No-Bake Oatmeal Fudge Cookies

Two years ago, Ben gave me a recipe. "This never works for me," He said, "But maybe you can make them. If you do, I'll marry you. Or something."

Apparently, Ben's lack of cooking finesse stepped in every time he tried to make these delightful cookies. Mostly, I believe this is because time is crucial in this recipe, and Ben... well, he's just not very observant. I can see him leaving the fudge on for five minutes (it's supposed to be on for ONE) and getting a block of fudgey mess instead of cookies.

But anyway, here's the recipe. It's egg free, but milk and butter are essential. I've never tried it without the peanut butter but I imagine it would still work. (EDIT: I tried it without peanut butter... and it was melty and gross. Apparently the PB is needed after all!)

No-Bake Oatmeal Fudge Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Butter
Pinch of salt
3 TBL cocoa
2 Cups Sugar
3 Cups Oatmeal (Quick oats work best)
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Tsp vanilla

Directions:
(I have gotten the best results by using a wooden spoon for all mixing, not metal or plastic!)

Mix milk, butter, salt, cocoa, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a rolling boil. After it hits a rolling boil, boil for 1 minute. Time is crucial - too much and it will solidify too quick, and too little time and it won't solidify at all!
After one minute, remove from heat. Mix in oats, peanut butter, and vanilla.
Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. DO NOT scrape the saucepan! Let cool until set and firm. Fudge should not be shiny; it should be pretty dull after it sets.
I don't recommend using the fridge to set these... They turn out more sticky and less firm.

This makes about two dozen medium sized cookies.

Problems?
1. Fudge doesn't set and is still sticky and runny after more than 20 minutes: You didn't boil the mix long enough.

2. Fudge is crumbly and doesn't hold it's shape: You boiled the mix TOO long.

3. Fudge is grainy, has a sand-like texture: The sugar didn't melt all the way OR you scraped the pan, scraping accumulated sugar crystals into the cookies.

4. Cookies disappear minutes after they're firm: Hah. :D This isn't a problem! It's the expected outcome! As you can see in the picture, two of my cookies have 'mysteriously' disappeared... and they're not even all the way firm yet. XD


Anyway, today I'm making three batches of these for Ben to take to work tomorrow. I'll probably end up making another whole batch just to keep here at home and munch on. :) Enjoy!