Z-Booty's Many Faces and No-Bake Cookies

I have some dramatic children- even though I pretend to be perplexed by this- I really am not...I am pretty dramatic and the apple does not fall far from the tree!

Me and Z were on the couch the other day zoning out on a little TV induced R&R- and I had to grab my camera- because the way the light was hitting her- she just looked so precious.  These first two pictures remind me of her ultrasound picture- a perfect profile- so sweet.

Once she realized I was taking her picture, she quickly jumped from TV-mode to performance mode- gotta love it!

                                             "excited"                                          "nervous"

"angry"                                                    "sad"

"surprised"                                           "shy"

She is a girl of many faces- that's for sure! 

Onto the cookies!!!!!

Okay- this recipe is one that we would make as kids....it's the type of recipe that appeals to children-(and childlike adults)- my sisters and I love them- my parents (and most "normal" adults think they are like eating raw dough)- exactly- that's what makes them so delicious.

They are called no-bake cookies- because you don't bake them in the oven- you cook ingredients over the stove top- and then add the hot stuff to some non-hot stuff and voila- No Bake Cookies.  If you like peanut butter, coconut and oatmeal- oh, and cookie dough- well then these are for you!

***WARNING***  I have made various attempts as making these cooks "healthier"- examples: whole wheat flour instead of white, agave syrup and/or honey instead of sugar, vegetable oil instead of butter......all of these attempts failed miserably- SO- if you are gonna try these- go with the original ingredient list! They are high in fiber ....(coconut and oatmeal) and protein (peanut butter), and could be vegan if you use margarine rather than butter and almond milk instead of regular milk (which would work fine as subs)

Here we go....

You'll need butter, milk, white sugar, flour, peanut butter, oatmeal, coconut, salt, vanilla and nuts (optional- I prefer without for this recipe).

Combine (with assistance- alternating each ingredient one child then the other) the milk, flour, sugar and butter, in a medium size sauce pan. Which then goes on the stove top over medium heat.

Then combine the other ingredients in a large bowl- oatmeal, coconut, peanut butter, vanilla, salt (and optional nuts).

Now go back over to the stove- the ingredients should be melting down- stir them until they are all meted and combined...

and give the helpers something to keep them busy (a little coconut snack in this case)

here's the tedious part- over medium heat- while stirring you need to let the mixture come to a boil- once you have reached that point- set your timer for 3 minutes and stand and stir the full 3 minutes!!!!

remove the pan from heat- and pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl

stir to combine

then drop the warm batter by the teaspoon onto a cookie sheet- and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 mins or so.... (or put a couple in the freezer to firm up quick if you are more of an instant gratification gal like me;).  You will notice that they "dry out" as they cool.  You can store them in an air tight container for a few days.

No Bake Cookies

3/4 cup flour

11/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

11/2 cups oats

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

combine flour, butter, sugar and milk in medium sauce pan- bring to a boil over medium heat- boil 3 minutes stirring constantly.  Combine remaining ingredients in bowl- pour hot mixture over dry ingredients- stir to combine.  Spoon teaspoon sized lumps of dough onto a dry cookie sheet- let cool/dry at least 30 min.