Loved last night’s episode of Hung when pimp (pimpess?) Tanya (Jane Adams) served “Preacher Cookies” to her how-to-succeed-in-business group. The cookies were given their name, the character explained, because they could be whipped up in just a few minutes if your preacher made a pop-in visit. Cool explanation, but when I saw the cookies on screen, I realized they’re what I grew up calling No-Bake Cookies.

That name says it all – you don’t bake the fudgy, peanut butter-y, oatmeal-y treats; you literally cook them on the stove, no oven involved at all. They’re easy to make and delicious, and they were my Grandma Gilmore’s (yep, she’s a real Gilmore girl!) go-to-dessert for bake sales and any other occasion where a big supply of sweet goodies were needed.

The cookies are also referred to as “Boiled Oatmeal Cookies” (which sounds way less appetizing IMHO), “One-and-a-Half-Minute Cookies” and “Stove Top Cookies” in various parts of the country, but I’m sticking with No Bakes. Here’s my grandma’s recipe:

NO BAKE COOKIES
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup milk
4 heaping tablespoons Hershey’s cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3 cups (uncooked) oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter

1 – Put the butter, milk, Hershey’s cocoa powder and sugar in a medium pot and bring to a boil for a minute and a half.
2 – Remove pot from heat. Immediately stir in peanut butter and oatmeal.
3 – Once mixture is well combined, drop by teaspoon or tablespoons-full onto sheets of newspaper covered with wax paper.
4 – Let cookies set up for several minutes to become solid. (And they are especially tasty once they’ve been refrigerated for a few hours).