Choco-Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

What’s in a name? Seems to me someone famous one time said that…Oh, yeah, that guy Shakespeare. Something like:

That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet, so Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owes with that title.

What has that possibly to do with Choco-Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies? Only everything. Romeo smells like a rose. No, I’m just kidding. It all has to do with the absolutely wonderful ingredient: Hershey’s Cocoa.

As long as I have been baking, I don’t think I ever used Hershey’s Cocoa before I made my Stray Dog Dessert and I discovered the absolutely wonderful, heavenly, chocolatey flavor of real cocoa. I’ve made these Choco-Peanut Butter No Bake cookies before and they went over like gang-busters. Since they contain oatmeal and wonderful antioxidants in the cocoa, you can even eat them for breakfast! (Probably shouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t). Can you buy other brands of cocoa? Sure, but for me, it’s Hershey’s all the way.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter (I use salted so I omitted the salt)
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup whole or 2% milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup peanut butter
1 Tbl. vanilla extract
4 cups quick-cooking oats*

Directions:

1. Add the first five ingredients (through the salt) to a 4-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a rapid boil and let boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and stir until smooth, then stir in the oats. Mix until all oats are coated.
5. Using a medium cookie scoop (or 2 tablespoonfuls), drop onto parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheets.
6. Let cool until set, about 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator) for up to 2 weeks.

*If you do not like the oats in whole form, they can be placed in a food processor and pulsed for a few seconds to make them into a finer consistency.

By the way, while you are waiting for your no-bake cookies to cool, (cuz it’s no fun to burn your tongue), you can click here to read the history behind the Hershey’s brand.