These are some of my kids’ favorite cookies, and they are soooo quick!

*This recipe is nut and peanut-free.”

I grew up on these. My dad’s mom would make these for my dad, who also loved them. Little did I know, when I started looking for the recipe, that the traditional recipe uses PEANUT BUTTER, which is a banned item/word at our house due to my son having a severe peanut allergy. So I decided to come up with a version that didn’t use peanut butter as a binding agent. 

The trick here is timing.  You’ll need a candy thermometer that you can leave in the pot while the mixture is boiling, and you want to watch it like a hawk.  A couple of degrees in either direction can make or break your cookie (pun intended).  240° and your cookie is a little gooey; 255° and its too crumbly.  If you’ve ever made candy confections, you get it.  So while this recipe is quick, unless you have a candy thermometer and know how to use it, it’s not necessarily easy.

On the other hand, if you do cook these a little too much, just convince your family that it was intentional. I may or may not have made “Chocolate Oatmeal Crumble” for my family to spoon over vanilla ice cream. Just sayin’. It happens. (And they loved it, by the way.)

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Recipe

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 pinches of salt
• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate baking squares (Most baking chocolate comes in a four-ounce bar.)
• 1/2 cup milk (low fat, fat-free, almond milk, etc.)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups of old-fashioned oats *

What you need:

• Candy thermometer
• Medium saucepan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Rubber spatula
• Large bowl
• Parchment paper
• 2 Soup spoons

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring. After bringing to a slight boil, turn down to medium and let boil without stirring until the temperature on the candy thermometer reads 248 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.  Stir in vanilla and oats.  Immediately, using 2 soup spoons, spoon out cookies onto parchment paper to cool and to finish setting. They will look shiny but will set as they cool.  The end result will be cookies that are somewhat hard yet chewy and soft inside.

* Quick-cooking oats may be used for a smoother texture. Old-fashioned oats give the cookies more of a meaty, chewy texture. Q-C oats may affect the times listed and the ability for the cookie to set.

Did you make these? Let me know below!