If you’re looking for a tried-and-true holiday cookie recipe that gets rave reviews and yields a batch large enough to take to a party…
Do not make these.
The raw cookie batter is so addictive that, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find it completely impossible to stop eating the cookie dough by the spoonful. So by the time you actually get around to forming cookies, very little batter will be left. The yield of this recipe is for 16-18 cookies… but I think my first batch made closer to 5.
And I’d like to say I had a bunch of friends to blame for all the missing dough.
But no.
It was just me.
Mexican Chocolate No Bake Cookies
- 2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder (10g)
- 2/3 cup quick oats (60g)
- 1/2 cup oat flour (60g) – or just pulse rolled oats in a food processor until they become powder, and measure after processing
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda – yes, really
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- scant 1/4 tsp cayenne, or more for spicier cookies
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar of choice or xylitol (50g)
- 1/4 cup vegetable or coconut oil (40g)
- 2 tbsp water (30g)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a small cup, combine all wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, and stir together. Scoop out with a cookie scoop, or refrigerate a few minutes until firm enough to scoop out (if using coconut oil, don’t refrigerate too long or the dough will become hard). Place cookie dough balls on wax paper and chill until firm. If you want to bake these cookies, do so at 325 F for 10 minutes. Then let cool 5 minutes before eating. Makes about 16-18 cookies.
Link Of The Day:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
Started cracking up when I got to the line “Do not bring these” hahaha. It takes a lot to get me to prefer the dough to the final cookie, but naturally I make an except for CHOCOLATE 🙂
Tammela says
These sound great! I am definitely a dough-taster.
janae @ bring joy says
I love that these are lower carb. I have gestational diabetes, so trying to figure out how I can sneak in some treats this holiday season, while keeping things in check is a bit tricky.
And I LOVE to sample cookie dough–one of the great things about vegan goods is that you CAN 🙂
Rachel says
Oh my goodness, girl! I was about to make your mocha no-bakes. They are getting trumped to try this!!!
Chelsea @chelseasmessyapron says
These sound delicious Katie! I love no bake cookies, they are so simple and fun to make!
sl says
Yum! This look so good. Just right for that sweet chocolate fix. I wonder if I could add protein powder to add more protein to it? Any suggestions? Could i use a scoop instead of oat flowr? Thanks for your help.
Madison says
You could definitely try substituting a vegan protein powder in for the oat flour. You would probably want to start off with just 1/4 cup first and then increase from there to make sure they don’t get too dry. If you were planning on a non-vegan protein powder like whey I wouldn’t bake them and just do the no bake version. Obviously experimenting is up to you, but protein powder can sometimes really make a dessert taste weird when baked.
Stephen says
Of course I taste the dough! Really it is just for quality control … honest …
Mariel says
Any good chef knows that you ALWAYS taste, taste, taste your food while you’re making it. I mean, what if you mixed up the salt and the sugar? The results would be disastrous! Therefore, I think that tasting is always a must. And if you “accidentally” happen to eat half the batter along the way? Well that’s better than serving your friends salt filled cookies. 🙂
Emilylovesraisins says
LOL once my friend mixed up salt and sugar while making banana bread and apparently it was disastrous. i can’t even imagine how that might happen while TWO people are baking! 😛
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
I most definitely sample the dough – that’s the best part of baking! YUM
Jamie @ Dishing Out Health says
Oh gosh I may need supervision making these if the dough is that good. Gotta love a kick of cayenne with chocolate!
Rachel says
Follow-up: These cookies ROCK! I just made them, and I ate half the dough. I used rolled oats instead of quick oats btw and they are still SO GOOD.
One of the things I love about your recipes btw is that I can eat the dough and do not have to worry about salmonella from raw eggs.
I WILL be making these again. Quite possibly in a few minutes to make up for the half I already ate.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you so much… I think you were the first person to make them 🙂
Abby @ Change of Pace says
These look delicious, and I love that they have a little kick to them with the cayenne! I’ve been using it in a lot of my cooking lately and think it’s time to incorporate it into baking/no bake!
