Good Eating Monday: The Real No Bake Cookies!

Sometimes you can have a bad experience with Pinterest recipes.

 I have. 

Usually it's because there's a mistake in the directions, such as cooking time or ingredient quantities or some such thing.

This time it was misrepresentation of what the cookie recipe would look like when done---i.e. someone attached the wrong picture with the recipe. 

The picture they attached is the one below: it's really a photo of a stack of No-Bake Cookies, which have sugar, cocoa, peanut butter & oatmeal, and actually come out shiny looking once cooled.

It was attached to a recipe called  "Skinny Monkeys," which did require baking.
You can see how the Skinny Monkey's I made came out in the second pic: dry, ugly clumps.
The Skinny Monkeys recipe just calls for mashed bananas, peanut butter, cocoa, vanilla, applesauce & vanilla. It was hailed as a yummy, lo-cal, fat free cookie!
I should've trusted my instincts.
I had doubts that any cookie comprised almost entirely of oatmeal & banana could have ANY spreading power---and I was right.
But worst of all--they tasted nasty! If you see a recipe for Skinny Monkey's on Pinterest---run!  Don't do it.
When I read other people's comments they agreed: terrible tasting.

So, that said---today's Good Eating recipe is for real
 "No Bake Cookies."

They're a fun easy treat that is closer to being a candy then a actual cookie. For that reason the sugar, the peanut butter & the margarine or butter must all be the real deal. No lite alternatives. The ingredients must be measured precisely in the amounts given and must be boiled for exactly 2 minutes, then removed from heat.

These cookies require the granulated sugar to reach a certain temperature in order to set properly.I find it a good idea to lay down a layer of newspaper under the wax paper you'll be dropping the hot cookies on--it protects your counter or table.

No Bake Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
2 Tablespoons cocoa (regular or Special Dark)
1/2 cup cold milk

1/2 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
2 cup quick oats

Directions:

In a heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan: melt butter. Stir in sugar, salt, cocoa and milk. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, then oats. Mix thoroughly and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. (They will spread out slightly and should harden up as they cool.) Cool completely, then chill. If candy cookies stick to paper, peel them off. Yield: about 56.

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I have had occasions when making No Bake Cookies, even though I used the proper ingredients, measurements and cooking time, that they still won't set up & harden right. It happens.

More often,though, I've had set up failure happen because I tried using low-fat peanut peanut or lite margarine.  That's why I say--use the real thing.

I know a lady who makes hers using coconut sugar--but they stay squishy and fall apart. 

Want to make them healthier? Use real butter, Hershey Special Dark Cocoa, a natural peanut butter & organic rolled oats.

I say Go Big or Go Home.

Visit my Pinterest to see more recipes I've tried, good & bad.

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Eat up, me hearties, yo-ho!