No Bake Cookies

It is a hot summer day, and you are craving some homemade cookies, but you cannot stand the thoughts of heating up your house by turning on the oven. The perfect solution to your dilemma is “No Bake Cookies.” This recipe is a classic and has been around for a long time. The cookies are quick and easy to make and are made on your stove top so you will not be heating up you house. You probably already have all the ingredients needed to make them on hand, so you will not even need to make a special trip to the supermarket before preparing them. And if you do not have all the ingredients once you make a batch you will make sure to have everything on hand for the next time. Oh, one more thing they are unbelievably delicious too.

Following are all the needed ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup milk

¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (quick oats – cooks in a minute)

1 cup peanut butter (non-crunchy)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Start by preparing your baking sheet by lining it with either wax paper or parchment paper.

In a large saucepan over medium heat mix together the sugar, milk, cocoa powder, and butter and bring to a rolling boil not just a couple of bubbles around the side of the pan. Let it boil 1 minute stirring constantly, so it does not scorch. DO NOT overcook. If you overcook, you will get crumbly cookies. Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla mixing well. Continue to stir until the peanut butter is completely melted then add the oats. Once the mixture is combined well, drop by teaspoonful on the prepared baking sheet.

Let the cookies stand at room temperature until cool and hardened, probably about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator after cooling. They can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days if they last that long.

The recipe will yield approximately 60 bite size cookies. The total preparation time is only 15-20 minutes.

Here are some twists to the above classic standard recipe that you might want to try, some give the recipe a healthy kick:

Substitute the milk for almond milk and the peanut butter for almond butter.

Use dark cocoa powder.

Add dried cherries.

Add peanuts, pecans, Spanish peanuts, or walnuts for crunch.

Substitute peanut butter with Nutella.

Substitute smooth peanut butter for crunchy.

Add coconut flakes.

Substitute the 2 cups of sugar for 1 cup of honey.

Add a few drops of peppermint, especially for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.

Add a pinch of course sea salt to the top of each cookie before it hardens.

Make a cookie bar, instead of dropping the mixture by teaspoonful, pour the batter into a 9×13 pan which has been lightly oiled with butter or coconut oil.

Try and enjoy the original recipe or any of the variations listed above; you will not be disappointed.