Tasty and Friendly

Ok, so I ran across this recipe the other day. I tried it with the modifications needed for our allergies. They were tasty and easy to make. Do you all remember the no-bake cookies of our youth? Well, they are back, but without the peanut butter. The original recipe came from Karla Erickson's cookbook titled "Kids in the Kitchen" (1980). Here it goes...

1/2 cup canned Coconut Milk
1/2 cup spectrum shortening or margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups quick cooking oats (regular can be substituted, I did)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut
6 Tbls cocoa powder

Combine coconut milk, shortening, and sugar in saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour cooked sugar mixture over the oats and mix until all the oatmeal is well covered.
Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered surface and let cool.
Enjoy!

I have made these twice. The original recipe said to use just 3 Tbls of cocoa. I found that was not enough for my tastes. Tried it again last night with 6 Tbls and oh, boy, yummy. I want to experiment with other dried fruit like fruit bits or something that goes well with chocolate. Good luck and happy eating!