2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 tsp. cocoa
1/3 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup peanut butter (your choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) oats

Use a heavy pot. Combine sugar, milk, butter, cocoa and cayenne pepper (if using). Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir constantly for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Then add peanut butter. Stir in quickly until dissolved. Stir in vanilla. Mixture will turn glossy. Add oats (or oats + variations to make 3 cups). Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls.

TIPS:

It works best if you load one teaspoon with cookie mixture and use another teaspoon to scrape it off onto the waxed paper. This saves time from hand washing the intolerable build up of sticky stuff on and in between your fingers if you just use one spoon. The mixture hardens rapidly and it's best if it hardens on the waxed paper in the form of a cookie and not in the pot in the form of a glob. :)

VARIATIONS:

If oats are running short - perhaps you are at the bottom of the barrel; try these add-ins to complete the 3 cups of volume:

~ Rice Krispies
~ Cocoa Krispies
~ Special K (or the store brand equivalent)
~ coconut flakes
~ chopped nuts
~ chow mein noodles
~ potato chips (crushed)
~ any kind of crunchy flaky cereal
~ rice checks, crushed
~ crushed Heath bars or Skors
~ soy nuts
~ crushed graham crackers
~ crumbled up brownies
~ crushed ice cream cones
~ mini marshmallows

My favorite variation has become 1 cup oats, 1 cup chow mein noodles and 1 cup Cocoa Krispies.

MORE TIPS:

Pre-measure everything so you can work quickly. Have waxed paper already layed out and waiting. Don't forget to rinse out pot right after spooning dropping cookies. It will be much easier to clean if you soak it or clean it then!

Enjoy :)

Submitted by: Micah McDaniel