peppermint no-bake cookies

For the holiday savings article in All You magazine this month (download the free gift tags and recipe cards, learn how to craft the inexpensive holiday packaging) I made my families favorite no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies with a twist. Peppermint!

Let’s start with ingredients. You’ll need:

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter (I often add a little less)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• milk (½ cup)
• cocoa (½ cup)
• ½ cup peanut butter (I sometimes add more!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (splurge for the real extract; it’s worth it)
• 3 cups quick-cooking oats (I sometimes add a little less depending on how much peanut butter I use)
• soft peppermint to taste (I used six, crushed into small pieces, for the batch and I got them at Cracker Barrel)

Quick and easy steps: Mix the sugar and cocoa together and blend until the mixture is smooth. You don’t want lumps of sugar in your cookies!

Crush your soft peppermint in a resealable bag with a rolling pin. My kids like doing this part for me! And set aside until the end.

Move the mixture to a saucepan and add milk. Stir again until you have the consistency of chocolate syrup.

The rest of this process is very fast, so make sure you have all your ingredients and greased pan ready (or wax paper if you prefer to drop them with a spoon). Add low heat and butter. Allow butter to melt slowly and then bring mixture to a rolling boil for one minute, stirring it constantly (you want it hot enough to melt the peanut butter and cook the one minute oats, but not so hot that it burns).

Add vanilla and add peanut butter. Whip it quickly so that it melts completely.

Stir first two cups of oats in and mix well. Add third cup a little at a time. (Remember: The heat of the mixture is what cooks the oats so don’t go too slowly. Plus, they set very quickly so spoon them into a dish or drop them on wax paper as soon as the oats are mixed!) Fold in or layer your peppermint. And I like to sprinkle a bit on top.

As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and celebrate!

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Peppermint No Bake Cookies seen first on The Celebration Shoppe.