I tweaked this recipe from one that contained dairy. I like this recipe because it is free of allergens like dairy casein, eggs, and wheat. Unfortunately, it DOES
have peanut butter in it and almond milk -- so it isn't for someone with nut allergy.
2 cups granulated sugar
4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 (scant) cup butter substitute (my favorite is Earth Balance original, Do NOT confuse with Smart Balance)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (I like Almond Breeze or Silk Almond Milk)
Bring these ingredients to a rolling boil in a 2-3 quart saucepan. Continue boiling for 1 full minute.
Remove from heat.
Add:
1 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal, uncooked
Mix thoroughly but quickly. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper until cool.
Guard the area to keep them from disappearing...lol!
TIPS THAT WILL DE-STRESS THIS RECIPE!:
Lay out two pieces of wax paper about 12 inches long. Put them on a surface that will cool them faster and not retain heat. For instance, if you have a marble countertop, that will be great under the wax paper but a baking stone will make the cooling process much longer. (AND PEOPLE WANT THEIR DANG COOKIES NOW, DANGIT!)
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Measure out the oatmeal into a medium mixing bowl before you start anything else, and set it to the side.
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Q: What is the difference between regular original oatmeal oats and "quick cooking" oats? Does it HAVE to be Quick Cook type?
A: Technically, no. The difference will be the texture. Regular oatmeal will give it a chewier texture that isn't as liked (at least by my family). The Quick Cooking 2-minute type oats blend better and give the cookies a better consistency.
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Measure the butter substitute using a butter knife to put it into a dry measuring 1/2 cup, then scrape it into the saucepan. Wipe the knife and use it again to measure the peanut butter in the same measuring cup. Set the peanut butter aside until needed.
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Let a kid scrape the bowl and lick the spoon, there are no animal products in this recipe so there is no harm in eating it.
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Things I've tried & learned while making this recipe several times:
If you have both quick cooking oatmeal and regular, using 1-1/2 cups of each, or whatever makes 3 cups, works ok. They look a little more interesting actually, but the oats are more apparent. So if you have a picky little eater, use your best judgment!
Using a full 1/2 cup of butter substitute makes the cookies a bit too oily. Put in slightly less. I said "scant" - I stop filling the measuring cup when the Earth Balance is about 1/2" from the top of the measuring cup.
Wow, 2 cups is a LOT of sugar, eh? Yes, It is tempting to decrease the sugar. Two cups IS a lot...but this recipe NEEDS the sugar, because the cookie it is basically a candy, similar to pralines. That's why the mixture has to boil for an entire minute.
Use a timer for that minute, don't scrimp on it to save time or the cookies won't set well. For similar reason, I doubt an alternate sweetener like Splenda would work (but I have not tried that yet, sorry)
I thought about decreasing the sugar and adding raisins. Decided not to try it, again because it really needs melted refined sugar to set the cookies. If you try it, leave a comment and let us know how it turned out!
I've tried making these into bar cookies by pressing the mixture into an 8"x8" square pan. I thought it would save time. I'd just let it cool & then cut them into squares, right? Not. Tearing up a concrete sidewalk with a jackhammer would be easier. I still think there might be some way to modify it into a bar cookie crust, perhaps by decreasing the amount of dry oatmeal. What kind of bar cookie? I'm thinking perhaps brownie on top of this. Brownies are another recipe I've successfully converted to dairy free, and I will share the dairy free brownie recipe soon.
When the cookies are partly cooled, it was tempting to roll some into balls. I thought they might look prettier. They did look neater, but they lost their shiny finish and didn't look as tasty. It also altered the texture to a bit dry & granular.
Speaking of dry and granular, that is also what will happen if you cut down on the peanut butter. I use creamy peanut butter. I don't see why one couldn't use crunchy peanut butter, but keep inind that a 1/2 of crunchy peanut butter will not equal a 1/2 cup of creamy, as the amount of creamy has been displaced by the nut pieces. So increase a bit for crunchy. I have a feeling it would be a good texture in the cookie.
If you have a Tablespoon sized cookie scoop, that will make laying the cookies out much quicker. Speed is important because the mixture will begin to cool and dry right away. When you're not ready, they'll dry quickly. When you're hungry for cookies and you can't wait to eat some, these seem to take FOREVER to be ready. This is the Law Of Cookies, probably on page 666 of any cookbook.
I've also put leftover sweetened shredded coconut and almond slivers in the mixture (different times)
So as you can see, this recipe lends itself to some experimentation pretty well. Just keep in mind it needs all that sugar setting up (firming), and the peanut butter helps the texture to be smoother and not as rough.
Once it's all cool, put into an airtight container. I've rarely seen them in a container at my house though, they get gobbled up very fast!
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