I am a cookie dough fiend!
Katrina @ WVS says
Yum!! These sound soooo good!
Abby says
Just a general comment for Katie;
Have you ever heard of a Yonanas machine?
I feel as though you could invent some great recipes with that machine
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Yes, I have something similar and love it… I don’t use it often enough! (I used it for the Dole Whip recipe on the blog.)
Cait says
Just made these; they are so good.
Katie, your recipes never cease to amaze my tastebuds!!
becauseHeloves! says
Just made them and they’re sooo good. And I always eat waaaaaaay too much dough!
Veronica @ Veggie V says
I have yet to make spicey chocolate cookies. I always forget I want to try it! I guess I get caught up in the chocolate of things 😉
I love cookie dough too – almost more than the cookies. I think that’s one of the reasons I like raw and no-bake cookies so much.
Barb says
I mostly make cookies just to eat the dough 🙂 I can’t imagine making anything without tasting it, especially sweets.
And look – no discussions about the baking soda! (At least not yet)
Emilylovesraisins says
WOW THESE LOOK FABULUS (tee hee im so lazy when it comes to spelling)
i love to sample cookie dough! who cares about salmonella when you have sugary, buttery goodness right in front of you? (welllll actually i do, so thats why i make vegan cookies, (plus yours taste amazing)) but once i was baking with my friend and i asked her if she wanted to lick a beater and she gave me the weirdest look ever, like “you eat raw cookie dough?” it was kinda embarrassing :/ LOL
Ellen says
Heh, I grew up in a household that just “made cookie dough” without the intent to bake at all, so heck yeah I sample dough!
Am says
Oh my gosh! Your sister can bake all day and not sample! Amazing!
I usually eat the dough and am not hungry for cookies by the time I am done 🙂 Your no-bake Mocha Cookies you made are my favorite raw dough cookie, and these look similar so I think I will love them!
Maya says
Katie, did you see this? http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/12/19/251998998/hold-the-cheese-israelis-sway-dominos-to-make-vegan-pizza
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I didn’t… that is awesome!
Lily says
I love your blog! I’ve been vegan now for about a month, basically this is my ‘practice’ month before I can make the resolution officially for 2014~! I have always been vegetarian, as my parents are from India and we’re Hindu. But for me, dairy has always been the hardest thing to give up – we Indians loooove our chai!
I was wondering. Have you tried to make other kinds of non-dairy milk, for example to use beans or other legumes? I know ‘bean’ milk does not sound that good but, actually I remember once I visited south Korea and they had black bean milk, sesame milk, and even sweet potato milk! I do not know how i’d make them myself, but I am sure you can help =) oh, also in Japan and China they drink azuki red beans milk, and I always liked these beans as they are on the sweeter side.
Keep up this fantastic site! It’s so helpful and your pictures are lovely. ( the edibles, AND you!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
I haven’t… except for oat milk and tofu milk… I also saw a recipe for banana milk once. But you are completely right… if soybean milk exists, why not other bean milks? I like your idea and might have to experiment. Adzuki bean milk sounds delicious!
Capt. ManPants says
Questions:
I’m guessing Oat flour is just for a gluten free substitution, and I could use regular flour (WG spelt)?
I have no oil, yet a fresh tub of PB.. Would it work?
Emilylovesraisins says
I made these with white whole wheat flour and it was pretty darn awesome!
Kaelene says
I wish I had your sisters willpower not a batch of cookies is made without me sampling my fair share of raw dough. Thats why we have no bake cookies right!
Alexe @ Keys to the Cucina says
These look great, and I love the addition of the cayenne, sweet and spicy never hurt any one:)
Jordan Younger says
I love a good cookie with a kick! I will definitely be making these this holiday season. My family will rave over them… they love when I add spices to my cookies! And I know what you mean about the batter — daaaangerous!
Emma says
Yes! That’s why I created the Cookie Dough Cups! I neeeeeeeeeed to send you some! Let me know how to do that!
