No-Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Holy crap, these were amazing!  They're not healthy, by any means, but they made my mouth very happy last night!


NO-BAKE PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 c. almond milk
1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix + 1 T. pumpkin pie spice
3 1/2 c. quick oats
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. vanilla

In a saucepan combine sugars, margarine, and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for two minutes.

Remove from heat and add pudding mix and 1 T. pumpkin pie spice, stirring to combine completely.  Add teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and oats.  Stir to combine and let stand 5 minutes.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto waxed paper and allow to cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars

This week's dessert was another hit.  At least in my book.  One family member who tried them, didn't like them, but others did.  They were easy to make and had a bunch of good stuff in them.  How can you go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter??

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE BARS

1 c. peanut butter (I use Sprout's natural pb because it doesn't have a lot of extra "yucky" stuff in it)
2/3 c. honey
1/2 c. coconut oil (I use Whole Food's 365 brand)
2 c. oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free)
1 1/4 c. chocolate chips (as you can see in the pic: ghirardelli is my choice, they don't use milk fat)
3/4 c. Craisins

Melt peanut butter, honey, and oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add oats, chocolate, and cranberries.  Stir until chocolate melts.  Spread mixture into a 9x13 pan.  Refrigerate (or freeze) until hardened.  Store in fridge or freezer.

I cut the pan into 24 squares.  But you can obviously cut them however big you want them.  Beware, though, they are kind of rich, so you don't want them too big or you'll get sick of it before you're done with it!