You can thank Larry for the name of these yummy little treats. After one bite, he said, “they taste just like those no-bake things the girls used to make.” And he is right – I have inadvertantly created a more complicated version of that recipe we all made when we were teenagers. So, why even bother? First of all, there is the natural peanut butter, which you can’t use in the old recipe, because the fat content is too low compared to Jif and Skippy. For the most part though, it is just because they are better – the taste is very similar, but the texture is nicer and since you use old fashioned oats, they have a bit more chewiness. All in all, they are very satisfying, and quite easy to make. Maybe the next step in cookie making for a beginning baker?
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup baking cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped, roasted, salted peanuts
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 8 x 8 pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, peanut butter and baking cocoa. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla. Measure all remaning ingredients into the same bowl, and mix to combine completely. Spread evenly in the pan, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan, and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container – best eaten within 4 days or so. These were excellent used in brownie sundaes, as well as just gouging pieces out of the dish, standing at the kitchen counter. Not that we do stuff like that around here…
Have mercy!
Ok MPM. I won’t tell you how chocolately they are – how they have the same kind of crumbly, melty texture as no bakes, with the same oatmeal goodness, along with the added crunchy peanuts. You probably wouldn’t like them. :)
Alright, I am having a serious brownie craving now. Man, those look soooo good!
Thanks Janis – I hope you give them a try :)
They were delicoius! I made them last night and the last one was eaten tonight. The only thing I did different was to use peanut butter chips because they were already open and I didn’t want to open the chocolate chips. Apparently they were loved by everyone because when I got home from work, I was shocked to find them nearly gone except for two remaining pieces. I barely got my brownie fix!
I am so glad you guys liked them, Janis – even with only two of us here, they did not last very long.
I used to love making those cookies in high school! All the time – though this looks much more appetizing now!
These look soooooo awesome! I’m definitely going to try them. However, what are ‘old fashioned oats’? Maybe we call them something else in Australia…
Thanks Ann – like I said, it was accidental, but that is exactly what they taste like.
Elv – here in the states, we have two kinds of oats or “oatmeal’. There are “quick” oats which have less texture about them and – as you might imagine- cook more quickly than what we call “old fashioned” oats. Neither is the same as “Irish” or “steel cut” oats, which a lot of people here have never heard of at all. I am not sure if you can get “Quaker” brand oats/oatmeal there, but that is the most common supermarket brand here. Does this help at all, or are you more confused than ever? :)
I love the flavor and texture of the “no bakes”, and it is refreshing to see a brownie recipe that produces a brownie that actually looks baked, although the gooey versions are delicious too. :)
Do you feel that natural peanut butter is a must in the recipe or that regular peanut butter could be subbed?
Linda – not sure about the regular peanut butter, because I try to avoid using it. It has added fat, so maybe the cookies would be greasier? In any case, the natural pb definitely gives you a more intense peanut flavor – I have found that to be true in every one of my old recipes that used regular pb – more peanuty goodness when I converted them to the natural stuff.
Thanks! I’m going to use regular peanut butter today, because I can’t wait to try them. :) Do you have a particular brand of natural that you prefer?
I often get Smuckers because it is available most everywhere, but our local health food store has some that is really good too – I have to make sure and get salted though – unsalted tastes awful to me.
Thanks Donalyn! It sounds like you are talking about rolled oats when you say ‘old fashioned oats’. We have quick oats and steel-cut oats here too. Rolled oats are somewhere in between – they are basically the quick oats before they are cut up to make them cook quicker. Does that sound right?
We can’t get Quaker stuff here, but I spent a little time in the States so I know the brand you’re talking about. However, they produce so many different varieties of oats!
Thanks for sending me this via email too – very helpful. :)
I made them, and they are delicious–equally good “gouging” from the pan yesterday as well as with ice cream tonight. ;)
You are welcome Aussie!
I’m so glad you like them Linda – I may need to make another batch now….
if we have no oats, what should we use instead?
Hi Lindsey – I am not sure what would be a good substitute for the oats, if you don’t have any. You might want to try this recipe instead – it is a peanut butter/chocolate swirl brownie that uses just flour: http://dlynz.com/?p=1373. Hope that helps!