These look awesome, btw. I may make them for tomorrow. You know, as a snack. 😉
suja md says
Wow…looks yuummmy!! loved this recipe perfect for the festive time!!
Kristyn says
Just made these- DELICIOUS cookie dough. I altered a little– i only used 2 tbsp coconut oil and subbed the last 2 tbsp for peanut butter. I also added in butter extract (you should TOTALLY do this…makes it taste like cake batter) and coconut flakes. I did need to add just a little more water (1 tbsp) and the result is fantastic. I went the baked route. SO good.
Stephani says
I made these-YUM! I do not recommend using quick cooking steel cut oats. Itmakes your cookies “hard”-ier! Next time, i’m gonna use quaker oatsquick cooking oats instead 🙂
Stephani says
Cooking it helped, but definitely not soft enough!
Karen w says
I made these last night and they are soooooooo good! My mom wanted me to bake them, so I did, but not with out eating a ton of cookie dough first! I can’t decide whether I like them better baked or not baked, their really good either way! My mom much prefers them baked though and I just wanted to give tip to anyone else who bakes them. When it says to wait five minutes before eating, this DOES NOT mean transfer to a cooling rack immediately and then wait five minutes, I tried to do that with the first few cookies and they crumbled, so I then figured out that you need to not touch the cookies at all for the first five minutes that they are out of the oven, and then you can transfer them to a cooling rack and they won’t crumble.
Hayley says
Just a question — after frozen until firm, do you store in the freezer or fridge?
Leeanne Sciolto says
Made these last night and they were delicious and a big hit! Super easy too. I was worried about them setting up ok but they did just fine. Thanks for the fun easy and delicious recipie!
Celina says
These cookies are perfect!! They’re my favorite no-bake cookie recipe. I’ve made them at least 4 times since finding this recipe, and my family and I absolutely love them! Today, I made a double batch of them and added sprinkles…they were delicious…and they are gone already.
Emily says
These are yummy! I just made them for the second time 🙂 I used a little less cayenne pepper in the second batch because the first came out pretty spicy (but my cayenne was brand new so maybe that’s why?) Otherwise, delish and a keeper! Thanks Katie:)
Barbara Palmer (I am on Facebook) says
What is your serving size for your nutritional values? And is there a possibility of getting sodium content for your recipes. My husband is diabetic but has just been diagnosed with severe heart failure and we have to keep his sodium intake below 1500mg/day. It has been a difficult transition to also monitor sodium with his carbs but every once in a while he needs a “sweet”! 🙂 Thanks!
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hi Barbara,
Yes, ALL recipes as of at least a year ago (this recipe is older) have sodium listed :).
KMar says
I don’t know what went wrong, but they were watery and never set up, even after chilling them for a long time. They still tasted delicious but weren’t the right consistency for some reason. I followed the directions exactly! Hmm…. Hoping to make these again soon though because I loved the flavors! Maybe too much oil and not enough oats?
Unofficial CCK Helper says
You may want to check out the recipe troubleshoot section at this link:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/faq-page/recipe-questions-and-troubleshooting/
Melissa says
I am officially addicted to these! I like them better baked, with a little extra cayenne in them. One complaint: I am unable to eat leass than 1/2 a batch in one sitting!
Sheri says
Just found your blog and tried mu first recipe! my 6yr old just gave thumbs up to oatmeal cupcakes to go. have a question about coconut oil (sorry I’d it is a repeat, I did read coconut oil/butter page). I prefer to use coconut oil where possible in your recipes, happy that it is mentioned as a sub. My coconut oil is solid, so if your recipe calls for 1/4 cup, so I measure it as solid? Or do I melt it and then measure. Veg oil being liquid and coc being sold- just not sure which way to go…..thanks in advance. Looking forward to trying more of your stuff.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Thank you so much! I would measure it as a liquid. 🙂
Deborah Gray says
I just made these delicious :)))))
Barbara Szendrey says
love the Mexican choc cookies. Very fast and easy. Baked or not. Very good.
