Recipe(tried): Happy Hubby No Bake Cookies

This recipe is one of those happy accidents that occur occasionally in my kitchen. My DH has not been able to have chocolate for some years due to arterial flutter. One of his all-time favorite cookies are what are known as Over-Seas, Missouri Cookies, Gaggers (icky-name, huh?) and No-Bakes among others. They are made in a saucepan using oats, butter, unsweetened cocoa, sugar, vanilla, milk and peanut butter. Yesterday I was making up some batches of cookies for DH to take to a meeting. I found a recipe on-line for the same type of cookie without cocoa and using brown sugar instead of white. I decided to give it a try but when I went to the cupboard I didn't have enough brown sugar to even make a half batch. Stuffed into the back of the cupboard however, I found some molasses sugar (click here).

I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and the results made for one very happy hubby! The taste is, as he says, ALMOST THERE! Something about the combination of almond butter and molasses sugar along with the fact that he hasn't had chocolate for quite awhile and that they look very dark like chocolate...(in a side by side taste test you would be able to tell the difference between these and those using chocolate...but a happy hubby is a happy hubby!)

HAPPY HUBBY NO BAKE COOKIES

1 cup molasses sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup evaporated milk
pinch of salt
1/4 cup almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

In a large heavy saucepan combine the molasses sugar, butter, milk, and salt. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Without stirring, let mixture boil for exactly 3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat.

Stir in almond butter and vanilla, stirring until almond butter has melted. Quickly stir in oats, mix well. Working fast, drop mixture by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.

Allow to cool and become firm, about 30 minutes (they did not become firm, probably due to the humidity in our house due to evap cooling inside and monsoon weather outside, they stayed sticky. I put them on a plate uncovered in the refrigerator until they became firm, then covered them with plastic wrap and returned them to the refrigerator.