
Cookies for breakfast? Cookies to help give you a boost midday? Cookies all the time! Try these no bake cookies that take no effort to throw together and using bunches of ingredients you probably have on hand. You’ll end up with a nutty, well balanced cookie that packs tons of flavor and a bit of energy to be enjoyed all throughout the day.

I love cookies…well maybe that’s an understatement. Any dessert is likely to take up my immediate and undivided attention. Yet when you want cookies in an instant and you’re trying to be healthy, one can run into a conundrum.

Taking a note from the makers of awesome ice cream, specifically Everything But The… and the traditional flavors of no bake cookies (peanut butter, chocolate and oats), a new cookie in my home started to take shape. However, what really solidified it as my favorite no bake cookie was the addition of coffee that I learned by chance in Maplewood, MO. Foundation Grounds, a local coffee house had what they call a Goo Ball, a no bake cookie with coffee in it. Balancing the usual sugariness of no bake cookies and giving it a bit of a zip, the cookie turned out to be unforgettable.

While I have no idea what their recipe calls for, I just started adding a bunch of this and a bunch of that to come up with what I thought were the perfect compliments to one another. I started with sugar and butter, the start to any great cookie. From there I kept it healthy adding in peanut butter and almond butter which balanced each other and gave a well rounded nuttiness to the cookie. Cocoa powder and instant coffee added the bitter notes, but also a depth in flavor. And then, the bulk of the cookie came from oats. Finished off with a dash of salt to enhance all the flavors, it was blissful delicious.

For awhile I didn’t do anything else to the cookie, but realized that I had an ingredient in my pantry I needed to find a use for, coconut powder. It was bought on my sister’s trip to Dubai and it’s not something we see all too often in the states. Basically it’s shredded coconut minced really finely, and a

lot drier. I figured since I had just about everything else in my pantry, why not one more ingredient? The addition added a nice finish and one more note of sweetness and nuttiness. The cookie was complete!
While I love the cookie as is and have all these ingredients in my pantry, you might decide you want to alter it based on what you have available. Here are some options, especially if you have a food allergy:
- lactose free- use your favorite butter substitute
- vegan- use your favorite butter substitute
- sugar free- use your favorite sugar free nut butters, and if you’re able, substitute the sugar for pitted, chopped dates
- instant coffee substitute- boil your favorite coffee down to get a concentrated flavor. You will have to add more oats to soak up the moisture.
- nut butter- feel free to use all peanut butter or all almond butter, whatever you have on hand. Consider mixing in Nutella too!
Well that’s it, in ten minutes you could be on your way to pure cookie bliss.
To full plates and eating your tarte out,



- 1/2 cup of coconut shreds or powder
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/8 cup of almond butter
- 1/8 cup of peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon of instant coffee
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- In a non-stick skillet, heat coconut over low heat until it is slightly browned or starts to smell nutty in aroma. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Mix together the remaining ingredients. Take heaping tablespoons of batter and roll into a ball. Roll into coconut. Repeat.
- Substitute pitted chopped dates for sugar if desired.
- You can also food process your rolled oats for a finer, less chewy texture.
- Great to make with kids and for packing in lunches, enjoying on hiking adventures and car trips.