No Bake Cookies

Yesterday, Arianna and I decided to make a batch of no-bake cookies together.  Baking is a hobby that I thoroughly enjoy, find relaxes me, and I derive much pleasure from baked goods that taste great and that others can enjoy.  I like to bake at many different skill levels (from easy to complicated), but as a mom of five, I have difficulty finding the time to enter into very long, drawn out recipes that are time sensitive and require much care.  If the baby wakes up in the middle of baking and needs to be breastfed, or my toddler has a meltdown, or one of the other children needs help with something, then a big baking project may have to be abandoned in the middle and who knows what the result will be after that.  For this reason, I hold a special place in my heart for easy but tasty recipes that fit into a busy schedule, but still fit the bill of being homemade and tasting like they are homemade.  This recipe for no-bake cookies is one that I wrote down in my first personal cookbook when I was very young, probably in elementary school.  It came from my mom's friend, Nancy Mankins, and my mom used to make it all the time when we were growing up.  This recipe is a fun one to make with children because the directions are simple and easy-to-follow.  It does involve the stove and hot chocolately syrup, though, so adult help and supervision is a must.  These cookies are affectionately called "Globs" because you put a glob of the mixture on a cookie sheet and then it hardens up.

Globs

2 c. sugar                            1/2 c. milk

3 Tbsp. cocoa pwd.           1/2 c. margarine or butter (1stick)

Put this all in a saucepan, melt together, boil it for 3 minutes, then remove from the stove.  Whisk it periodically.

Quickly stir in:

1/2 c. peanut butter

2  2/3 c. uncooked oatmeal (I use quick oats, but rolled oats will also work - they will make the cookies chewier, though)

1 tsp. vanilla

Drop by large spoonfuls on waxed paper; let set (usually this will take a couple of hours, but they do taste good warm and falling apart, especially over vanilla ice cream).

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!