No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

:food.com

2013/09/28

818

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (or chunky but is seems to make a more crumbly dry cookie)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 -3 1/2 cups dry quick-cooking oats

Directions:

1. Add the first four ingredients into a 4-quart sauce pan.

2. Bring to a rolling boil and hold for 1 minute.

3. Remove from heat.

4. Add peanut butter into the hot mixture and stir until melted.

5. Add in vanilla. (almond extract is good also, but I only use 1/2 teaspoon almond and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla).

6. Mix in the oats and drop by tablespoons onto wax paper.

7. Let cool until set.

8. *Please remember that even if you do follow the recipe exactly, it doesn't always turn out just right. I have had these not set up for me AND be hard and dry. But most of the time, the recipe is just right. I have also found that it makes a difference if you use quick cooking oats or old fashioned. In my experience it takes more old fashioned oats than quick cooking and I like the texture of the quick cooking better. When you make it a few hundred times like I have you learn a couple of things:) Also, Chunky peanut butter tends to make them more dry and crumbly.