Chocolate Oatmeal no bake cookies

Every Wednesday after school my brother and I would make the walk from school to our church to attend CCD classes. One of the best things about CCD was finding out what the snack would be when we arrived. Usually one of the moms would volunteer to make snack for the group of kids. Sometimes it would be store bought cookies, or some sort of marshmallow cereal bar but my absolute favorite was the Chocolate Oatmeal no bake cookies. I loved when these showed up as our snack, and now that I'm a busy mom myself  I now know why they were a regular cookie to show up.

No bake cookies are perfect make if you don't have a lot of time and need to feed a lot of people. After doing research I discovered they became popular in 60's cookbooks because moms were looking for something quick to whip up for the kids but didn't want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen. Believe me I love my kitchen but sometimes you don't want to deal with the process of baking things in the oven. These cookies lack no flavor and are just as good as any baked cookie but take half the time. With the summer just around the corner (hopefully, I heard more snow next week! ekk!!) these are my go to cookies on the hot days where I don't want to deal with a hot oven making the house even hotter and I'll let you in on a little secret, they are even better cold! That's right, put these babies in the fridge or freezer once they set. Trust me, you'll thank me later. My kids love these cookies and I bet yours will too.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. Butter (or 1 stick of butter)
• 2 c. Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 c. Milk
• 4 tbsp Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 c. Peanut Butter
• 3 1/2 c. Old Fashioned Oats
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract  

 Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, mix together the first five ingredients and bring to a boil. 
2. Let boil for one minute then remove from heat.
3. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. 
4. After everything is mixed, drop by the tablespoon onto parchment paper. Allow the cookies to cool and set, usually around 30 minutes. Store the leftovers in a plastic Tupperware in the fridge.