No Baking Required: Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

We had a rare overcast, rainy day in Albuquerque. Our city is known for it’s sunny and warm climate, with an average of 310 days of sunshine per year. The other 55 days of rain or overcast skies are a welcome change of pace. I like to cozy up by a fire or bake a delectable treat (or both!) on days like this. Since we haven’t stocked up on firewood quite yet, as the temperature is still fairly warm, I decided to whip up one of the easiest cookie recipes I know. I went with a simple recipe, to give me more time to enjoy the snuggly feeling of a rainy day.

These cookies are so easy; no baking is required! So while I think of their gooey, chocolatey peanut buttery goodness as a sweet cold day comfort food, they also work well on days when it is too hot to even think about turning on the oven. I have tried different variations of this recipe, but this is the one I have decided creates the best, most tasty, flavorful cookies.

In my family, these cookies don’t last long. They are terribly addicting. So there is the warning for all you chocolate and peanut butter fiends, like me and my husband.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sugar
• ½ cup of room temp unsalted butter
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup of whole milk (coconut milk is also great in this recipe)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups of oats
• ½ cup of creamy peanut butter
• dash of salt

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Stir with a rubber spatula ingredients together as they melt.
   
2. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. As the mixture begins to boil, stir constantly scraping the edges. Allow to boil for one and a half minutes.
3. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter, vanilla extract, oats, and salt.
4. Drop by rounded spoonful onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
5. Cool in the refrigerator for an hour (if you can wait that long!) before serving.