Preacher Cookies Recipe

Southern Living Preacher Cookies on serving platters — Photo:
Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Active Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

Yield:

40 cookies

No-bake preacher cookies are so quick and easy to whip up—you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now. And the no-bake recipe means no hot ovens when the weather is warm.

But we should tell you: These preacher cookies might be a bit different from the ones you've had before, but we think these slight upgrades result in an even better cookie. You'll never go back to the original.

This cookie has a very rich cocoa flavor, a surefire way to get your chocolate fix in a hurry. And the texture from the crispy rice cereal and oats is oh so satisfying. Condensed milk gives the batter a smooth, fudgy—and irresistible—consistency.

Learn how to make preacher cookies. They are just as simple as they are crowd pleasing, ideal for a snack, dessert, potluck, bake sale, or any type of gathering.

Southern Living Preacher Cookies ready to serve — Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Ingredients for Preacher Cookies

To make preacher cookies, you will need just nine simple ingredients. Grab these from your pantry:

Granulated sugar: Once cooked slightly, the sugar helps to thicken up the mixture that will give the cookies their texture.
Unsalted butter: Blends with the sugar and cocoa for a quick and easy syrup.
Unsweetened cocoa: Adds a deep, rich chocolate flavor.
Table salt: A pinch will balance the cookies' sweetness.
Condensed milk: Boils along with the sugar, butter, and cocoa to form a thick and rich syrup that will capture all the stir-ins and make a truly perfect cookie.
Crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies): You could use other types of cereal if you like, but the delicate texture of the crispy rice puffs is ideal against the other textures.
Quick-cooking oats: Use the quick-cooking variety because they'll be a bit more tender than old-fashioned oats.
Crunchy peanut butter: You can use creamy if it's all you have, but we love the subtle crunch of peanuts from this type of peanut butter.
Vanilla extract: An essential baking ingredient that rounds out all the flavors.

How To Make Preacher Cookies

Grab a pan and a few mixing bowls. This recipe for preacher cookies comes together quickly:

Step 1. Make cocoa mixture: Heat sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
Step 2. Add oats and other ingredients: Once off the heat, add cereal, oats, peanut butter, and vanilla to the cocoa mixture. Stir to fully combine.
Step 3. Scoop cookies: Spoon cookies onto baking sheets. (For easy clean-up, line the sheets with parchment paper.) Use the back of a spoon to gently press the cookies into a flatter, rounder shape.
Step 4. Cool cookies: Let cookies cool completely before serving.

Our Best Tips for Making Great Preacher Cookies

We made several dozen preacher cookies to get this recipe just right. Here's what we learned:

Adjust the sweetness: These cookies are quite sweet. And if all that sweetness is too much, you can moderate it by substituting the processed peanut butter for a natural peanut butter without added sugar. And you can pull back on a bit of the sugar in the recipe if you prefer.
Scoop better: Consider using an ice cream scooper for baking rather than a tablespoon—or spray the tablespoon to help release the batter more easily.

How To Serve Preacher Cookies

Preacher cookies are best right after they are made. (As they sit, the rice becomes less crispy, which compromises the pleasing texture.) So eat up!

You can serve them just as they are, or make a buttercream or other filling and turn a pair of cookies into a sweet sandwich. Or, you can chop up preacher cookies and serve the pieces as a topping over ice cream.

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup (1 oz.) unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp. table salt
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cups (about 2 oz.) crisp rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
1 1/2 cups (5 1/4 oz.) uncooked quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (from 1 [16-oz.] jar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Prepare pans:

Line 3 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Make cookie batter:

Place sugar, butter, cocoa, salt, and condensed milk in a large saucepan over medium-high.

Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes. Boil, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula, 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in cereal, oats, peanut butter, and vanilla until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.

Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Form cookies:

While batter is still warm, scoop batter by 1 1/2 tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.

Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Use the back of a measuring spoon or bottom of a cup to press out cookies to desired shape.

Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke
Cool before serving:

Cool completely on baking sheets, about 30 minutes.

Fred Hardy II, Food Stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are they called preacher cookies?

Also called no-bakes, preacher cookies are an old Southern recipe. So it is said, the name derives from how quickly these cookies come together, with no baking required: If the preacher were to come by the house for an unexpected visit, these treats could be on the table in a flash.
Why are my preacher cookies not hard?

If your preacher cookies seem unappealingly soft, try chilling them in the refrigerator. Some of the ingredients, like the butter and peanut butter, will not stay completely soft at room temperature. So popping them in the fridge should harden these ingredients, and therefore help firm up the cookies overall.
How long do preacher cookies last?

To store preacher cookies, wrap them tightly or place them in an air-tight container at room temperature. To make them last longer, you can also store them in the fridge—or even the freezer, which will help the cookies last for several weeks—if you can withstand the temptation that long!