This is another recipe from Sheard Goodwin's mom.
Jane's note: The original recipe for these delicious morsels assumes that you know you are using a candy procedure to make these "cookies". With a minimum of attention, they come out very well. In case you aren't familliar with how to do it, I've re-written the recipe with more detailed instructions.
ASSEMBLE YOUR INGREDIENTS
The HOT Team:
1/4 cup butter, ghee*, or margarine
(if you are using unsalted butter or ghee, add 1/4 teaspoon salt)
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk, rice milk, sheep milk, or soy milk
1 tablespoon corn syrup**
The INDEPENDENT:
1/2 cup peanut butter
The COLD Team:
2 1/2 cups quick oatmeal
1/2 cup nuts (or use crunchy peanut butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla
GET COOKING
Melt butter over low heat in a medium saucepan.
While the butter is melting, measure out the peanut butter and set it aside. Also, in another separate roomy bowl, bring together the COLD team: measure out the oatmeal, nuts, and vanilla, and set them aside, too. Now is also a good time to cover a counter in wax paper for you to spoon the cookies onto.
Once the butter is melted, bring together the rest of the HOT team: add the salt, sugar, cocoa, milk, and corn syrup and turn the heat up to medium.
Stirring constantly, bring this mixture to a rolling boil. Boil for 1.5 minutes, or until the "soft ball" stage, or until a candy thermometer reads 235 degrees.
Remove saucepan from the heat and add the INDEPENDENT peanut butter. Stir it in until it is completely incorporated.
CAREFULLY pour the HOT team over the COLD team. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
Working quickly, drop by spoonfulls onto wax paper (you may have to smoosh them down a little into "cookie" shape) and let them sit until firm.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or in a zip-top bag in the freezer for a month (as if they would ever last that long).
This recipe yields about 3 dozen good-sized cookies, more if you are skimpy with the spoonfulls and don't nibble on the batter.
*Ghee is made by simmering unsalted butter in a large pot until all water has boiled off and protein has settled to the bottom. The cooked and clarified butter is then spooned off to avoid disturbing the milk solids on the bottom of the pan. Unlike butter, ghee can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation and remains moisture-free. (www.Food-India.com, 2007)
**Why the addition of corn syrup? It's "insurance" against premature crystalization, i.e., gritty cookies. Corn syrup is composed of glucose, a kind of sugar -- which is different from the sucrose the white table sugar is made of. What this means for our cookies is that the glucose will help prevent large sugar crystals from forming by slipping in between the sucrose molecules and keeping the whole mixture smooth and creamy as it sets. (Alton Brown in Good Eats, Season 7, Fudge Factor)
Original Recipe & Directions Below
This is another recipe from Sheard Goodwin's mom:
1 stick margarine 2 cups sugar 4 tablespoon cocoa 1/2 cup milk Bring above items to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 1/2 minutes (time is important). Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup nuts (or use crunchy peanut butter) 2 1/2 cups quick oatmeal Drop by tablespoon onto wax paper and let sit until firm.