I grew up in what I lovingly call an “ingredient household.” If you wanted something sweet, you rolled up your sleeves, found a recipe and made it. You didn’t just open a package, and honestly, there was never (and still isn’t) a day when a chocolate cookie couldn’t make things a little better. One of our go-tos was a classic chocolate peanut butter drop cookie most people simply call a no-bake cookie, but in my family, it had a different name.
When my mom was growing up, the babysitter who watched her and her siblings made these quick little treats all the time. They could never remember what she called them, so somewhere along the way they just became “no name cookies.” The name stuck, and so did the tradition. They were the kind of easy, dependable treat we always had the ingredients for, and somehow, they tasted even better because of that.
The holidays always meant batches were being made — shared, passed across kitchen counters, tucked into lunch boxes and handed off to friends who needed a little sweetness. This led to the sport of sneaking one too early. The moment the mixture came off the stove, we’d hover like little kitchen thieves, licking the spoon before it had even started to set. There was always that split second when you knew it was still too warm to hold, but you grabbed one anyway. It was soft, glossy and just barely holding its shape. It never mattered that it left a chocolate trail on your fingers; that first warm bite was worth every sticky moment. Even now, one warm bite brings me right back to those holidays in the kitchen.
Peanut butter-chocolate no-bake cookies (no name cookies)
Yields approximately 30 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups old-fashioned or quick cooking oats
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Large pinch kosher salt
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.
- Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once mixture is at a boil, set a 1-minute timer. After 1 minute, remove from the heat. Add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla and salt, and stir to combine.
- Drop heaps (about 2 tablespoons) of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
About
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.