I make some pretty killer No Bake Cookies, which I've perfected from years of experience. I started making them when I was in Brownies (the Girl Scout kind, not the chocolate kind) and have been making them ever since. I would make them and send them to one of my brothers when he was in college, and I've continued that tradition by sending them to nieces and nephews away at school. I made a batch today for a nephew doing an internship and realized that, although my recipe is really the same as everyone else's, it's the details that make them really good.
Here is my basic recipe:
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa (the darker and richer the better)
1/2 cup milk (whole milk is best but I'll use anything except skim)
1/2 cup butter (don't use margarine -- please!)
Mix sugar and baking cocoa in a 4-quart saucepan to an even consistency. Stir in milk and drop in stick of butter. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. Begin watching for mixture to go to rolling boil (a foamy, "erupting" boil that you can't stir down) and then cook without stirring for another 60 to 70 seconds (I set a timer or count out loud so I don't overcook).
Remove from heat and stir in (in this order):
1 tsp. vanilla (not imitation)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups old fashioned oats (not quick)
After everything is stirred in, if the mixture is a little too liquid you can add just a little more oatmeal. If you add too much, it will get dry. The chocolate should be shiny, not dull. Drop by spoonfuls immediately onto waxed paper. I use a cookie scoop that scoops and releases and it makes the job so much easier. The scoop I use lets me make about 40 cookies, but you could go larger or smaller. Work quickly because the cookies will want to set up. The last cookie or two are usually a little drier but they're good for "testing".
The best batches I ever made I used milk from a local dairy where even the 2% variety tasted like whole, a double dutch baking chocolate from King Arthur's, and part regular / part natural peanut butter. They were expensive little buggers but were crazy good.
