Sam's Cookie Request

The boys are staying with us for a few days, and one of the things I like to do when they come over is make cookies with them. (I have fond memories of doing that with their parents, and since cookies aren't part of an aging adult's healthy diet, we don't make them very frequently any more.)

Clark requested chocolate chip cookies and Sam requested no-bake cookies. (Wyatt was busy re-reading Harry Potter books.) So, one day we made Chocolate Chip Cookies - with M&M's. I've never been a fan of no-bake cookies, because I find them cloyingly sweet; I think of them as a candy and not a cookie. However, I'm not opposed to fulfilling other people's requests, so I looked for a recipe. This one said it was the best. I'm not so sure about that claim, and I felt they were still a bit gritty and crumbly, but the boys liked them, and that's what counts. Maybe I'll even make them again someday!

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup milk, divided
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup quick oats

Combine the sugar, cocoa powder and cream of tartar and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan, then stir in the milk and sugar mixture. Cook at a low temperature until the sugar is dissolved. Then bring to a boil for about two minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 230 degrees. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper or a silicone mat and let cool.

Oh, and I halved the recipe, which made about 18 cookies, so doubling this would probably work just fine if you wanted more per batch.