No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

For some reason, this post is giving me fits to republish from the old blog, so I’m re-entering the whole shebang:

This is my favorite cookie recipe from childhood. It brings to memory the dark brown kitchen cabinets of the house of my youth. The yellow linoleum and its golden glow reflecting under the light of the over-the-stove vent. The warm, cocoa-rich aroma and the fun of helping mom cook. It’s a very good memory, and so are the cookies.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients 
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 to 4 tablespoons peanut butter, optional
3 cups quick oats (or old-fashioned)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
Combine chocolate chips, peanut butter (if used), oats, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Combine the margarine, milk, and sugar in a saucepan; bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute. Combine the hot mixture with the oatmeal and chocolate chip mixture; stir well. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper; let cool. Voila. Disperse as desired.

Note: quantities of this recipe’s ingredients can be tweaked, and other complementary ingredients can be added to taste. Love it!

Gooey Butter Cake

Yes, it is as sinfully delectable as the title describes. Cooking is something I like to do, but I have a short attention span when it comes to following lots of tedious directions with too many ingredients. I discovered this recipe on the side of a cream cheese box. It is too yummy not to share:

Ingredients

Cake:

1 box yellow cake mix without the pudding

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1 egg

Topping:

1 16-ounce confectioner's (powdered) sugar

1 stick butter, melted

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine yellow cake mix, cream cheese, and 1 egg in bowl. Mix until smooth and lump-free. Press mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish or pan. Beat 2 eggs, butter, and powdered sugar in bowl until smooth and lump-free. Pour over cake mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top when finished baking. Cool before serving.
*We haven't tweaked the recipe yet because the first try was so delicious, but you could probably use other flavors of cake mix if yellow is not your favorite. Or you could probably even add flavor to the cream cheese and butter mixture. My favorite would be raspberry!