I love having a few no-bake fall treats in my back pocket, and these Nutter Butter owl cookies are one I make every single year. They come together quickly with store-bought cookies and simple candy decorations, with no oven required. When the days get cooler and schedules get busy, easy recipes like this are a lifesaver.

Several Nutter Butter owl cookies arranged on a white birch-patterned surface, each coated in melted chocolate and decorated with round cookie eyes, yellow candy beaks, and almond slice wings. — Tasty Nutter Butter owl cookies, perfect for fall or Halloween parties.

What I really enjoy is setting everything out on the counter and letting the kids decorate their own little owls. Each one ends up with its own personality, some silly, some sweet, and some surprisingly fancy. It feels more like a cozy kitchen craft than baking, which makes it perfect for fall gatherings, school events, or relaxed weekends at home.

Close-up view of Nutter Butter owl cookies on a white birch-patterned surface, each coated in chocolate and decorated with cookie eyes, yellow beaks, and almond slice wings for a cute fall dessert idea. — Close-up of Nutter Butter owl cookies

also love how easy these owl cookies are to make ahead. They store well, travel nicely, and always bring smiles when I set them out on a dessert table. Cute, festive, and completely stress free, just the way I like my fall treats around here.

Recipe Essentials

🍽 Course: Dessert / No-Bake Treat
⌛ Total Time: 48 minutes
🍪 Yields: 10 Nutter Butter Owls
🍫 Flavor Profile: Sweet, chocolaty, and crunchy with playful candy details
👶 Skill Level: Easy, kid-friendly decorating
🎉 Best For: Classroom treats, fall parties, Halloween, or fun weekend baking projects
🧊 Make Ahead: Chill up to 3 days or freeze (undecorated) up to 1 month

Why You’ll Love These No-Bake Owl Treats

No baking required: Melt, dip, and decorate — done!
Creative fun for kids: Each owl can have its own personality.
Simple ingredients: Just cookies, candy melts, and edible eyes.
Perfect for fall parties: Themed, adorable, and easy to transport.

Ingredients

10 Nutter Butter cookies
6 ounces brown chocolate melts
1 ounce yellow chocolate melts
1 ounce white chocolate melts
Mini Vanilla Cookie Sandwiches
Slivered almonds
Optional: sprinkles, edible glitter, or small candies for accents

Substitutions and Easy Swaps

No Nutter Butters: Use any oval or peanut shaped sandwich cookie like Biscoff or peanut butter wafers.
Nut free option: Swap in vanilla sandwich cookies and use pretzel twists or pumpkin seeds for wings.
Dairy free: Use dairy free candy melts or chocolate chips. Add a small amount of coconut oil if needed for smooth melting.
Gluten free: Choose gluten free sandwich cookies or peanut butter style wafers. Most candy melts are gluten free, but always check labels.
No yellow candy melts: Use orange candy melts, a small dab of icing, or a candy corn beak instead.

Tools You’ll Need

Parchment paper or wax paper
Microwave safe bowls
Small piping bags or zip top bags
Toothpicks or a small spatula
Cooling rack, optional

Tool Tips

A fork or candy dipping tool makes coating the cookies cleaner and easier.
Zip top bags work just as well as piping bags for small details.
A cooling rack helps excess chocolate drip off, but parchment paper works fine too.

How to Make Nutter Butter Owl Cookies

Step 1. Melt the Chocolate: Heat the brown chocolate melts in a microwave-safe bowl for 15–30 seconds at a time, stirring after each round until smooth.

Step 2. Coat the Cookies: Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate until covered. Lift it out with a fork, scrape off the extra chocolate, and place it on parchment paper. Repeat for all cookies, then freeze for 5 minutes to harden.

Nutter Butter cookie being dipped into a bowl of melted chocolate to coat it for owl cookie recipe.

Step 2: Lift each cookie with a fork and let the extra drip off before setting it on parchment.

Step 3. Make the Eyes: Separate the vanilla sandwich cookies and toss the filling. Melt the white chocolate and pipe small white circles on the cookie halves. Let them dry for 3 minutes.

Melt the brown chocolate and pipe smaller brown circles in the center of the white ones. Let dry again.

Two piping bags filled with melted white and brown chocolate resting on a white surface, prepared for decorating by piping the eyes, pupils, and beaks.

