No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

Continuing on the path of feeding oats to Pritchard Parker, I made him these no bake oatmeal cookies.  As much as he likes these, I don't know why I've never made them for him. Actually, I do; these were always his mother's cookies. She always called them "boiled cookies" and when I started searching for a recipe, I saw the same basic cookie called by a number of different names.

My Mother-in-Law is one of the loveliest people I have ever known. I have always told my husband I want to be like her when I become an older lady.  She has a great sense of humor and she is always kind and smiling. She is an amazing gardener. A cook she is not. She never wanted to be in the kitchen when she could be outside. She did cook for her family but my husband has always joked about things such as the fact that he awoke in the morning to the smell of burnt toast and the sound of a table knife scraping on toast.

This was her go-to cookie because she could get in and out of the kitchen very quickly.

She is now a widow and lives in an assisted living facility. She seems very content and I'm sure she doesn't miss the kitchen at all. The nurses say, however, that she is a great eater. She may miss the garden.

No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

Combine milk, sugar, cocoa, butter, and peanut butter. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil, without stirring, for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in oats, coconut, vanilla and salt. Stir until oats are evenly distributed.

Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper. Cool.

I didn't ask if these were as good as Mama's. I'm sure they were not. Nothing ever is.