Easy No Bake Penguin Cookies

These easy no bake penguin cookies are the cutest treat on any Christmas cookie tray! Buttery Town House crackers are sandwiched with peanut butter, dipped in chocolate and dressed up with a white candy belly, candy eyes and orange candy feet. You need just 6 ingredients, there’s no oven involved, and kids can help with every step.

We live in a wonderful neighborhood filled with lots of kids and great people we now consider our closest friends. I first made these penguins for our casual holiday party with kids and grown-ups, and they disappeared faster than anything else on the table. They’ve been our go-to winter treat ever since, from Christmas break play-dates to classroom parties.

Why You’ll Love These Penguin Cookies

• No baking required. Just melt, dip and decorate. Perfect when your oven is full of holiday baking.
• Only 6 ingredients. Everything is easy to find at the grocery store or craft store.
• Kid-friendly project. Little hands can spread peanut butter and press on eyes and feet.
• Sweet and salty. Buttery crackers, creamy peanut butter and chocolate taste like a homemade candy bar.
• Make-ahead friendly. They keep for a week at room temperature and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Party showstopper. They look adorable on a Christmas cookie tray, at a winter birthday party or a penguin-themed classroom party.

Ingredients for No Bake Penguin Cookies

• Town House crackers – their oblong, oval shape is just right for a penguin body. Buttery and slightly salty, they balance the sweet chocolate.
• Creamy peanut butter – the “glue” for the cracker sandwiches. About 1 teaspoon per cookie.
• Chocolate candy melts – they melt smoothly and set firm and shiny at room temperature without tempering.
• White candy melt wafers – used whole (not melted) for the penguin’s white tummy.
• Orange candy-coated chocolate or peanut butter candies – orange M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces for the feet and beak. Mini M&M’s work too.
• Candy eyes – find them in the cake decorating aisle at most grocery stores, Target, Michaels, or on Amazon.

See the recipe card below for full amounts.

Ingredient substitutions

• Chocolate candy melts: use chocolate almond bark (candy quik) or chocolate chips. Chips need 1 teaspoon of coconut oil per cup to thin them for dipping, and they may stay slightly soft at room temperature.
• Peanut butter: use any nut butter, cookie butter, Dulce de Leche (canned) or Nutella. For nut-free penguins, use sunflower seed butter or skip the filling and dip single crackers.
• Orange candies: cut orange starburst, orange candy melts or candy corn tips work in a pinch.
• Candy eyes: pipe two dots of melted white candy melts and add a dot of chocolate for each pupil.

Best Cookies and Crackers for Penguin Cookies

Town House crackers are my favorite base, but here’s how the most popular options compare.

Base	Shape	Flavor	Filling step?	Best for
Town House crackers	Oval, flat	Buttery, sweet-salty	Yes, peanut butter	Classic sweet-and-salty penguins (this recipe)
Ritz crackers	Round	Buttery, salty	Yes, peanut butter	Round, chubby “baby” penguins
Nutter Butter cookies	Peanut-shaped, oblong	Peanut butter, sweet	No, already filled	Tall penguins and cookie pops
Oreo cookies	Round	Chocolate, very sweet	No, already filled	Kids who want an all-chocolate penguin
Fudge-covered Oreos	Round, pre-coated	Chocolate, very sweet	No dipping needed	The fastest penguins with the least mess

How to Make Penguin Cookies

Making these penguin cookies is a very simple process, and it’s a fun no-bake project to do with your kids.

1. Set up your station. Line a baking sheet or your counter with parchment or waxed paper. Put the white wafers, orange candies and candy eyes in small bowls (a muffin tin works great for kids). Cut a few orange candies in half for the beaks.
2. Make the cracker sandwiches. Spread about 1 teaspoon of peanut butter on a Town House cracker and top it with a second cracker. Repeat for all of your cookies. [Existing photos: peanut butter spread on cracker; two crackers sandwiched]
3. Melt the chocolate. Microwave the chocolate candy melts in a deep, microwave-safe bowl in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until smooth.
4. Dip. Drop a cracker sandwich into the chocolate, flip it with a fork, lift it out and tap the fork on the edge of the bowl so the extra chocolate drips off. Set it on the parchment. [Existing photo: dipping crackers]
5. Decorate right away. While the chocolate is still wet, press a white candy wafer on the bottom half for the tummy, add two candy eyes at the top, two orange candies at the bottom for feet and a half candy for the beak. [Existing photo: adding eyes and candies]
6. Let them set. Leave the cookies at room temperature for about 20 minutes, or chill for 10 minutes, until the chocolate is completely firm.

