A quick and easy sweet chocolate cookie with quick oats and coconut, made on the stove-top

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa (powder)
1/2 cup milk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup coconut (or nuts of your choice)

1. In a large stock pot, combine sugar, cocoa, and milk, whisking until mixed. Measure oats and coconut in a bowl or large measuring cup and set aside.

2. Add butter and salt and then heat over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. (Use whisk to remove lumps if necessary.)

3. Continue heating and stirring until mixture boils. When mixture is at a full boil (it will be very bubbly!) time for 4 1/2 minutes. Stir constantly while timing.

4. Remove pan from heat and add vanilla, oats, and coconut. Quickly stir until the oats are completely covered with chocolate.

5. Drop mixture by teaspoons onto a sheet of waxed paper. Cookies will harden as they cool. Yummy!!

If cookies don't set properly (i.e. fall apart or are still wet when completely cool), the sugar mixture wasn't boiled long enough.

If cookies are too hard (or set up while still hot!) the sugar mixture was boiled too long.

If the dough starts setting up as you're dropping the cookies onto the waxed paper, just stir a little water or milk into the remaining dough so that you can continue forming your cookies.

This is a really quick cookie recipe. These cookies are super sweet (more like candy, really!) and chocolate-y. :) I've been making these no-bake cookies for many years (ever since I was learning to cook as a child!) and they're always enjoyed when we take them places. They're easy to make, too! I always put coconut in ours. My rating: 10/10