No-Bakes Rock My World

My mom used to make these all.the.time while I was growing up.  We'd fight over who got to lick the spoon.  We'd be checking them every 5 minuntes until they were finally cool enough to eat.  We'd literally eat them all up in the matter of a few hours unless my mom threatened us to save some for another day.  I love no-bakes because they remind me of all those times, it's comfort food to the max.

My husband never experienced no-bakes until our first Valentine's Day together.  We were only dating a short time and I came up with the brilliant idea to trade "homemade" gifts instead of spending lots of money on each other.  He made me a heart shaped cake and a card.  I made him no-bakes.  Maybe that had something to do with him sticking around?  Hmm...

They're incredibly simple to make and require nothing more than a few staple ingredients.  The cast of characters:

No-bake Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
4 tsp. cocoa
1/2 cup milk

Mix above ingredients in medium to large sized sauce pan.  Heat to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.  Remove from heat.

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups quick oats

Immediately add peanut butter to hot liquid mixture, mix well.  Add oats and gently stir to coat completely.  Spread mixture into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan.  Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.  Enjoy!