no refined sugars for lent so these were perfect.
YAY!
Is the Peanut Butter “required”? My husband would go for chocolate and coconut, but not PB!
You do need the PB in this recipe to hold everything together. You might be able to experiment with some other sort of nut butter, though.