These quick-fix cookies are at their absolute best when served warm along with a glass of cold milk. Perfect for satisfying that sudden urge for something sweet and chocolatey. Whip up a batch and watch them disappear!

Another delicious recipe from our Family-Favorite Recipes Collection.

No Bake Chocolate Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate*

2 cups granulated sugar

Pinch kosher or sea salt

1/2 cup 2% milk

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1. Have all ingredients measured and ready. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or foil; set aside.
2. In a large heavy saucepan melt the butter and chocolate over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the sugar, salt and milk and continue stirring until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Without stirring, let mixture boil for exactly 3 minutes, no more - no less. Immediately remove from heat.
3. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until peanut butter has melted. Quickly stir in the oats, mixing well.
4. Working fast, drop mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or foil. Allow to cool and become firm, about 30 minutes.

Makes 24 cookies.

*Or substitute chocolate squares with 6 tablespoons baking cocoa and increase the butter to 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Combine the sugar, salt and baking cocoa in the saucepan first, slowly add the milk while stirring until all ingredients are moistened; add the butter and continue as directed above. (This is the method I usually use as I always have baking cocoa on hand.)

Cook's Tips:

• If the mixture is accidentally overcooked, it will result in extremely dry cookies, sometimes so crumbly the mixture will not hold together enough to form a cookie. If this sort of thing occurs once the oats are added, then stir a tablespoon of milk (more or less) at a time until the mixture is moist enough to work with. Under cooking the mixture will result in cookies that must be eaten with a spoon......or may eventually harden by the next day.
• Prior to spooning cookies out, spray a metal spoon with cooking spray and the cookie mixture will more easily slide off the spoon on to the waxed paper or foil.
• Change up the flavor and add a little ground cinnamon to the mix, about 1/4 teaspoon, more or less. Mexicans have been adding cinnamon to their chocolate for years for 'a good' reason!

Cook's Note: A visitor to the site shared that in the 1960's, her mother spread a similar cookie mixture into a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Once cooled, the mixture was cut into squares. What a great tip!

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 cookie): 204.5 calories; 31% calories from fat; 7.5g total fat; 11.8mg cholesterol; 42.7mg sodium; 143.9mg potassium; 31.5g carbohydrates; 2.5g fiber; 17.8g sugar; 29.0g net carbs; 4.6g protein.

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