Welcome to Cooking with Less Kilowatts! There is nothing better than sitting down in the evening to enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal. But did you know that changing what you do in the kitchen can make an impact on your monthly electricity bill? Each week, I will help you find ways to cook using less energy while still getting a satisfying, flavorful meal. Trust me – I won’t just tell you to do everything in the microwave. I’ll help you cut down on your energy consumption.
Let’s celebrate National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day with a super-sweet and delicious no-bake cookie. Today’s recipe is perfect for any day you want easy-to-make, homemade cookies without having to turn on the oven!
Let’s be clear – these nutty no-bake cookies are NOT your ordinary oatmeal raisin cookies. They are full of golden raisins, Medjool dates, and mixed nuts along with melted White Chocolate Chips and coconut oil.
The golden color of the cookies almost disguise the golden raisins, which is helpful for any families with kids who are weary of raisins. For example, my three-year-old will not eat anything with dark raisins in it, yet he loves these cookies!
I add Medjool dates because they are a great source of potassium and all natural sweetness. This little addition lets me reduce the amount of sugar and white chocolate chips in this recipe.
The mixed nuts used in the photos for this recipe are chopped pecans, peanuts, and cashews, but I usually just use a mixture of extra nuts I have in my pantry. If you need to buy nuts for your cookies, opt for a combination of chopped pecans and walnuts. They flawlessly pair with the creamy almond butter and almond milk I use in this recipe! But whatever nuts you use in your cookies, look for options that are packed with healthy fats and protein.
In terms of actual energy-saving cooking methods, these cookies are made in a saucepan on the stove in literally minutes. There is no need to heat the oven up at all!
For another great energy saving tip, make these well before you need them so you can let them cool on the counter for a few hours instead of cooling them down in the refrigerator. Your refrigerator is a big energy hog, so the less you can stress it out, the better!
Just follow the directions below to make these chewy, sweet, and super tasty no bake cookies!
Nutty No-Bake Oatmeal and Golden Raisin Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ c. Raw organic sugar (can use organic white sugar)
- ½ c. Almond milk
- ½ c. Creamy vanilla almond butter
- ¼ c. White chocolate chips
- ½ c. Coconut oil
- 3 tbsp. Local honey
- ¼ tsp. Sea salt
- ½ c. Chopped nuts (any kind)
- ¼ c. Chopped Medjool dates
- ½ c. Golden raisins
- 3 c. Quick oats
Directions:
1) Get a large saucepan, wooden spoon, and 2-3 baking sheets covered with parchment/wax paper set out.
2) Prepare chosen nuts (walnuts, peanuts, and cashews shown) by chopping them and prepare the dates by removing the pit from the middle and chopping them into small pieces.
3) Before turning the heat on the stove, add the sugar and almond milk to the saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar into the almond milk.
4) Add the almond butter, white chocolate chips, honey, coconut oil, and sea salt to the saucepan. Heat over medium heat while stirring with wooden spoon until the mixture begins to boil.
5) Let the mixture slow boil/bubble for 3 minutes.
6) Turn the heat off and stir in the chopped nuts, chopped dates, and golden raisins.
7) Stir in the quick oats last and mix until everything is fully mixed and incorporated.
8) Use two spoons to scoop the cookie mixture out of the saucepan and make cookies on the wax paper lined baking sheets.
9) Let the cookies cool completely on the counter or in the refrigerator to set before serving. If still sticky to the touch, the cookies are not completely set.
Make sure you do not touch the cookie mixture with your hands when moving it from the saucepan to the parchment paper. Definitely use two spoons to do this part and move any extra dripped mixture. This is because it will be extremely hot! It may not look hot still, but at this point the mixture is still sticky and hot enough to burn your hands. And if the cookies are still sticky, they aren’t set yet (but I won’t blame you if you start snacking early).
A great option for these cookies: Add ¼ cup vanilla protein powder and 2 extra tablespoons of almond milk to the saucepan at step 3 of the directions. This makes for a great post workout treat when you are craving something sweet, but want to get some extra protein!
Check in next week for another Cooking with Less Kilowatts series entry ready to help you create delicious, homemade recipes while keeping energy use and effort to a minimum!
Recipe and Images by Stacie Morgan