Barbara Szendrey says
Just made these. they are fast, easy and very good! will make again and do recommend!
Amber says
These are soooooo good. Sweet with a little kick.
Ashley says
Katie this recipe caught my eye the moment I saw the word, “Mexican.” First, I love how worldly this blog is becoming. I enjoy reading each of your recipes weekly. I am fascinated by the no-bake concept in these cookies though. My mom and I recently tried using dates as base for some of the no-bake cookies and it was sublime! I can’t wait to try these chocolate cookies soon.
Kristen says
We LOVE these cookies!!! My daughters ages 2 and 5 call them “cold cookies” because (like you) they never make it to the baking step. Thanks so much for sharing your talent of creating delicious more healthful recipes with us! 🙂
Kristen says
(By the way, I omit the cayenne for my kids but make them exactly as listed otherwise.)
Leidy Hernandez says
I was skeptical about making them, but now that I have they tasted them, ME WANT MORE COOOOOOKIES!!!! you NEED to try these and they’re suuuuuupper easy!!!! I give them 10 cats with rabies out of 5. Thumbs up, Katie.
Misty says
Delicious! I wanted to have something yummy for my kids when they got home from school. It took a lot of self control not to eat the whole batch before they arrived.
Sadye says
I’ve been swapping out bananas for sugar in recipes, so if anyone is interested in doing the same, let me say that 1/4 cup mashed banana works just fine here! I like bananas in baked goods but not as a whole fruit; I didn’t get a whole lot of banana taste in these cookies but that might also be because I don’t mind them in baked goods — a hardcore banana hater might catch it.
Marie says
Just made these and they are delicious!
emily adkisson says
Hey I love your blog! It’s great! I was wondering if anyone has baked these cookies,
I want to bake them but not sure if they are better not baked. I want to make them for my mom when she comes home from a long business trip so I want to make something perfect! Thanks
Unofficial CCK Helper says
You can definitely bake them at 350 F.
thirza says
what can you use instead of coconut oil?
Louisa says
Tasty! Made them tonight– but, also made changes.
2 tbsps cocoa was just not dark enough for me, so I increased it to 3 tbsp. I used natural Tumaco cocoa powder.
Added a tiny pinch of nutmeg (minimal change)
1/4 sugar seemed a lot to me, so I slowly added it into the dough, tasting as I went. I ended up needing only a couple tbsp, maybe 2-3, even with the extra cocoa. I don’t have an enormous sweet tooth (most American sweets are too sweet for me), but I do like desserts to taste just sweet enough.
I decreased the rolled oats from 2/3 cup to 1/2 cup, as I wanted a slightly more smooth-textured cookie.
For some reason, the dough did not hold together well, so I threw in extra flour, cocoa, and water until it became sticky enough. The cocoa was to bring back the intense-chocolatey-ness while also soaking up a bit of extra moisture.
Yes, this was fun, and yes, the cookies were yummy. They tasted sort of like chocolate truffles and smoother oatmeal cookie combined. When the coconut oil becomes solid, it’s really like biting into smooth, soft chocolate that happens to turn oatmeal-cookie-like once it hits your tongue. Yum. The dark, chocolate-flavor develops when the cookies chill, so even if the dough tasted somewhat like hot cocoa powder (because I used white sugar), it’ll taste much more rounded out, smoother, and harmonious when ready for consumption. The crunchy chocolate chips provide nice textural interest (I think that chips are softer once baked). Don’t miss out on the pepper– it gives a great kick.
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe, Katie! It was super fun to mix together, and to constantly taste. 🙂
LT says
wow, thanks so much for such a detailed comment! I made these the other day without altering the recipe, but I’m definitely going to give your adjustments a try as you seem to have a similar palette 🙂
Kristen says
Just made these. They came out a bit dry, so I will make them again to see what I did wrong. Other than that, thry are very yummy! The cayenne sneaks up on you and the cinnamon is delish. I haven’t found a recipe of yours I don’t like yet!!