Pro tip: have all of your decorations ready before you start dipping. The chocolate begins to harden within a couple of minutes, and the decorations only stick while it’s wet. Working in groups of 4 to 5 cookies works best.

Tips for melting and dipping chocolate

• Use a deep, narrow bowl or mug so the crackers are fully covered in one dip.
• Thin thick chocolate with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil or vegetable shortening. Never add water or milk, which makes chocolate seize.
• Rewarm as needed. When the chocolate gets thick, microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds and stir.
• Let peanut butter firm up. If the sandwiches slide apart, chill them for 10 minutes before dipping.
• Use a toothpick dipped in melted chocolate to reattach any eyes or feet that fall off after the coating sets.

Troubleshooting

• Chocolate is clumpy or grainy: it overheated. Start with a fresh batch and use shorter microwave bursts.
• Decorations won’t stick: the chocolate has set. Dab a little melted chocolate on the back of each candy as glue.
• Chocolate pools at the bottom: tap off more excess before setting the cookie down, or slide the fork out from under the cookie.
• Orange candy color is bleeding: this happens with moisture. Keep the cookies away from the fridge-to-counter condensation and store them in an airtight container.

Fun Penguin Cookie Variations

• Earmuff penguins: press a mini peppermint or Junior Mint on each side of the head and connect them with a thin strip of red licorice.
• Scarf penguins: wrap a thin strip of fruit leather or a sour candy belt around the “neck” while the chocolate is wet.
• Santa hat penguins: add a red candy melt or a halved strawberry with a mini marshmallow on top.
• Penguin cookie pops: insert a lollipop stick into the peanut butter before sandwiching. Great for party favors.
• Nut-free penguins: use sunflower seed butter, or skip the filling and dip single crackers.
• Oreo or Nutter Butter penguins: swap the cracker sandwich for a store-bought sandwich cookie and skip step 2.

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

• Make ahead: these keep beautifully, so make them up to 1 week before your party.
• Room temperature: store in an airtight container, layered between parchment, for 5 to 7 days.
• Freezer: freeze in a single layer until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the closed container at room temperature so condensation doesn’t form on the chocolate.
• Avoid the fridge for long-term storage. Moisture can make the orange candies bleed and the crackers soften.

How to Serve Penguin Cookies

• Christmas cookie tray: they add a pop of personality next to classic cutouts and fudge.
• Classroom and winter parties: a penguin-themed party treat for Penguin Awareness Day (January 20) or a winter unit at school. Check your school’s nut policy and use the nut-free version.
• Movie night: pair them with hot chocolate and a snack mix (links below).
• Snowy display: serve them on a bed of shredded coconut for an icy “snow” platter.
• Gifts: pack 3 or 4 in a clear cellophane bag tied with ribbon for neighbor and teacher gifts.

Penguin Cookies FAQ

More No Bake Christmas Treats

• Reindeer Pretzels
• Rice Krispie Christmas Trees
• Chocolate Dipped Ritz Cracker Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
• Peanut Butter White Chocolate Crock Pot Candy
• Vanilla Fudge Recipe
• Christmas Chocolate Bark
• Salted Caramel Fudge
• Maple Pecan Fudge

Christmas cookies to bake next

• Christmas M&M Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies – fantastic made with Christmas M&M’s!
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Reese’s Pieces Cookies
• Soft & Chewy Ginger Cookies
• Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkles
• White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Cozy Drinks and snacks for Christmas Movie Night

• Nutella Hot Chocolate
• Spiked White Hot Chocolate
• Amaretto Hot Chocolate
• Melted Snowman Popcorn Snack Mix
• Peanut Butter Chex Party Mix