No-Bakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I prefer chunky but creamy works too)
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal (quick, old fashioned, or a blend of both)

Directions

1. Prepare cookie sheets with wax paper and set aside
2. Melt butter (or margarine) in a 3 qt pan or larger
3. Blend in sugar and cocoa
4. Stir in milk and heat to boiling
5. Continue to boil for 3 minutes
6. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, then vanilla
7. Quickly stir in oatmeal
8. Quickly drop by spoons onto papered cookie sheets
9. Mixture will harden soon so get it out of the pan soon
10. Allow to cool and they will firm up

Optional

I have heard of and seen other add-ins but I cannot remember them at this writing.

NOTE: Here is a picture of a single batch I made today. It only made about 30 cookies. I usually do a double batch but never a larger batch because the mix hardens to fast to cook more at once. When I need many of these cookies I do a double batch all the way through, then cook another double batch. I keep doing double batches until I have enough cookies.

NOTE: Two batches this year did not work well. The cookies came out crumbly, breaking up as they were handled or eaten. The third batch was fine. The only difference was the bad batches were with an off-brand sugar that was "extra fine" and the good batch was with a name brand sugar.