A step above traditional No-Bakes, with a fruit and coconut twist.
When it comes to no-bake cookies, most people are in one of two camps: You either love ‘em or you don’t. I’m in love.
Last night we went to a birthday dinner at a friend’s house. Our friend John, A.K.A. the birthday boy, LOVES No Bake Cookies so I decided to whip up a batch with a few new twists. Little did I know that John and his wife do NOT enjoy or eat (even a little) coconut, and although the other guests at the party managed to bottom out half a plate of these silky little gems along with an obligatory piece of birthday cake, Mr. EN and I still took home 1/3 of a plate. Lucky for us: we’ve got lunchbox cookies for the week!
These Cranberry Coconut No-Bake Cookies are smooth, sweet, and extra chocolaty. The extra dark cocoa gives them a luxurious mouth feel and a little richer taste than traditional no-bakes, while the coconut and cranberries add a sweet/tart flavor layer that works well in this recipe.
Prep Tips:
Gather All Your Ingredients First. This recipe moves fast.
Upscale your cranberries. Often the cheaper dried cranberries are a little dry and those are fine for many recipes but not this one. Look for dried cranberries that are most and chewy. I used Ocean Spray Craisins in this recipe. I also think dried cherries would be good. Ahh… next time.
Dark Cocoa for richness. According to Cook’s Illustrated magazine, Hershey’s cocoa gets a thumbs up for great quality cocoa at an economical price. I used a combination of Hershey’s regular cocoa and their Special Dark cocoa, but you could easily use one or the other.
Watch the timer. Sixty seconds means 60 seconds so set a timer and don’t guesstimate. You should start timing the 60 seconds once the cocoa/butter mixture is at a rolling boil; not just starting to boil around the edges. Note – Boiling this mixture too long = dry cookies, boiling too short = wet cookies that will not set. (See step 3 of the recipe below.)
After I made (and ate about six of) these, Cranberry Coconut No-Bake Cookies I had an epiphany that they would be EVEN BETTER if I used coconut that is TOASTED. I’ll probably tackle that recipe next Saturday. 😉
THIS JUST IN: A FORMER WORKMATE OF MINE – EMMA – SAID DO NOT TOAST THE COCONUT. HERS CAME OUT TOO DRY. GOOD TO KNOW AND THANKS EMMA!
Peace, love and good eats; from our empty nest to yours.
Trending in the EN Kitchen: Ocean Spray Craisins purchased at our local Meijer Store
Mr. ENs Take on This Recipe: “Loved them.”
Cranberry Coconut No Bake Cookies
Yield 30-36 small cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces or ½ cup coconut oil, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup low-fat milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder = (I used a combo of light and dark; see prep tips above)
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
- ½ cup coconut
- 1/3 cup cranberries, chopped
- Non-stick spray
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients and measure everything out. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the butter (or coconut oil), sugar, milk, and unsweetened cocoa powder in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring often until the butter melts and everything is well-combined.
- Bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once it reaches boiling, set a timer and allow to boil for 60 seconds (no more no less) stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter, salt, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Stir in the oats, cranberries and coconut. Mix until well-combined.
- Work fast! Drop, using a 1 ½ tablespoon greased cookie scoop (or eyeball it), the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets. Allow cookies to cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Notes
These cookies store well in a covered container and will last up to two weeks.
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