If the yellowed index card doesn’t give it away, the “White Karo Corn Syrup” listed among the ingredients should.
This is another treasure from Mother Lovett’s expansive recipe collection. I was especially excited to discover these cookies because they use one of my favorite ingredients: graham cracker crumbs.
True story: sometimes I melt butter in the microwave, stir in graham cracker crumbs, fold in marshmallows, then add chocolate chips and microwave again for a makeshift “s’mores bowl.” I’m slightly embarrassed to admit it — but not enough to stop. I even convince myself it’s a healthy snack on occasion.
I’d never seen a non-cheesecake, no-bake cookie made with graham cracker crumbs before, and with so many no-bake cookie recipes out there, I was thrilled as I rolled the dough into balls.
As we all know, there’s only one way to make peanut butter even better…
The graham cracker crumbs lend a pleasant salty note to these cookies. If you know me, you know chocolate + peanut butter + salt is my kryptonite. If you don’t, just imagine how much I love bacon.
Given the salty, peanut-buttery base, a drizzle of chocolate on top is the perfect finishing touch. These cookies aren’t overly sweet, so the chocolate adds richness without overwhelming them.
I like these best straight from the fridge, when they’re cool and the chocolate has set into a thick, fudgy layer. I adapted the original recipe slightly based on what I had and through a bit of trial and error — and I’m not ashamed to say I sampled the imperfect batches along the way.
I’ll take ten, please.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes about 20 cookies
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (substitute corn or maple syrup if preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of ginger
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. The dough will be crumbly at first; continue mixing and press the mixture together with your hands. Form 1-inch balls — if the dough won’t hold, add a little more peanut butter or syrup until it comes together. Flatten each ball and press with a fork to create indentations.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler and drizzle over the cookies. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Santa better leave diamonds under the tree.