No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

One of my family's favorite things to do is to make cookies together. However, there is a slight drawback to making cookies—it can get really hot in that kitchen (especially with four people sharing the space). When we want cookies but don't want to deal with the heat, we make no-bake cookies.

No-bake cookies are fantastic, and what makes them even better is if they are chocolate. Chocolate no-bake cookies can last a long time in the fridge and are a great hit. Here is a fantastic recipe for some chocolate no-bake cookies that you can make in as little as thirty minutes and customize to your own personal taste.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter (one stick of butter or margarine)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 cups of sugar
• 4 tablespoons of cocoa, or 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons of peanut butter (optional)
• 1/4 cup coconut (optional)
• 3 cups of dry quick-cooking oats
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation

1. Mix. Get a medium-sized pot or sauce pan so that you can mix together the butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa or chocolate. You can also add peanut butter if you like (personally I would say that you should). Chocolate is great, but chocolate and peanut butter is even better.
2. Boil. Heat up the saucepan that you used in the first step, and bring the ingredients to a boil. As the pan is heating up, make sure that you are stirring it constantly to avoid burning or scorching, which would ruin the mix. Once it begins to boil, do not let it boil for longer than one minute.
3. Remove from heat. After boiling, remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to begin cooling. Stir the mixture occasionally until the mixture it is near room temperature.
4. Mix. Once the mixture has reached near room temperature, it is time to begin mixing the remaining ingredients in. Slowly add the remaining ingredients into the mixture as you are stirring. If you are looking to make your no-bake cookies truly unique, try adding some coconut. Coconut, even if you don't really like it, can add a unique taste that can counterbalance the chocolate and peanut butter wonderfully.
5. Cool. Place some waxed paper onto a baking sheet, and place spoonfuls of the mixture onto it. After placing as much as you would like onto the waxed paper, put the baking sheet into a refrigerator to cool. You will know that the cookies are ready to eat when they are hard to the touch.

After the cookies have cooled completely, it is time to enjoy them. This recipe will make roughly a dozen cookies or so, depending on the amount that you spooned onto the waxed paper. Make sure that you share the cookies with everyone that you know—they are sure to love them.