Alex says
Katie how do I make these with dark chocolate cocoa powder? I tried this reciepe today and used the dark chocolate cocoa powder and they turned out bitter.
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Make them with regular cocoa powder then. They will be delicious!
ChrisR says
Hey Katie
I love all your recipes but this is definitely my go-to when I get a biscuit/cookie munchie! I love chilli but often leave out the cayenne with these but they are fab either way
Tifani says
These are fantastic! I only added a pinch of cayenne since I was giving some to my kids. I didn’t bake them, just chilled them in the fridge. They were so so good. I wish I had made more than a double batch!
Kathryn says
These are WAY TOO ADDICTIVE! I can not make these without eating half the recipe before even forming cookies. Therefore I make a double batch almost every time. I also like to press them into a paper lined 8×8 pan and refrigerate or freeze (I always use coconut oil). That way we can have shards of frozen chocolate deliciousness 🙂
Vanessa says
Is the amount of calories for one cookie or all them?
Jenay Green says
These look so good! I am always looking for healthy dessert recipes for my family of 6. I am glad I found your blog! I am a blogger as well and would love to link people to your blog!
Jenay Green says
I made these today and they are awesome. Thanks!
Chantell Horn says
I see you give the option to bake these cookies.
Can one also form the cookies and put them in a dehydrator?
Linn says
I just made my third batch in three weeks!
I love the kick with the Cayanne pepper, I love baking with Trader Joe’s coconut oil, I love that they make a great between meal snack or dessert for that little something sweet!
Kristy Wilhoite says
These are so tasty! I had a bit of trouble keeping the no-bake version together. So this batch is being used as a super yummy topping for plain greek yogurt. Next time should I add more water or oil to get the right consistency? Thanks for all the great recipes. I love giving my kiddies treats that are healthier than I grew up with…and just as tasty!
Annalise says
These are so good! And you’re right about the batter being addictive! I added allspice and clove for a spice twist and instead of sugar used stevia extract. As you say, D to the Licious!
soury says
Just tried these last night and they so good! I usually never make no-bake cookies, but I’ll make an exception for these 😉 thank you for the wonderful, and easy, recipe!
Jan Smith says
Sorry but I followed the recipe EXACTLY and it was a mess. Did you test this recipe, evidently NOT!! It didn’t form a cookie at all,
Julie says
I see FIVE positive reviews just on page four of the comments alone. Did you even bother to read the other comments? Evidently not. Couldn’t possibly be something you mis measured or something done wrong on your part, more likely everyone else was wrong. https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/12/19/mexican-chocolate-bake-cookies/comment-page-4/#comments
rana says
I had no trouble at all, maybe something you messed up, we are all human 🙂
rana says
Surprisingly amazing! I bought the cookbook yesterday on amazon.com. i can’t wait till i get it to try all the recipes! trying to eat better, and i find your recipes easy for me to controll how much i eat, they are amazing and i could eat them all in one setting, but you feel so satisfied after a little bit that you don’t feel the need to eat the whole thing!
Hannah says
I’ve made this several times now and it is a definite favorite. ? My entire family really likes it. I was super hesitant to use the cayenne because it’s, you know, cayenne in cookies, but I did it today and it turned out delicious! The pepper really compliments the chocolate. Thank you Katie for putting so much time and thought into coming up with these amazing recipes!!
Laurie says
Hi there! I’ve made these cookies SEVERAL stones and they are a for sure favorite around here!!! I’m currently trying a high fat low carb diet that doesn’t allow any grains. I was curious if you could think of a substitute I could use for the oats. I could try almond flour or coconut flour maybe? Please let me know what you think. These would be perfect for me minus the pats. Do you have any othe recipes that are high on fat and low on carbs?
Jason Sanford says
These bars are really good and can be rolled into cookies instead of bars if you’d prefer: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2017/04/20/paleo-bars-chocolate-recipe/
She also has many raw recipes that are low in carbs: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/tag/raw/