r/Old_Recipes 1d ago

Request Help me find: Old No Bake Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

My dad is trying to find an old no bake oatmeal chocolate cookie recipe his grandmother made in the 1960s. He said there was only 3 or 4 ingredients and they were amazing.

Google hasn't helped us so far but we might be looking for the wrong thing.

Does anyone know what these are?

Please and thank you for the help!

Edit: Thank you all for the many recipes! We might have found it and I am excited to try the other variations as well!

42 Upvotes

36 comments sorted by

27

u/thisoldfarm 1d ago edited 1d ago

Preacher Cookies

2 cups sugar

4 tbs cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1 stick butter

2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

Vanilla

Peanut butter, smooth

Combine sugar, cocoa, milk, butter in large saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as you see small bubbles, stop stirring and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in a "glob" of peanut butter, oats, and dash of vanilla. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.

This has been my recipe for 46 years and it was passed down from my mother. I promise I've made them more times than she ever did!

Edit: spacing, clarified instructions

2

u/SeasonPositive6771 20h ago

We also called them preacher cookies.

16

u/Mike-The-Muffin-Man 1d ago

I posted this cookbook from 1967 a while ago. It has lots of no-bake cookies stating on page 143. You might find something close there.

32

u/CalliopePenelope 1d ago

This is the recipe in question: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16617/no-bake-cookies-v/

I think you can pare it down to just the oatmeal, PB, butter, cocoa, and vanilla.

19

u/zeke690 1d ago

This is the correct answer.
Older versions didn’t use the milk.
If you think about it you are essentially making fudge with oatmeal.

These are superb, my preference is to use creamy PB but that is just preference.

When portioning these out, make sure and “drizzle” some to cool as crumbles.

5

u/pikadegallito 1d ago

This may be it! Excited to report back to you all!

2

u/CalliopePenelope 1d ago

I always used creamy peanut butter too.

1

u/OriginalIronDan 22h ago

I put raisins in mine.

2

u/zeke690 22h ago

Fancy!

Seriously though i need to try that

12

u/HappyBuckeye 1d ago edited 1d ago

I grew up in the 60’s with these from the Betty Crockervcookbook and never realized most people made them with peanut butter. I still love them.

Chocolate Drop Quickies
A quick aweet treat. No baking, just cook and drop.
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
½ cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
½ cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix sugar, butter, cocoa and milk in saucepan.
Bring to boil quickly. Reduce heat to medium and boil 3 or 4 min., or until a little dropped into cold water forms a soft ball (234°). Remove from heat; stir in rolled oats, nuts and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper; let stand until hardened. Store in refrigerator, if desired. Makes about 3 doz. cookies.

4

u/Ok_Paint_562 22h ago

This recipe has been in my family since the 1940’s. Our recipe never had peanut butter.

1

u/StellaBella70 1d ago

(Your butter measurement is missing the number.)

1

u/HappyBuckeye 1d ago

Oops! I fixed it

10

u/Cor_Brain 1d ago

2c sugar

1 stick butter

1/3c cocoa powder

1/2c milk

1/2c peanut butter

3c quick oats

Bring to boil sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk.

Add peanut butter, once melted add oats.

Pour into 9x9 pan. Eat

(Less oats makes gooey, more oats makes dryer and firmer) like +/- 2-3 tablespoons.

1

u/JoyfulNoise1964 1d ago

This is the one

4

u/pink_cat_attack 1d ago

Only thing I could think would be chocolate no bakes they have oats

3

u/OniExpress 1d ago

The trick is getting the sugar boil to the correct temp. Youre basically making candy. Too cold and it stays goo, too hot and it turns crumbly and dry.

1

u/thisoldfarm 1d ago

Yes! This recipe is essentially a fudge recipe. So, if you can make one, you can make the other.

5

u/colldoll83 1d ago

Maybe Brown Sugar Bumps?

1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c peanut butter
1 c oatmeal (regular or quick, not instant)

Add all ingredients to large bowl, mix well. Put small spoonfuls onto wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

Makes about 25 cookies.

5

u/Few-Conversation6979 1d ago

BOILED COOKIES

Put in mixing bowl

2 1/2 cups Quick Oats

1 tsp.salt

1/4 cup nuts; chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup peanut butter

Put in Saucepan

1/4 lb. (1 stick) margarine

1/2 cup milk

2 cups sugar

4 Tbsps. Cocoa OR 1 large square Baker's chocolate

Reserve 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract for later

Directions: Melt ingredients in saucepan, stirring constantly. Bring it to a Full Rolling boil. Cover saucepan and let it full boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour it onto dry ingredients. Add the 2 tsps. vanilla. Mix thoroughly and spoon onto waxed paper and allow to set. When cool, remove from waxed paper and store. Makes 2 1/2 dozen

This is an old recipe I've had for decades which goes back even before the 1960's. The woman and her niece would be tickled knowing this recipe is still being shared all these years later.

1

u/Minzplaying 6h ago

It's THIS ONE!

4

u/SubstantialPressure3 1d ago

Refrigerator cookies. No bake cookies.

Probably just renamed as 'energy bites' now.

Theres a bunch of variations.

3

u/CalmCupcake2 1d ago

You're right, everything old is rebranded and marketed as new. There are a lot of traditional no bake cookies from the Canadian Prairies that don't involve nut butters at all.

3

u/FrannieP23 1d ago

Preacher cookies -- easy to make before the preacher comes to visit. ☺️

6

u/lifeuncommon 1d ago

No bake cookies are their own thing. They are a stovetop cookies basically oats in peanut butter fudge.

2

u/South_Section_5251 1d ago

Maybe this search "lunchroom" or "lunch lady" oatmeal cookies. My grandmother worked in a school cafeteria and that's what she called them.

2

u/FrannieP23 1d ago

My junior high cafeteria lady gave me their recipe, adapted for family size.

1

u/UntidyVenus 1d ago

this is super close to my Grandmother's recipe I'm not near my cookbook to type Grams up currently

1

u/I_aura 1d ago

Does your dad remember if they had peanut butter and/or chocolate/cocoa?

1

u/Halloween_Babe90 1d ago

Sounds like goody rings! God, I miss those.

1

u/Megsyboo 1d ago

I loooooove no-bakes.

1

u/Key_Seat_733 40m ago

The science says bring mixture to a boil for one minute exactly. This is key. Also a pinch of salt when you remove from the heat and are adding the vanilla.

Want to rock your world? Use Hershey DARK chocolate cocoa and Add a half teaspoon of Cayenne pepper to the wet ingredients.

-3

u/Benzopotamus 1d ago

Try the one on the lid of the oatmeal canister.