No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter, & Oatmeal Cookies

My sister is the master of no-bake cookies, but since she lives in Oklahoma and I live in California, I haven't had these for a while. When I found this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker's blog post of 36 fabulous recipes for summer, I decided to try it out.

I'm glad I did! Quick, easy, and delicious these cookies can probably be made by anyone with a well-stocked pantry without even requiring a trip to the grocery store. I should say that The Little Geek was NOT a fan of them. I have no idea why, unless it is the texture of the oatmeal in the cookies. Clearly, she is insane.

I think my sister puts raisins in hers. If not, I've absolutely had these with raisins in the past. If you enjoy Raisinettes, you'd probably enjoy that addition. I did not include them as the recipe didn't call for them and I knew I was probably the only person in my house who would enjoy them.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (I used unsalted, but salted is fine)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth is probably best, but chunky would also work)
2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1. Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper.
2. Add butter through cocoa powder to a 4-quart suacepan and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Let boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
5. Stir in the oats.
6. Drop by heaping tablespoon onto wax-paper lined baking sheets.
7. Cool in refrigerator until set (around 30 minutes).

Enjoy!

I plan to make more of Brown Eyed Bakers recipes this weekend, including the strawberry pretzel squares, Italian chicken salad, Fontina-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates, and cucumuber tomato phyllo cups (if I can find phyllo cups--I am NOT making my own), and spicy crock pot pecans. When our tomatoes ripen and I'm looking for ideas for them, I'm making the panzanella. I'll post as I cook.

Tonight: Flank Steak w/ Orange Sauce!

Christmas Treats: Peppermint Snowball Cookies

I've been making these for several years, and they're always a big hit. I also like them because it's easy to have kids help with them. They can roll the cookies into balls and then help with the candy and peppermint once they've cooled. Rich and crumbly with a cool kick of peppermint, these cookies are delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces white candy coating, coarsely chopped, or white chocolate chips
1/3 to 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (I put mine in a little food processor) You could probably also just melt peppermint kisses and dip the cookies in those, but they wouldn't look as pretty.

In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until easy to handle.

Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a microwave, melt candy coating/white chocolate; stir.

Dip the top of each cookie into the candy coating; allow excess to drip off. Dip into peppermint candy. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.

This should make about 5 dozen cookies.

Peanut Butter and Chopped Bunny Cookies

There is too much Easter candy in my house right now. Someone in our playgroup mentioned chopping it up and throwing it into cookies or brownies. So tonight, when the little geek said she wanted to make cookies, we ended up with Peanut Butter and Chopped Bunny.

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
one Easter bunny, chopped (the chocolate kind)

I should pause here to say that you need to look closely at your Easter candy. Some bunnies are chocolate. Some are chocolate "flavored." Just throw the chocolate "flavored" ones out. I'm sure Grandma meant well when she bought it, and she probably didn't see the word "flavored" since they put it in tiny print with "Genuine Milk Chocolate" in giant print preceding it (because no one would purposely buy a chocolate-impersonating bunny), but chocolate "flavored" bunnies would not lend themselves to this recipe (or to eating, in my opinion). Only real chocolate will do here.

Mix the peanut butter, sugar, and eggs. Stir in the chopped bunny. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet (little geeks are good at this). Then take a fork and mash the balls, making a criss-cross pattern on the top (little geeks are also good at this). Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Mine cooked for 18 minutes, but I also have those "air cushioned" cookie sheets, and they sometimes take longer.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes on sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

Makes about 3 dozen.

These cookies are VERY sweet. I might try to cut down on the sugar the next time I make them, but I worry about that seeing as they're just peanut butter, sugar, and egg, and I don't want them to fall apart.

(If you have a good peanut butter cookie recipe, or even a mix, you could use that and just throw in the chopped bunny.)

It's just fun to say "chopped bunny."

I am sick.

Next I'm going to try to figure out how to use up jelly beans.