The reason they don't get hard is that you have to cook for at least 3 minutes.. If you eliminate the cocoa you have a delicious peanut butter cookie.. I add more peanut butter when I do this. YUMMO

These cookies are one of my family's favorites. Sometimes when I make them, they are dry, other times not. Do anyone know what I'm doing wrong? I use creamy and chunky peanut butter and instant and old fashion oatmeal, depends on what I have on hand.

I'm 60 yrs old and remember these cookies from my elementary school cafeteria. They were huge...almost as large as "Hostess Snowballs." Anyway, you wouldn't believe how often over the years I had thought of these childhood cookies and wished I had the recipe. I spent years searching cookbooks, newspapers, etc., for a recipe with oatmeal and chocolate. Then FINALLY, when I was around 47 years old, I found the recipe in a Marcia Adams cookbook. That recipe was called "Amish Boiled Cookies." I made them and shared them with my siblings who lived nearby...they also remembered them from our childhood at school. The one other recipe from my childhood that I have yet to find is a cake made by a family friend named Miz Dooley. It was a two-layer white/yellow cake with a pineapple frosting covered with coconut. My sister and I are both afraid we'll never again experience that most awesome pineapple cake. I'm still looking! ha, ha!

I made three batches. First one I boiled three minutes. It set up in the pan. I used old fashioned oats. They were tough. The second one I boiled for 1.5 minutes. I chopped the oats in the food processor. It was perfect. I even used half dark cocoa. The last batch I used coconut and no oats. I used four cups of coconut. They are still cooling but taste great.

This is so Funny...I've looked for My Grandmother's Chewy Cookie recipe for many yrs. I think this is it. I have to check this out & get back to the forum. If it is, she was making these from the 30's, w/coconut. Yes, and Oleo as well. I remember raisins too. This commentary made me misty eyed b/c there is so much history, feelings & memories around a simple recipe. Cooks.com, you cover the globe & are a Treasured Asset. Thank You.

I love these cookies, they are my favorite. My grandma makes these for Christmas and for my b-day. :)

My kids and I call this recipe, "Dinosaur Dump". :)

These cookies are amazing! I'm using this recipe for a class project.. Thanks for the ideas...

try using the little red cinnamon candies used to decorate baked goods for another great taste.

I make it with Dark Chcolate Cocoa and they are fabulous!

I have this exact recipe and have been using it for years. I love it! The recipe that I have comes from an old cook book dated 1982 and I still cook from this book. My mother use to make these for me as a child also. Excellent cure for the sweet tooth when you want to make something that doesn't take very long to make.

Make with oat bran and fat free cream cheese instead of oatmeal and butter, and the cookies become Dukan diet compliant with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of oat bran each. (I cut the ingredients by three, and it makes about 12 2-inch cookies.)

My family has always called these Gorilla Grunts. Funny name good cookie

Awesome recipe. I've used this recipe before but without milk and we called them Muddy Cookies.

I have made these for years. I have found out through trial and error how to make them perfect. I don't add any extra ingredients (if it ain't broke don't fix it). I don't boil it any given amount of time. I cook it until the edges of the pan are bubbling (not a full rolling boil). They will be very hard and dry if you cook it too long. My husband has nicknamed them swim cookies, because if you eat too many they will make your head swim. My four grandsons will eat the whole batch at one time if I let them.