Hot Cocoa No Bake Cookies

5 from 4 votes

Our family has been making these hot cocoa no bake cookies practically every week all winter and I don’t feel bad about it one bit.

I grew up on no bake cookies as I’m sure all of you did, but for some reason I practically never make them. I do really enjoy making these little no bake cookie banana bites which are eaten on little chunks of banana (if you haven’t tried them yet you are wasting time because they are about to be your new favorite snack), but I rarely make the classic cookie. And today is no different. With winter here I couldn’t resist making hot cocoa no bake cookies.

How do You Store No Bake Cookies?

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator) for up to 2 weeks.

Can You Use Splenda in Place of Sugar in No Bake Cookies?

Splenda can be used as a sweetener in place of sugar to make no bake cookies.

However, because the properties of Splenda are different from those of sugar, your final cookie will be affected.

The kids thought I was the coolest for letting them dump in those tiny little marshmallows you find at Target or Walmart and I couldn’t help but love them too.

Speaking of Walmart and Target why do they get to carry all of the special seasonal flavors or unique baking items from our favorite brands and not the regular grocery stores? Every holiday new oreos, m&m’s, baking chips and marshmallows appear but in order to buy them we have to visit those two stores otherwise we can’t find them at all. What up with that?

I think I’ll go devour another 4 cookies while I think this over.

Why Don’t No Bake Cookies Harden Up?

No-bake cookies require accurately measured ingredients and exact timing.

If your cookies come out too soft or too hard, consider adjusting the boiling time.

Factors such as stove temperature, humidity and even stirring speed can all affect the outcome of your cookies.

If your cookies didn’t harden, it means you didn’t get to what is known in fudge-making as “the soft ball stage.”

The last temperature that the sugar reaches is the indicator for how hard or soft your no-bake cookies will be.

The soft-ball stage is achieved when your sugar mixture reaches a temperature between 235 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer to test the temperature of your mixture, there are other methods you can use.

Set a kitchen timer, watch the pot and allow for 3 minutes from the time your mixture starts to bubble to the moment you take it off the heat.

Another test involves setting a bowl of cold water near the stove; after 3 minutes, drop a spoonful of the chocolate mixture into the water.

If it forms a soft, pliable ball that flattens after a few minutes when you hold it in your hand, then you’ve got the temperature just right.