we are in the middle of the umpteenth heat wave of 2010, and i decided that i didn’t want to fire up the oven today. i was going to make granola bars, but after i didn’t share anything with the usuals last week (most of them unfortunately didn’t get to try this cake), i didn’t think granola bars would cut it. here’s a little secret though: these no-bake cookies are practically granola bars. something that i forgot to consider, though, is that standing over a pot, stirring it until everything melts and then until it boils, isn’t exactly an icebox. thankfully, it cooked pretty fast!
these cookies are great.. i used all natural, gluten-free, vegan ingredients, so it is a snack you can feel okay about; they are chewy, crunchy, fudge-like, and if you were to add some sea salt (or use salted peanut butter) would have the sweet and salty thing going. they are slightly similar to a rice krispie treat mixed with an oatmeal cookie, to give you a rough idea. and these uncookies really are versatile– i put in some crisp rice cereal instead of only oats, but i imagine pretzels would be amazing in there, coconut, raisins, chopped nuts, almond butter, marshmallows, m&ms, chocolate chips, and so many other variations would be equally delicious, if not more so! have some fun with these and let me know what you dream up!
on a completely unrelated note, i fell in love with a convertible dress a while ago, and had been looking for more– so, when i thought i found another great one i was super excited! the package arrived, i opened it up so eager to put it on and play with all the possibilites, but then… well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is what the dress looks like:
yes, all that fabric is supposed to somehow wrap around me. this is a size small. i tried as hard as i could, but it just couldn’t find a way to not look ridiculous. seriously ridiculous. i considered posting pictures of me in it, but the pictures didn’t accurately depict how many times it wrapped around unless i took a close-up, but that close took away from the overall image. oh well, you will have to take my word for it. btw..does anyone else think this dress would be great in the video for her morning elegance?
Recipe:
Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooling Time: 30 minutes
½ cup (1 stick) butter (i used earth balance margarine)
2 cups granulated sugar (i used organic evaporated cane crystals)
½ cup milk (i used unsweetened almond milk)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup peanut butter (i used natural)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats (i did 1/2 cups oatmeal and 2 cups rice cereal)
1. Add the first four ingredients (through the cocoa powder) to a 4-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the oats and other goodies.
5. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets.
6. Let cool until set.
(Recipe adapted from Ezra Pound Cake by Brown Eyed Baker)
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i’m with you on the not wanting to use the oven thing. this heat is awful! but these look really yummy and even though they aren’t heat free, they probably are cooler to make now. thanks
They look really good. I like the fact that I usually have the ingredients on hand and I can make them without baking. Thanks for all the great recipes that I would not have found. I bet the dress was pretty interesting on. It looks very big for a small. I like the color though. I am kind of jealous of the lucky people in your office that have the benefit of trying all of your creative recipes:)