The Stereotypical No-Bake Cookies Appropriate For a HOT Summer

September 3, 2012 in Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

That’s right.  You read that correctly.  Mountains of blogs and food magazines have those features every year that allow some kind of baked good craving go answered without having to turn on the oven.  Count this as one of those.  Easiest thing to do in the kitchen when you’re bored.

 

You need:

  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 1/4 cup of cocoa powder (I used an ultra-dutched black cocoa that you can find here.)
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter (I used a creamy natural peanut butter that was basically just ground peanuts and salt.)
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. Kahlua or coffee extract (I add this to ALL of my chocolate baked goods.  The coffee is a more interesting flavor complement to the chocolate.)

What you do:

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar, cocoa powder and milk. Add your stick of butter and let it all come to a boil.

Once it’s boiling, let it do it’s thing for a minute without stirring.  Meanwhile, tear some cookie-sheet-sized pieces of wax paper to drop the “dough” onto later.

Remove from stove and add the peanut butter and extracts.  Mix well and then add in the oats.

Stir until evenly combined and let sit for a few minutes.  After a few minutes, it should be cool enough to handle without the fear of molten sugar burning into your skin.

Using a teaspoon, tablespoon, wooden spoon, whatever spoon, drop small piles of “dough” onto the wax paper you prepared earlier.  These will spread depending on how warm they are.  They are officially done when they are completely cool and not falling apart when you pick one up. Feel free to eat some straight out of the pan while you are making your cookie discs.  I keep mine stored on a plate in the fridge.  They are gone before freshness issues come into play.

Voila!  Decadence without the oven.