Do you follow a gluten-free diet? I have a student who has Celiac’s Disease, so she cannot have any gluten. Period. I developed these 100% Gluten-Free No-Bake Cookies as a replacement for my usual No-Bake Cookie Lab…and LOVED the flavor! Though I really love oatmeal, these Gluten-Free No-Bake Cookies are my new favorite no-bake cookie!
100% Gluten-Free No-Bake Cookies Recipe…
Something I didn’t know prior to having a student with Celiac’s was that even though oats are gluten-free, it is EXTREMELY difficult to find “clean” oatmeal at the grocery store. After checking several brands, it became obvious I would have to change ingredients to make the classroom lab work. As I was laying in bed the night before the lab thinking about how I could make the recipe gluten-free, it hit me: Rice Krispies! I ran to my pantry, checked a box I’d purchased from Aldi and did a happy dance!
As it turned out, using the Crispy Rice cereal wasn’t a bad switch. In fact, my family thinks the recipe is BETTER gluten-free. (We don’t have to watch gluten at our house, though this recipe does contain fewer calories than the oatmeal version. Bonus!)
Unlike traditional no-bake cookies, Gluten-Free No-Bake Cookies are mixed a little differently. I don’t add the last ingredients all together. Instead, I mix the peanut butter and vanilla into the chocolate mixture well and then fold in the rice cereal. This helps to keep the cereal from getting too soggy before the cookies set up.
I also feel like the quality of ingredients make all the difference in this simple cookie. I don’t use any vanilla other than Watkin’s Clear Vanilla. The flavor is outstanding! I also use only Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder. For those of you who are true chocolate lovers, this is the stuff!!! Finally, I like chunky peanut butter, so I use Aldi’s brand. Using these quality ingredients took a simple no-bake cookie to an extraordinary cookie…and, it’s 100% Gluten-Free!
100% Gluten-Free No-Bake Cookies
Notes
Smooth peanut butter and regular unsweetened cocoa powder can be used in this recipe. My preferance is Watkin's Clear Vanilla and Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 T. dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1/4 c. butter
- 1/4 c. chunky peanut butter
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 c. krispie rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
Instructions
- Cover baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and butter. Heat over medium high heat until boiling.
- Cook and stir for 1 minute and remove from the heat.
- Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Fold in krispie rice cereal.
- Spoon onto parchment covered baking sheet.
- Allow to cool and store in tightly covered container.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey of learning how to make traditional recipes safe for those with severe gluten allergies! For me, I’ve learned so much over the past several months, and I’m sure I’ll continue to learn more as the school year progresses. If you have tips for success in converting recipes to make them gluten-free, I’d love to hear your suggestions! Thanks, in advance! 🙂
If you’d like to see what products I used to create 100% Gluten-Free No-Bake Cookies, please see below. Please know, these contain affiliate links. This means I earn a small commission on any sales, at no extra cost to you. The income I earn helps to pay for maintaining my blog. Thank you so much for your support!
If you are interested in other gluten-free recipes, please check out my recipe page.
