Friday, December 28, 2007

Cookies and Birthdays

If my math is correct, my dad would have been 59 years old today. Sadly, he died several years ago, when he was only 54. But I associate these cookies with him. Like so many memories, it's all a little blurry, but I seem to remember that this recipe came from his mother, and I seem to remember him making them. I certainly remember him enjoying them. I made them for Christmas this year, and am giving you all the gift of this easy, high-calorie, high-taste, and slightly addictive recipe in his honor.

And here it is written out:

No Bake Chocolate Cookies (or: The Only Reason I buy Peanut Butter)

Mix the following in a pan on the stovetop:
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
Bring to a rolling boil, stirring regularly, for 3 minutes

Remove from heat and add:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (I like smooth)
2 1/2 cups oatmeal (I usually use rolled oats rather than quick oats, but either will work)

Stir! When mixed, pour into a 2 quart casserole dish or drop by spoonful on wax paper. Let cool. Either way, I cut it into fudge-sized pieces after it's cooled because this is some rich stuff! Devour.

Though I'm not sure where the original recipe came from, the version I have here at home is written out in my mother's handwriting, so thanks Mom and Dad! And thanks to Mollie Katzen and the Moosewood Cookbooks , Futuregirl, and Summer Pierre (if you click through, scroll down to see the pumpkin pie recipe) who gave me the idea for making my own illustrated family recipes.

5 comments:

gl. said...

ah, sorry to hear about your dad, bridget. boy, i -love- those cookies, though, and i (heart) the illustrated recipe!

a friend made us marshmallows for xmas this year. that always seemed like something people in ordinary kitchens couldn't make, but he pulled it off well.

Bridget said...

Ooo - marshmallows! I always want to spell it "marsh-mellow" like that sort of post-sugar coma of mellowness that you can fall into after snacking on straight marshmallows - not that I've ever done that . . .

Michael5000 said...

A few months ago, I made my signature oatmeal-almond-chocolate chip cookies, and then promptly got sick and, because I passed out a couple of times, ended up spending the night at the emergency room. Turned out to be no biggie, but...

When I made the signature o-a-cc cookies for Christmas, I found them repelent. The idea of eating one made me queasy.

So, I need a new signature cookie. Maybe I'll try this one.

gl. said...

m5000: oh, no! what a terrible association for such a fine cookie.

Bridget said...

MK5: Ah, yes . . . the great food, bad association, illness/all tasting wrong phenomenon. For similar reasons, I have a hard time even thinking about Ethiopian food . . . I will spare you the details.

And I say, shake up the signature cookie! If Hermes can make table settings in addition to scarves, you can be a foot-ball lovin', quilt-makin', multi-cookie man.

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