Today I made my two signature cookies that I've literally been making for the past 10 years. My grandmother always loved my no-bake cookies (her favorite type of cookie anyway) and I have yet to find another human being that makes them as well as I do. Normally I'm fairly modest about things but in all the things people can do I rock the house at no-bake cookies. And I'm a giver, and it's almost Christmas, so guess what... you're going to learn how to make them like I do. And then your no-bake cookies will also rock the house. Houses will be rocked by these cookies. Here's what you do:
FORGET EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT NO BAKE COOKIES.
Have you done that yet? I can wait.
You will not put these in the fridge. You will not cover them for 12 hours. And if you do this, I promise you, you will have the most moist and soft no-bake cookie you have ever put in your mouth. I have a technique for making them too.
Before I start the recipe you need to prep your surface. I have a small place, so I do this on my “dining room” table. You will need paper towels and parchment paper (it's found in the aisle with the waxed paper, but don't use waxed paper). Make two rows of three paper towels and then cover this with parchment paper. This is where your cookies will cool and set.
The recipe begins like so:
2 c. granulated sugar
¼ c. Hershey's cocoa
½ c. milk (any kind... I've done it with skim and 2% both)
¼ c butter (that's half a stick)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ c. creamy peanut butter
3 c. instant oats
In a nonstick cooking pot, combine sugar, cocoa, milk and butter. Turn this on over medium to medium-low heat to start. You don't want to burn this. Start stirring until the pot looks like a dark chocolate hot tub... your butter will take a while to melt all the way in. About the time the butter has melted down but still has a small shape, you can bump yourself up to medium heat.
While this is happening, you need to be ready with your oats and peanut butter. If you need to measure them out before you start and set them aside, do it. This comes together really quickly and you don't want to miss it. Also, have your vanilla out with a teaspoon ready.
Once the contents of your pot hits boiling, keep it on medium and time it for one minute. Just one minute. Let it boil. At the end of that minute, I want you to drop the teaspoon of vanilla extract in before you cut off the heat. It will make a magical popping boiling awesome song and dance. Remove the pot from the heat.
Pour in your oats and get all of the peanut butter on your stirring spoon (I used a cereal-eating sized spoon for this) and starting by stirring in the middle, mix everything together. Then move to the edge of the pot and pull any unincorporated ingredients in to the mix.
Once mixed, take your pot ov
er to the table. This is where you'll be glad you used a non-stick pot not only because it's easier to get your ingredients out of the pot but because non-sticks usually have the silicone handles which is good when you're standing with this pot for 5 minutes.
Spoon out the cookies onto the parchment paper. They will not be “baking” or changing from the way you put them down, so feel free to spread them thin if you like them that way. It will retain its shape.
Once all the cookies are down, keep your hands off. Let them cool for at least an hour before you come along with a spatula and flip them over. I made a different batch of cookies while I was waiting and so giving them time was easy. They can cool here overnight. If you make them during the day, use your judgment, but don't be afraid to let them sit out in the open for a long while. Nothing bad will happen. They will stay moist and delicious. When you pick up the cookie, it should stay together. If it starts bending, you didn't let them cool long enough. I've eaten many a runny cookie though... it's still good.
I know all of those things seemed very specific, but it's how I've always made them. Even the first time I did it this way they came out perfectly. I believe it's all in the cooling. You don't have the fridge speeding up the process unnecessarily.
The second kind of cookie I made today probably helped in putting all the weight on me. I can't stop eating these once I get started. I love moist cookies... and these are the epitome of moist cookies.
They're called Chewy Chocolate Reese Chip cookies and I'm pretty sure the recipe is on the back of the Reese chips because really... what else would they be good for? I, again, have a special way of making sure they stay moist... so listen up.
2 c. all purpose flour
¾ c. Hershey's cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ c (2 ½ sticks) butter, softened but not melted
2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 2/3 (10 oz bag) Reese's chips
1 tsp vanilla.
You will need a stand mixer (or have a roommate resembling Popeye the Sailor Man) to mix this up.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In your mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the two eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add the flour mixture, continuing to beat. This batter is VERY thick. You'll get to the point where you think your mixer can't take it anymore. Then you can stop.
Pour in the bag of Reese's chips and fold those in. You might need Popeye's help for this, but make sure to get them well incorporated.
Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. I use two because this does take about 4 time through the oven to bake them all... but you can get away with one.
Shape the cookies with your hand... give yourself a bit smaller than a golf ball size of dough and put 9 of them on the baking sheet. It really all depends on how big you make them how many you'll end up with. I came up with 36 today.
Send the first pan into the oven and bake for 8-9 minutes. They will NOT look done when they come out of the oven, but that's okay. Sit the hot pan aside and don't touch the cookies until the next batch is half way through baking. I average destroying 2 cookies every time I make these. This time I only destroyed 1 (which will go in my mouth probably around the time I post this)... just cracked another. They are very soft so be gentle.
Continue this until all cookies are baked. They will flatten out when cooling and won't look as cake-like. This is the key to keeping them moist, not over baking. You might be able to see the difference in the picture... the lower level of cooling cookies are much flatter than those still on the sheet.
I love these two types of cookies and I always seem to make them when I want to give cookies away or have a get together where I'm assigned the dessert. I hope you'll give them a try and enjoy some holiday cheer along with me!
How is this healthy? Well, it's not. We almost killed a pound of butter. We used oatmeal, that's heart healthy, right? I guess the lesson learned here is moderation is the key. I went to the gym before I made them. I didn't bake on an empty stomach. I haven't even had a cookie yet... (I'm eying destroyed cookie number one though...). You have to give yourself a treat or you'll go absolutely crazy. And one cookie won't be the end of the world. Really, if I ate all of these cookies by myself it wouldn't be the end of the world. I might be sick... but there's always tomorrow to be better. It's a way of life... not a quick fix to be healthy. You won't gain 10 pounds eating a cookie... no matter how much it might feel like it.
As for my weight loss this week, I am down to 162.8 this morning. That's 1 more pound to get back down to where I was before I gained a little back in August. And I was kind of a naughty girl this week. It's all in portion control and staying active, I swear. And not getting discouraged when you eat Chinese food, blow up like a parade balloon and put on 2 pounds that you'll lose in 2 days. You can do this.
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