To salvage dry no bake cookies, all you need to do is make a new batch of boiled sugar. Once you have cooked your sugar just right, simply add each cookie to it one at a time and wait for every piece to soften into the mix.
The most common reason for dry no bake cookies is boiling the mixture for too long. If you overcook sugar in a recipe like this, it turns into a crumbly mess (see more on why below!).
If you need your no bake cookies to stay soft after reheating, here’s a great trick! Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the no bake cookies on the sheet, and heat them up in an oven for 1-2 minutes at 325°F (160°C) or until they’re heated through. You don’t want to overcook them either!
You can refrigerate your cookies if they are still mushy after they have set. There are some ingredients, such as butter, chocolate, or peanut butter, that will not stay at room temperature completely. The longer the cookies sit at room temperature, the looser and stickier they will become.
How long does it take no bake cookies to harden? I like to either leave them on the counter for about 30-45 minutes or pop them in the fridge for 15 if I’m feeling impatient!
In order for the cookies to harden properly the mixture must be boiled until it reaches a temperature of 230°F.
Why Don’t My No Bake Cookies Harden? There are a few key things that can cause no bake cookies to be too gooey or too dry. For the most part the success of your cookies will be based on temperature, ingredient consistency, and humidity in the air.
They stress that they never go beyond a minute and 15 seconds when they boil ingredients. Otherwise, you run the risk of your cookies being too dry or crumbly. The next tip advises against making these cookies when it’s raining out.
No bake cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for about a week, or two weeks in the refrigerator. You can also refrigerate no bake cookies to help them cool faster, but that is not required.