Boiled Oatmeal Cookies (Preacher Cookies)

Simple, quick, easy, good cookies can be prepared with a minimum of fuss and bother, and ready to eat in an hour. I've seen them called Preacher cookies, because they could be made quickly if you found out the preacher was coming to call on you.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Yields: 56 cookies

Ingredients

• 2  cups sugar (white, brown or a combination of the two)
• 3  cups oats, dry- sometimes takes a bit more (old fashioned, or quick cooking)
• 1⁄2 cup milk (evaporated, buttermilk, any kind but I wouldn't use sweetened, condensed. That would be too sweet)
• 2⁄3 cup  cocoa, unsweetened
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2  teaspoons vanilla
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup peanut butter
• 1⁄2 cup  nuts, coarsely chopped (walnuts, pecans, coconut.)

Directions

1. Put oats in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat bring to a full boil: butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. There is a knack to this. Boil them too long, they will be dry and crumbly, too short and they will be runny.
3. Quickly add peanut butter, salt, vanilla.
4. Mix liquid into oats. Add more oats as necessary until it has a moist doughy consistency.
5. Quickly put in buttered cake pan or quickly drop by the teaspoonful onto wax paper. Let them stand at room temperature for one hour.
6. Variations: Add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts, or Coconut. Replace 1/2 the oats with coconut. Use less cocoa and more peanut butter.