Two small vanilla sandwich cookie halves on a white surface, each topped with melted white and brown chocolate to create owl eyes for decorating

Step 4. Attach the Eyes: Use a little melted brown chocolate to stick the finished eyes onto each owl cookie.

Chocolate-coated cookie on a white surface with two decorated mini vanilla cookie halves beside it, showing how to attach the owl eyes for the Nutter Butter owl cookies. — Use melted chocolate to attach the owl eyes to the coated Nutter Butter cookie

Step 5. Add Beak and Wings: Melt the yellow chocolate and pipe a small triangle under the eyes for the beak. Then pipe small dots on each side and press sliced almonds on top for wings.

A piping bag filled with melted yellow chocolate resting on a white surface, prepared for piping small beaks onto the cookies during the decorating step.

fully decorated Nutter Butter owl cookie coated in chocolate, with two round cookie eyes made from white and brown melted chocolate, a small yellow chocolate beak, and slivered almond wings, placed on a white background.

Step 6. Let Set and Serve: Allow the decorated Nutter Butter owls to sit for about 3 minutes to dry completely. Once set, they’re ready to serve and enjoy!

A batch of ten Nutter Butter owl cookies arranged neatly on a white background, each coated in melted chocolate and decorated with cookie eyes, yellow beaks, and almond slice wings. — A full batch of finished Nutter Butter owl cookies

Tips for Perfect Nutter Butter Owl Cookies

Melt the chocolate gently: I melt candy melts in short microwave bursts and stir well between each round. This keeps the chocolate smooth and easy to work with.
Fix thick chocolate fast: If the chocolate starts to thicken while you’re decorating, stir in a small amount of coconut oil or shortening to loosen it back up.
Dip and drain neatly: Using a fork makes dipping easier. I tap off the extra chocolate before placing the cookies on parchment so the coating stays even.

Angled view of Nutter Butter owl cookies on a white birch-patterned background, each coated in melted chocolate and decorated with cookie eyes, yellow beaks, and almond slice wings, shown as an easy no-bake fall dessert.

Decorating and Theme Variations

One of my favorite things about these Nutter Butter owl cookies is how easy they are to dress up or keep simple.

Fall Owl Cookies

Add yellow or orange beaks for warm autumn color
Sprinkle lightly with fall colored sprinkles or sanding sugar

Halloween Owl Cookies

Use darker chocolate or add a touch of black or purple candy melts
Swap almond wings for candy corn or chocolate chips
Give the owls playful or silly expressions with different eye placements

Winter or Christmas Owls

Dip cookies in white chocolate for a snowy look
Add edible glitter or white sprinkles for a frosty finish
Use red or green accents for holiday platters

overhead view of seven Nutter Butter owl cookies arranged on a white birch-patterned surface, each coated in chocolate and decorated with cookie eyes, yellow candy beaks, and almond slice wings, shown as a fun no-bake fall dessert idea. — Overhead view of chocolate-coated owl cookies, a whimsical no-bake dessert

Storage and Make Ahead Tips

Room temperature: Store fully set cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Keep parchment paper between layers.
Refrigerator: If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the cookies for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Make ahead: These cookies can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. The chocolate sets well and decorations stay in place.
Freezer: Freeze chocolate-coated cookies before decorating for best results. Store with parchment between layers for up to 1 month.
To thaw: Thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then decorate and serve.

Nutter Butter Owl Cookies FAQ

No, these cookies do not need to be refrigerated if your kitchen is cool. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerating them helps keep the chocolate firm. Let them come to room temperature before serving.

Nutter Butter owl cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers.

Yes, these cookies are great for making ahead. I usually make them 1 to 2 days in advance. The chocolate sets well, and the decorations stay in place, which makes them ideal for fall gatherings and school events.

Yes, this is a very kid friendly recipe. Kids can help place the eyes, beaks, and wings, while an adult handles the melted chocolate. Every owl turning out a little different is part of the fun.

Candy melts work best because they melt smoothly and set quickly. If using chocolate chips, choose a brand made for melting and add a small amount of coconut oil or shortening to keep the chocolate smooth.

And there you have it….Nutter Butter owl cookies that are as fun to make as they are to eat!

If you try them, I’d love to hear how your flock turns out — leave a comment below and share your favorite decorating twist! And don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest so you can make it again.

More Nutter Butter Recipes You’ll Love

Try my Nutter Butter Acorns for another easy fall treat!
These Grinch Eye Nutter Butters are perfect for Christmas movie nights.