When I was a little girl, one of my favorite treats was when my mom would make Chocolate No-Bake Cookies. Some people know them as cow patties, or even hay stacks. But to my sister and me, they were “Sweetie Drops.” I don’t know why. That was a mom-thing.
One of the great things about being a grown-up is the ability to make any cookie, anytime you want. And, then there’s the added fun of getting to make your food the way you want. It seems hard to improve upon the sheer perfection that are Chocolate No-Bake Cookies. But what about combining several too-good-to-be-true flavors into one magical cookie? That’s what I did when I combined mom’s “Sweetie Drop” cookies, heavenly Nutella, and ….
…..wait for it…..
…..coffee.
Oh, yes I did.
I find it easiest to gather all my ingredients, so I have them on-hand and ready to go. Once things get cooking, you won’t have time to be measuring. And no-bake connoisseurs know that even though they’re no-bake, they can be temperamental. Under-cook them and they’ll never set up. Over-cook them and they’ll be dry and powdery. So, do yourself a favor and gather everything first.
(p.s. Hazelnut extract is kinda hard to find. I ordered mine from Amazon. The hazelnut extract really makes it taste “Nutella-y,” but if you don’t want to mess with finding/ordering it, you can substitute vanilla.)
(p.p.s. The espresso granules add a hint of coffee flavor, which I absolutely adore. But if you don’t like coffee, you can use all cocoa powder. Your cookies will just taste more chocolate-y.)
Mix the sugar, cocoa, espresso granules, and salt in a large sauce pan.
Add the butter and milk.
Bring to a boil and boil for one minute and 30 seconds, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Don’t be tempted to step away or stop stirring. There’s so much sugar it can burn easily, so keep stirring!
This is one of the places where timing is important. If you under-boil, your cookies will be runny. If you over-boil, they’ll be dry. Also – I’m not sure why you have to use a wooden spoon. But that was part of mom’s original recipe, so it stays in this one.
Reduce the heat to low, add the Nutella and stir until nearly all melted. (Some small Nutella lumps are OK.) Remove from heat, add the extract and stir.
Add the oats and mix for one minute, or until mix starts to firm. The is the other step that determines how your cookies will turn out. Under-mix them and they won’t set-up. Over-mix and they’ll be dry. You’ll notice the mix stops being liquid-y and starts being a little more like brownie batter….that’s the perfect point to start making your cookie drops. (If you’re not sure, test it by dropping a teaspoon of the mix onto your foil or wax paper. If it runs like liquid, it’s under-mixed. If it doesn’t fall off the spoon at all, it’s over-mixed. But if it plops off the spoon, and settles into a cow-patty shape, you are good to go!)
Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or foil. If needed, chill until firm.
Oh, and try not to eat them all in one sitting. I dare you.
Here’s the complete recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoon instant espresso granules
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick softened butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups minute oats
3/4 cup Nutella
1 tsp hazelnut extract
Instructions
- Mix sugar, cocoa, coffee, and salt in large sauce pan.
- Add butter and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute and 30 seconds, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Reduce heat to low, add Nutella and stir until nearly all melted.
- Remove from heat, add extract and stir.
- Add oats and mix for one minute, or until mix starts to firm. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or foil. If needed, chill until firm.
To make these extra decadent, add 1/2 cup shredded coconut when you add the oats. Yum!
