No-Bake Cookies

These low-FODMAP no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies set on the counter using boiled sugar and maple syrup in place of honey, bound with certified gluten-free rolled oats.

Prep 10 min

Cook 5 min

Serves 20

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated cane or white sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup (not honey or agave)
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) lactose-free milk
• 1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (130 g) natural smooth peanut butter (just peanuts, plus salt)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (225 g) certified gluten-free rolled oats
• Portion note: this batch makes about 20 cookies, and a serving is 1 to 2 cookies. Oats are low-FODMAP up to 1/4 cup (52 g) dry per sitting and peanut butter up to 2 tbsp (50 g), so two cookies from this size batch stay well under both caps. Check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes.

Instructions

Cook the base

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them near the stove so you can portion quickly once the mixture is ready.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, maple syrup, lactose-free milk, cocoa, and salt. Stir over medium heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
3. Bring to a rolling boil and let it boil, stirring, for 60 to 90 seconds. Boiling is what sets the cookies as they cool. Underboiling leaves them sticky, and overboiling makes them dry and crumbly.
4. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add peanut butter and oats

1. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
2. Add the oats and fold until every oat is coated.
3. Work quickly, since the mixture firms up as it cools.

Portion and set

1. Drop rounded tablespoons onto the parchment, spacing them slightly apart, for about 20 mounds.
2. Let the cookies set at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or 15 minutes in the fridge, until firm to the touch.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use certified gluten-free oats. Oats are naturally free of wheat, but standard oats are often cross-contacted during milling. A certified gluten-free label keeps the batch safe for a low-FODMAP plan.
• Time the boil. A kitchen timer matters more than the look of the pan here. Hold a true rolling boil for the full 60 to 90 seconds so the cookies firm up rather than staying tacky.
• Read the peanut butter label. Pick one made from just peanuts and salt. Some "no sugar" or reduced-fat versions add sugar alcohols, and a few blends sneak in honey or high-fructose corn syrup.
• Make it dairy-free. Swap the butter for a plain dairy-free spread and use a low-FODMAP plant milk such as almond or macadamia. That also makes the cookies vegan.
• Change the nut butter. Almond butter works in place of peanut, though its low-FODMAP serving is smaller at about 1 tbsp. Skip cashew and pistachio butters, which are high FODMAP.
• Add crunch. Fold in a small handful of chopped walnuts or pecans, both low-FODMAP at about 10 halves (30 g), for texture without changing the set.

Why This Works

• Sugar and maple, not honey. Honey is high in excess fructose, so it is left out. Cane sugar (sucrose) and pure maple syrup are low-FODMAP in the serving sizes used here.
• Oats in controlled portions. Rolled oats carry a small FODMAP load that adds up with quantity. Splitting the oats across 20 cookies keeps each serving well below the 1/4 cup (52 g) dry cap.
• Butter and lactose-free milk. Butter holds only trace lactose, and lactose-free milk removes the lactose entirely, so the creamy base does not add a dairy FODMAP.
• Cocoa kept small. Unsweetened cocoa is low-FODMAP in the teaspoons-per-serving range this recipe lands in, so the chocolate flavor comes without a fructan or GOS spike.

Storage

Store the set cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, where they firm up further. To freeze, layer them between parchment and keep for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Keep to 1 to 2 cookies per serving to stay within the oat and peanut butter caps.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.