Haystack cookies are a deliciously chewy no bake chocolate cookie with oatmeal and coconut. They’re made from simple pantry ingredients, super easy, and loved by kids and adults alike. 
No Bake Haystack Cookies
Have you ever tried haystack cookies? Sometimes they’re called macaroons (not to be confused with French macarons). Or even no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.
They’re a classic recipe that takes about 10 minutes to make, and seriously delicious thanks to chocolate, oatmeal and coconut.
Haystack cookies are probably the defining recipe of my childhood. My grandma would make a massive batch, and we’d take home an ice cream pail almost every time we went to her house. Nowadays, I always look forward to my cousin Tanya making them over Christmas.
But instead of waiting for December to roll around – I figured it was time to share the recipe here on the blog.
Making these no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies is super easy:
- Add the oatmeal and coconut to a bowl.
- In a medium saucepan add the butter, milk, cocoa powder and sugar.
- Bring to a boil for 5 minutes while whisking.
- Pour the mixture into the bowl with the oatmeal and coconut and stir together.
- Drop tablespoons of the batter onto a lined cookie sheet, and pop in the fridge to let the cookies harden.
Yup – they’re seriously that easy. The only trick to making them is to make sure you gently whisk the butter mixture as it boils so that the milk doesn’t burn.
What kind of oats should I use? You can use quick oats or large flake/old-fashioned oats for these haystack cookies. I don’t recommend using steel cut because they’re too hard and crunchy.
You can also use sweetened or unsweetend coconut – it’s really up to you.
Either way – they’re totally delicious.
I absolutely love the fudgy chocolate flavor, chewy crunchy texture, and how easy these chocolate haystack cookies are to make. So whether these cookies were a staple of your childhood – or a totally new to you recipe – I definitely recommend giving them a try. And since they’re so easy to make, there’s really nothing holding you back for haystack cookie deliciousness!
Haystack Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups oats*
- 1 cup shredded coconut**
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl stir together the oats and coconut.
- Add the butter, milk, cocoa and sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat
- Whisk gently as everything melts together, then bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes while gently whisking.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the oats and coconut and stir together.
- Drop tablespoon sized spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden.
Can you add peanut butter also
I always add peanut butter and my family loves it so much better than the original recipe.
Can i use margarine?
I use marg once when out of butter. My family could not tell the difference. So now I use margarine all the time.
Yes
These are perfect! Just like mom used to make!
Oh oh oh….these are really good. I’m just going to say that not all of those cookies made it to the refrigerator step.
Used to call these cocoa quickies growing up. Had a craving so thanks for the recipe. Turned out perfectly
I added chopped candied ginger too, along with the coconut, and it was fabulous! They did not last very long.
these turned out beautifully! do they have to stay in the refrigerator?
After they’ve hardened I keep them at room temperature in an airtight container (up to 4 days). But my kitchen is typically pretty cold. They will last a bit longer in the fridge (about 7 days) in an airtight container.
I added chopped glazed cherries for the Christmas added touch. I’ve had to hide them so they last.
I’m so happy to see you call these “haystack cookies”!!! It’s what I grew up calling them, too! They were also one of my faves as a kid! I tried making them when I lived in Hong Kong but they never turned out as well as they did on the prairies… I think Hong Kong was just too hot/humid for them to set properly.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Using butter us better. Butter stays hard at room temperature, margarine melts and makes the ingredients soggy after a while. Margarine also contains a bit of water which makes things more moist and butter doesn’t, or so I believe in my own head, lol But I like to bite I to these cookies like hard chocolate, not soft and chewy like some prefer. All about preference.
I added 1 tsp of instant espresso powder and the were amazing!
These are great, but letting them boil for 5 minutes made them to dry and wouldn’t hold together. I found letting the mixture boil for 60 seconds without stirring works best. And to bring the mixture up to boil slowly.