No Bake Cookies Without Peanut Butter

Have you been volunteered to get cookies for the kid’s school play or maybe just for snack time? Nowadays, you can’t have peanut butter anything at school, can you? What are you supposed to do now? You don’t have time to cook. The kids have ball practice, not to mention you have a proposal tomorrow and your husband is running late again. Well, in situations like that, no bake cookies are awesome. Unfortunately, most no bake cookies use peanut butter. This recipe is a no bake cookie without any peanut butter, which means it’s safe for school and you can whip it up anytime. These cookies can be done ahead of time. Just pop them in the fridge before the pool, before church, or anytime you want to have something ready just in case. They will last up to a week in the fridge. Let’s get started.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups quick rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gather together all the ingredients.
2. Line your cookie sheets with either wax paper, parchment paper, or no stick foil. Set aside
3. In a large pot over medium heat, combine granulated sugar, butter, milk, salt, and cocoa powder.
4. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly.
5. Keep the mixture at a gentle boil for the next 3 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the oats.
7. Drop one spoonful at a time onto your prepared baking sheets.
8. Let cool until firm. This may take up to an hour for cookies to firm up.
9. Once firm, remove the cookies from the waxed paper and store in an airtight tight container in the refrigerator.

TIPS:

• To firm up cookies faster, place them in the refrigerator.
• You can use old fashioned oats, but you will have to let the mixture cool in the saucepan for five additional minutes before dropping the cookies onto baking sheets.
• Add walnuts, cashews, pistachios, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or cover with sprinkles or powdered sugar after spooning onto baking sheets to spruce the cookies up.
• Add a dash of vanilla extract before adding the oats for extra flavor.
• Cookies can be stored in a refrigerator for up to one week. They will save up to three months if frozen. To defrost, place the container of cookies in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Make several batches ahead of time in different variations and freeze so that you’re never without a quick snack.
• If cookies do not set, it can be due to not bringing your butter and sugar mixture to enough of a boil. Make sure to boil for at least three minutes. This temperature and duration allow the sugars to caramelize and bind, which helps firm up the cookie. If you reduce the amount of sugar, the cookies will not set.