Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies - from this recipe
Ingredients - Makes about 32 cookies
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk (I used whole because I just had Little One's milk on hand)
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 - 3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats (I used 3, but had 3 1/2 prepared)
2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Gather ingredients. A glass of wine or champagne make a nice accompaniment to this activity ;) It is in your best interest to measure everything out before you get started because once everything gets going it goes fast and you need to just be able to dump your ingredients and go. So take the time before hand to measure out and prepare. You'll be glad you did!
Add butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa to a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil.
I started out with the mixture over medium heat until the butter melted a little. Once it started melting I broke the butter up with my spoon. In hindsight, I would cut the butter up into chunks before putting it in. You will want to stir the mixture often so it doesn't stick and burn.
Once the butter was completely melted I cranked the heat up to between medium high/high... and...
this is what a rolling boil looks like. Start your timer now for 1 minute.
Remove from heat. Stir in the peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. I put in the peanut butter and vanilla in then added about half of the oats (seen above). I stirred it in quickly and added another bit of oats (3 cups worth, total). I'm assuming since the original recipe calls for 3 to 3 1/2 cups of oats you can make that call when you're adding in your mixture. If you think it looks too runny, add the entire 3 1/2 cups. But, in my opinion, start with 3 cups and then go from there. It is worth a note, too, that the vanilla will sizzle when you add it in, don't worry - it's supposed to do this.
Mix completely. Caution - it is hot! Remember you've had boiling sugar. Don't be a dumby (like me!) and try to taste any of these cookies at any point until they are completely cool. They are hot. Repeat with me. They are hot. Hot. Hot.
Drop onto wax paper and let cool until set. I used my small ice cream scoop. I love that thing and use it for many applications. It is perfect for these cookies because it scoops them out quickly and efficiently.
These cookies can be temperamental depending on the weather and baking conditions. Seriously. That's why I made a sample batch first before I wanted to take them. Still this doesn't always guarantee that they'll set. It did take them a while to set up. But the important thing is that they did. I also tried putting these in the refrigerator. They do help the cookies firm up completely.
And enjoy. These babies are good with a nice cold glass of milk. Or a glass of whisky. Just sayin'. It's the holidays. And don't forget, they're calorie free on the weekends! ;)
The Verdict
I'd say based on the fact that we devoured these cookies in a weekend should speak volumes for itself. They are DELICIOUS! I usually make another version of these cookies without the peanut butter. It's very similar - all the ingredients are the same except it calls for 2 cups of oats instead of 3 and no peanut butter AND you cook them for 2 minutes on the stove top instead of just 1 minute. Needless to say, I've been looking for a recipe with peanut butter since I loooove that peanut butter and chocolate pairing. These have the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter. The oats make them feel healthy. Okay. Let's be honest. That's just what I told myself to stop from thinking about the 2 cups of sugar. I won't make these often probably, but they are definitely worth adding to your holiday rotation!
Happy Holiday Season!
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