No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

No-Bakes are my all-time favorite nostalgic cookies. My best friend LaDonna's mom used to make them for us. She didn't even use a recipe and they were there best. Caroline and the Moore family treated me like one of their own. I owe them many thanks, and this is my homage to them.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups rolled oats

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Bring to a slow boil, and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the peanut butter. Remove from the heat. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of oats. The mixture should be thick. Add the remaining 1/2 cups oat if necessary.

2. Place parchment paper on table, counter, or cookie sheet. Drop the mixture by heaping tablespoonful onto the parchment paper. Allow the cookies to firm up at room temperature, about one hour.

HINT: I use a good quality scoop to drop all my cookies. It makes them uniform and much easier to do.