Do you ever get so caught up in making new recipes that you forget about old ones?
I am definitely guilty of that, so every now and then I like to go through my trusty, food-splattered family cookbook and find a recipe from my childhood that I haven’t made lately, despite always loving it.
These chocolate oat delights are one of those recipes.
I think everyone has a version of these, some with peanut butter, some with Asian noodles, some with who knows what else, but my mom always made them nice and simple and delicious. She always said these were a cookie she could resist since they weren’t her favorite, so she made them for us to enjoy. I love oats, and I love chocolate, so these cookies were (and are) right up my alley. Did I mention they’re gluten free? Because they are, as long as your oats are gluten free!
Oh, and would you like to meet Gemma’s new friend while you’re here?
Oh, hello adorable little kitty! We will take better pictures of your cute little furface when it is light out!
But the cookies, right? They’re super simple no-bake cookies, so you can make them on the stove top while you have something else in the oven and feel oh-so-productive, a feeling I always enjoy cultivating. And they’re healthy-addition friendly…I added some chia seeds and ground flax seed and, combined with the oats, felt like I was eating delicious health food. Win!
- Oat Delights
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 tbsp cocoa
- ½ cup butter or margarine
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 cup coconut
- 3 cups quick oats
- 2 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
- Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add vanilla. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and oats, and ground flax, if using. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined cookie sheets. Chill until set. Store in airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
My first batch didn’t turn out, they didn’t hold together so I let mixture boil longer, almost five minutes, then added ingredients to the hot mixture and that turned out fine…
How long can these be frozen for???
Generally 3 months is a maximum recommended freezer time for any tightly-sealed baked goods.
Do you have to put flax seed in it
Nope! They just add a bit of fiber and make me feel better about eating cookies :)
I use erithinol and stevia mix. Almost as good as sugar. Just a little bit different texture. Beside sugar, the culprit for calories is the coconut. Next time, I will just use oatmeal.
My mother would freeze these directly on the cookie sheet. We would then eat them straight outa the freezer. This way they stayed moist and chewy. Once all frozen they can be transferred to a container. I have eaten these cookies for 53 years….dang…don’t feel old at all.
My mom made these all the time when I was a kid…. This was my first time making them myself. Super easy and they turned out amazing!! Just like mom’s!
Can the milk be substituted with something like water and flour?
I wouldn’t, as the flour won’t really have time to cook. You could substitute soy or almond milk.
I love these but want to substitute for the refined white sugar. Any suggestions? Thanks.
I think any sugar substitute would work fine here!
As a diabetic, I can promise you that substitutes DO NOT bake or cook up like sugar…. the volumes are all wrong, and what used to be lovely cookies turn out like something the dog won’t eat. Sugar substitutes melt into Nothingness. … they have no volume once liquid… sugar does, so unless you’re willing pay $12/pound for your sugar substitute you’re wasting ingredients.
J.Hickey
British Columbia Canada
I think you would use less if the sugar is a finer grain, more will fit in the cup. you might measure in grams instead of using volume. I weighed it out for you, regular grain white sugar by my scale is 420g. I am sure measuring instruments very, so give or take a few grams you are in the ball park
I use brown sugar makes them more chewy .and I use 1 1/4cup instead of 2
i don’t want coconut.. do i have to replace it with something else or just omit.
I always just add a liy extra oats & no coconut.
how much extra oats; a friends wants me to make it for her without coconut.
I haven’t tried it, but you can likely just do half the coconut amount in oats!
If I’m not using coconut I just keep adding oats until it’s clumpy enough to get spoon fulls but not so much that it becomes crumbly. I’ve also used rice crispies
My mom used to make these when I was a kid we loved them I’m going to be making some in a couple days
These have been a family favourite for some time now….I add hemp seeds for some added protein!
We made these cookies and they are so good! We ate a lot of the batter when we were putting it on the cookie sheet. We had it all over our faces! We also discovered that adding a little bit of extra butter made them creamier! Also, if you live at a high altitude, then It’s a good idea to add less dry ingredients, so your cookies are more moist. We added 1 1/2 cups of oats instead of 3 cups.
P.S. The Kitten is adorable. We’re getting one for my daughter’s birthday, and we can’t wait!
These were my first boyfriends favorite cookie! I remember making these back in Home Ec class and thinking I was a pretty big deal! Thanks for reminding me of a classic!
“No-Bake Cookies” minus the peanut butter. I actually just ate one (NBC) that my daughter made. I’ll have to try your version without the pb. I typically like to throw in extras like coconut and/or raisins. Daughter topped hers this time with mini chocolate chips. What kind of noodles do you add? Anyway you look at it, it’s a melt-in-the-mouth concept!
I’ve had them with peanut butter and a an instant noodle mixed in, which makes them crunchy instead of soft like the oats…mini chocolate chips are always a good addition too!
Mmm, I love coconut and will try these ones next time! I read about the kitty and my first thought was, “Oh, boy. That kitty must have had a rough day yesterday with all the extra kids over!” Hope he/she managed to find a good hiding space, especially with Kylie around! :)
I loved seeing this recipe on your blog! We used to make a very similar cookie at camp, of all places. We’d melt the butter over a campfire and mix in all the other ingredients, then eat them as we sat around the campfire’s warmth. Wonderful memories!
I love that idea, baking while camping! I’ll have to remember for the day I inevitably get sucked into camping again :)
These are my favorite but I have never had them with coconut, brilliant!
Gemma must be so excited…about the kitty that is, not the cookies :)
Oh YUM! I haven’t made these in years. I love flipping through my older cookbooks. Sometimes, those are the best recipes.