No-Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies + A Giveaway

I'm sure everyone remembers eating those no-bake oatmeal peanut butter cookies as a kid? They were always one of my favorite cookies. I still really enjoy them, and as a bonus, they have no egg in them, so they're a big treat for Caroline, too!

These cookies are a bit of a take-off from those. They are no bake, and contain oats, peanut butter, and chocolate. Yet they are so much more. They also have toasted almonds, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips.  And they are actually pretty healthy -- for a cookie, that is. Using turbadino sugar and honey gives them a natural sweetness, and they have a good bit of protein thanks to the peanut butter and almonds. To me, they taste a bit like a no-bake cookie and granola bar. Which is a good thing, trust me.

With school back in session, it's always challenging to find a good, filling, yet still somewhat healthy after school snack. Caroline has been enjoying one of these cookies, along with half of a banana as her afternoon snack. A little sweet, just a bit salty, crunchy, and chewy. These cookies hit on all the tastebuds.

One of the fun things about cooking and baking is sharing the photos with friends and family. I do that through my blog of course, but I also use a few social media sites, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I love seeing what others are baking up as well, so it's a fun way to share. In The Raw has developed a fun new app through Facebook called "Au Natural In The Raw" that pixelates an image to make it "censored." It's a fun little app to play around with. I did it with these cookies, but check out the full gallery on their page - some are pretty creative and funny.

Now for the giveaway! If you'd like to win a $100 gift card to Cooking.com, visit the In The Raw website, and leave a comment here telling me which recipe you would make.*   Easy peasy!

No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
adapted from In The Raw
makes about 22 cookies

• 3 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
• 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries, coarsely chopped
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup Sugar In The Raw (coarse turbadino sugar)
• 2 Tbs honey
• 2 Tbs unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup low-fat or reduced-fat milk
• 1/2 cup smooth, all-natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, cranberries, and salt. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, cocoa powder, butter, and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Boil gently for about 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract.

Remove from heat and stir in the oats mixture, stirring until a cohesive dough forms.

Scoop 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll into a ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing 1 1/2-2 inches apart. Lightly press with dampened fingers to flatten the balls into cookies, then chill about 1 hour before serving.

The cookies can be stored for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

I was provided with Sugar In The Raw products and compensation for this post, but the opinions are my own.

*This sweepstakes runs through 9/30. For the official rules, visit this site.

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d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/10/12-9/30/12.

Be sure to visit In The Raw's brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!