No-Bake Cookies

A traditional cookie filled with chocolate, peanut butter, and oats!

Milk and cookies. Everyone's favorite, right?  Nope, not me!  I know, I'm the odd one out.  Especially in my family where Mike can down a glass of milk in about 30 seconds.  I don't like milk, not one bit!  I pour the smallest amount possible on my cereal, just enough to barely wet it.  And you'll never catch me drinking the last little bit left in the bottom of the bowl; the dog gets that!

I blame my mom for my dislike of milk.  You see, when I was growing up we had a rule: you have to have a glass of milk with one meal a day, and that milk has to be finished before you get dessert or get to leave the table.  I spent many nights sitting at the table gagging at the thought of drinking my milk.  Eventually, my mom realized that it was a losing battle, and she stopped making me drink milk as long as I took a calcium supplement and ate yogurt.  But since then, I just can't stand milk.

Chocolate milk though?  I can tolerate that.  I still don't down it like Mike does, but the chocolate makes it totally different in my mind.  My parents have actually gotten in the habit of bringing me chocolate milk so that I am getting calcium and nutrients for nursing Summer.  See, my mom is still making me drink milk!  (Just kidding mom!)

Anyway, milk and cookies.  How about milk in cookies?  And, since I was out of regular white milk when I had this craving for no-bake cookies, I used chocolate milk!  Honestly, I can't really tell a difference, so go ahead and use whatever you have in the house.

No-bake Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk, white or chocolate :)
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oats

1.  Combine the butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan.

2.  Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.  Allow it to boil for 1 minute.

3.  Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until the peanut butter melts into the chocolate mixture.

4.  Stir in oats until they're completely coated with the chocolate mixture.

5.  Drop the cookies by the Tablespoonful onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet.  Cool until set.

Store in an airtight container.  I refrigerate mine so they don't melt.