Here’s a recipe that’s an oldie but a goodie for making a quick homemade cookie. I’ve had this recipe for Chocolate No Bake Cookies in my recipe box for many years and it’s one of my dependable go-to recipes. Today, however, I thought about this recipe for a different reason.
A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD RECIPE
I’ve had good intentions for several months now about trying a gluten free experiment for my son because apparently getting rid of gluten can really help people with ADD. It’s a little more complicated for us, however, because Hungry Son is not a little kid. He’s 23 years old. And Hungry. And likes to do his own thing. Nevertheless, he too was interested in giving the gluten free thing a go, just to see if it could help make him a more focused person. So I thought again about my old familiar Chocolate No Bake Cookie recipe because I knew it had no flour in it. It uses only quick cooking oats.
ARE OATS GLUTEN FREE?
A quick Google search helped me learn that oats are, in fact, gluten free, but because they are often processed on the same machinery used for wheat, there is the possibility of some cross contamination. People who are very sensitive to gluten may be affected. Because Hungry Son experiences no stomach distress from gluten, I decided to use my regular quick cooking oats and hope that it would still count as a gluten free option for a sweet treat.
CHOCOLATE NO BAKE COOKIES
(click here for printable recipe)
1 stick of butter (or margarine)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups quick cooking oats.
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Add the cocoa powder, sugar, and milk and stir to combine.
3. Continue to heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute longer, stirring constantly. Then remove from heat.
4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla.
5. Finally, add the oats and mix well.
6. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and let cool.
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| Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper and let cool |
This is also one of my favorite recipes in the summer because it requires no heating of the oven for baking.
I'm Bev and I love to share ideas for living a more creative and resourceful lifestyle with homemade alternatives we can make for ourselves. 
I love these! My husband and daughter both have celiac sprue, so I use Gluten Free Oats to make them. The recipe that I have doesn't call for milk, so I will give your recipe a try next time. (Sometimes mine turn out a bit dry.)
I like your blog!
-Kay
The milk does help keep these cookies moist. I saw another version of this recipe with more cocoa powder and gave it a try but did not like it as well. I went back to my usual way of doing it which seems to be a pretty good combo of ingredients.
My mother and I always made this cookies when I was a child. So I have always made them. My husband and I have them when we feel like having candy because they are almost like candy bars. I love how easy they are!
Avoiding artificial food coloring can also help with ADD and other behavioral issues. My daughter has meltdowns from it, but some kids just get wound up or have trouble concentrating and some are not affected at all. Still others have allergic-type reactions like hives and breathing problems– freaky stuff!
Forgot to add this:
http://www.cspinet.org/new/200806022.html
Laura – thanks for the link. Good article, but scary too! I've had a couple occasions where I've eaten popcorn from a movie theater or a concession stand and my heart has started racing. I've wondered if it was the yellow dye in the buttery stuff they put on it. I guess this is another good reason to make our own stuff!
Hi Bev,
Love your website, instead of Peanut Butter can marshmallow creme be used?
I have never tried marshmallow creme, but I bet it would work. It would probably result in a cookie that was more like a rice krispie bar.
I did try substituting Splenda for the sugar one time, and that did not work very well. The cookies wouldn't harden up right.
So if the marshmallow creme doesn't work, it would probably be the same kind of problem – an issue with the cookies hardening up.
If you try it, come back and let us know how it went
Would love to hear your experience!
These are what my Mom made that we really loved. She always put raisins in there too, and or some mini marshmallows if there were some at home.
I have a bake sale next weekend….. I think I'll just have to make these..Saucepan sale! Ha.
I always add marshmallows when I make no-bake cookies – melt them into the mix after you take it off the heat, same as the peanut butter (or instead of it). It tends to make them a little sweeter, and a little shiny.
I always add marshmallows when I make no-bake cookies – melt them into the mix after you take it off the heat, same as the peanut butter (or instead of it). It tends to make them a little sweeter, and a little shiny.