College Dorm Cookies

These are the easiest no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies to make and they are gluten free and vegan to boot!  Most no bake cookie recipes require cooking the wet ingredients on the stove top and can be finicky when setting up if you haven’t boiled it just right.  That is not a concern here.  No boiling required. You don’t even need a stove, just a microwave. So a college student could easily make these in his or her dorm.  Hence the name- College Dorm Cookies.

Heat and Mix

Have you noticed how crazy expensive vanilla extract has become?  Insane, right?!?! Well, to curb the cost and keep the flavor, I have turned to using vanilla flavored creamer in a lot of my recipes.  It also has sugar in it, so I reduce the amount of added sugar to my recipes. There are so many great tasting dairy free vanilla flavored creamers that work well for baking which is awesome too.  For this recipe, I warm the creamer and sugar together to dissolve the sugar. Then warm the chocolate chips and peanut butter before combining it all together. As long as all of those ingredients are warm when you mix them up, the chocolate shouldn't seize on you.  Stir in the instant oatmeal a little at a time. If it seems like the chocolate may not coat more oatmeal, stop adding it. If the chocolate mixture is still a bit drippy, add a little more oatmeal. It should just start to hold its shape when spooned on to the wax/parchment paper. Then just let it cool and set in the fridge or at room temp. They firm up better and the chocolate is less likely to melt on your hands if you put them in the fridge. If you don't mind them a bit messy, they are fudge-like at room temp.... so good!

Make It Pretty

Just because these cookies can be made in a dorm, doesn't mean they have to look like they did! By warming up white chocolate chips and peanut butter together, it will turn into a tasty drizzle that will make the cookies look extra special.  This mixture will also set so that it won’t be super sticky when you hold the cookies. Another option would be to sprinkle them with flaked salt, like Maldon salt.  The combination of dark chocolate with Maldon salt is one of my favorites… yum!!

Just one thing...

One thing to keep in mind about these cookies, is that the natural style peanut butters that separate and are oily will not work well with this recipe. Unfortunately those types of peanut butter don't "set" well. I have used Jif Natural and Peanut Butter and Co creamy varieties with wonderful results. If you try this with a certain type of peanut butter and want to share the results, please tell me about it in the comments below! There are always new products on the market. It takes a village to learn about all of them, so comments are always greatly appreciated:-)

More Ideas

Some other no bake sweet treats that also happen to be a bit more healthy are my Apple Bites, Double Chocolate Bites, and Jackson Pollock Popcorn.  Yummy cookies to check out are my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chewy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, Naked Cut Out Cookies and Almond Cut Out Cookies.  All are gluten free and allergy friendly!

College Dorm Cookies (Gluten Free & Vegan)

5 from 3 votes

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Servings: 15 cookies

Calories:

Ingredients  

2x3x4x

For the cookies:

• 3 cups gluten free quick cooking oats - I use Bob's Red Mill brand
• ¾ cup vanilla flavored creamer - I use So Delicious Dairy Free Vanilla Creamer
• ½ cup powdered or white sugar - powdered sugar dissolves faster, but either will work
• 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips - Dairy free chocolate chips will work too!
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter

For the drizzle topping (optional)

• ⅓ cup white chocolate chips - *See note for dairy free option
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Instructions

• Line wax paper or parchment paper on a full size sheet pan or 2 half sheet pans.
• Combine sugar and milk in a microwaveable bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until hot and sugar dissolves. Set aside.
• In a large microwaveable bowl, heat the peanut butter and chocolate for 1-2 minutes until softened and warm. You will notice the peanut butter starts to spread and the chips become shiny.
• Pour the milk mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir until combined well and smooth. Add the oatmeal and stir to combine well. If the mixture looks too loose, feel free to add a little more oatmeal, no more than 2 tablespoon at a time and combine until it all holds together well, but is still scoopable.
• Using a tablespoon or a medium sized scoop, drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Gently press down with the spoon or scoop to help shape them the way you like.
• Decorate with flaked salt (such as Maldon) and/or drizzle with peanut butter and white chocolate chips melted and combined after putting in the microwave for 15 second intervals (45 seconds total).
• Put the cookies in the fridge until they lift easily from the paper (about 20-30 minutes). You can also let them "set" at room temp for about an hour. They will remain pretty soft at room temp, especially if you live in a warm climate.

Notes

*Note:  If you can't find dairy free white chocolate chips (I struggle with this), you can substitute ⅓ cup peanut butter heated until it becomes drippy (about 30-45 seconds in the microwave), then add 1-2 teaspoons of powdered sugar.  Add a little at a time while mixing so that it will still drizzle, but is slightly thicker than when you first took it out of the microwave. The powdered sugar will help it set more quickly and prevent it from being sticky.