No Bake Cookies

  

 No bake cookies. Seriously. If you are craving a cookie bad and A. lack the patience to wait for cookies to bake, B. have very little time but would rather have homemade rather than store bought or, C. Run out of important ingredients to actually make baked cookies like baking powder and baking soda ( like I did gasp!) then these are the type of cookie for you. Or cookies for you. Since they seem hard to stay out of. 

Wait. There's one more - D. If you're the type of person that would gladly sit down with the bowl of cookie dough and not even bother to bake it yet feel ever so slightly guilty about doing so then these are the cookies for you. Like slightly cooked cookie dough. mmmmm cooookkkiiieeee dough....

 I can't believe I haven't made these before. So easy. Like too easy. Like now that I know how to make them I can all the time since the ingredients are something I have on hand always. 

 I didn't take any step by step pics because my memory card for my camera was upstairs and they come together so quickly I didn't have time to go get it since I didn't realize it until I had the pan of ingredients already on the stove.

I think I might make my husband take the rest to work with him tomorrow so I don't eat the rest  today. In one sitting. Maybe two

There are a TON of different recipes online for No Bakes. Some with peanut butter ( which I am TOTALLY making next time) some without, most have rolled oats of some kind ( either regular or quick cooking) and some have cocoa some don't. I found so many different recipes my head was spinning ( almost) and I decided to kind of make up my own version. I had seen one that was oatmeal coconut cherry ( Um YUM) but no cocoa. I have some of my super yummy Valhrona dark cocoa powder left and I thought Chocolate coconut oatmeal cherry no bakes sounded to die for. And I am a bona fide coconut-aholic

So this is my recipe I came up with. Feel free to adapt into whatever cookie you fancy. Or eat these. They are so good. Too good.

Chocolate Coconut and Cherry No Bake cookies

my recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 c milk ( any fat content or even rice or almond milk. I used unsweetened almond)

1/2 c butter ( or coconut oil which is what I used)

1 c sugar ( I used organic evaporated cane juice. I think it has better flavor than white sugar)

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 tbsp cocoa powder

3 cups whole oats ( can use regular or quick cooking)

1 cup shredded coconut ( can use sweetened or unsweetened. I used UN since that's all I have)

3/4 c dried cherries

Directions

Prepare a cookie sheet with a piece of wax paper sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Or two cookie sheets depending on how many you make. I made about 30 cookies

In medium sized heavy saucepan, combine sugar, butter or oil, vanilla extract, milk and cocoa.  Over medium heat, while stirring often, bring mixture to a boil.  Boil for two minutes stirring occasionally.  When time is up, remove mixture from heat and stir in cherries, coconut, and oatmeal.

 Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. You can mold them into rounder cookies if you want or leave more free form. Chill in fridge for an hour. Or 30 min in the freezer if you are impatient like me. Store in the fridge or freezer so they don't become a melty mess on your counter. That is if they even last long enough to get to that point.