No-Bake Cookies

We just finished making cookies and I've decided that the stovetop is scarier than the oven. Yes, yes, I know, the boiling point of water is 212F (milk is about the same), while we operate most ovens at 350F. But the oven is contained and the stovetop has pots of scalding liquid that can be spilled.

That said, this morning's cookie making--on the stovetop--went off without a hitch. The recipe comes from a new book that I bought when I got DD's chef's set--The Greatest Cookies Ever, by Rose Dunnington. Mind you, I have thousands of cookie recipes, but I liked her layout, the creativity in cookie design and decoration, the child-friendly voice and design. I think it's a book we can grow with.

And so, this morning we made No-Bake Cookies. I wanted to use semisweet chips; the kiddos opted for white. Ugh. I think it made the cookies--with their 2 cups of sugar--too sweet. But they liked them and we ate them. In fact, the texture reminds me a little of my favorite pralines by Southern Candymaker in New Orleans, which I know uses cream, sugar, and butter, plus nuts (actually, my favorite favorites are the chocolate pralines, so I'll have to experiment with cocoa because I don't think they use chocolate chips). But that's a recipe for after the kiddos are in bed.

We'll be taking these cookies to playgroup tomorrow, so it's probably just as well that we didn't make the flavor I wanted!

Stay tuned for more experiments from this fun cookbook!

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No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients
1 stick butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 cups rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup baking chips (your choice)

Equipment:
measuring cups and spoons
mixing bowls
mixer, or fork and spoon
4-quart pot
oven mits
wooden mixing spoon
waxed paper

The method for these is totally different from regular cookies. For starters, you don't bake these cookies, so don't bother to turn on the oven. But make sure you're allowed to use the stovetop.

Grease the inside rim of the pot with butter. Then put the rest of the butter in the pot. This greasing step will prevent any boiling-over disaster.

Put the sugar and milk in the pot. Put the pot on the stove on medium heat.

Bring the concoction to a boil. You'll know when it's boiling. It really bubbles up! That's why you need the big pot.

Let the concoction boil for exactly one minute, then take the pot off the heat.

Add the oats, chocolate, and vanilla. Stir it all up.

Plop spoonfuls of the mixture onto waxed paper. Be careful! Don't touch the hot dough, no mattter how delicious it looks!

Let the cookies sit for about 20 minutes, until the cookies get hard. Simple, huh?

Rose Dunnington, The Greatest Cookies Ever