Boiled Oatmeal Cookies (preacher Cookies)

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar (white, brown or a combination of the two)
• 3 cups oats, dry- sometimes takes a bit more (old fashioned, or quick cooking)
• 1/2 cup milk (evaporated, buttermilk, any kind but i wouldn't use sweetened, condensed. that would be too sweet)
• 2/3 cup cocoa, unsweetened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup nuts, coarsely chopped (walnuts, pecans, coconut.)

Recipe

• 1 put oats in a large bowl.
• 2 in a small saucepan over medium heat bring to a full boil: butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa. reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. remove from heat. there is a knack to this. boil them too long, they will be dry and crumbly, too short and they will be runny.
• 3 quickly add peanut butter, salt, vanilla.
• 4 mix liquid into oats. add more oats as necessary until it has a moist doughy consistency.
• 5 quickly put in buttered cake pan or quickly drop by the teaspoonful wax paper. let them stand at room temperature for one hour.
• 6 variations: add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts, or coconut. replace 1/2 the oats with coconut. use less cocoa and more peanut butter.