This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk.  All opinions are my own.

After several attempts and many (many) soupy cookies made (and eaten…we’re not crazies), I’m happy to say that I’ve finally created a healthier No Bake cookie recipe!!  While these cookies are known by many names (no bakes, stove tops, cow pies, Raggedy Robins), they’ve always been synonymous with SNOW DAYS in my family.  It snows, you make Stove Tops.  That’s just what you do.  This tradition can be both good and bad – good for the soul but bad for the hips.  The original recipe isn’t exactly healthy.

Welp.  It snowed last week.

So….cookies were needed.

What’s a girl with hips to do?? 

I knew I wanted to create a healthier version and it still TASTE like the real cookie.  Honestly, I didn’t want to sub in bananas or applesauce or add chia seeds or flax.  I’d rather eat fewer cookies and have them taste good than completely change up the recipe, so I simply made a few changes to the original.  For example, I subbed in natural peanut butter (versus Jif or Skippy that has added sugar) and I reduced the amount of butter and sugar (the sugar is actually cut in HALF and they still taste amazing AND set up!!!).  I also used 100% cacao cocoa to give the cookies an added antioxidant punch.

If you’ve made these cookies before, you’ll know that they’re extremely TEMPERAMENTAL.  If even the slightest thing is off, they’ll either get too hard or be a soupy mess.  I’m happy to say that even with the substitutions I made, they still set up perfectly.

One of the best changes I made was substituting Blue Diamond Almond Breeze for the cow’s milk.  Lactose tends to cause me belly issues so I’ve tried to limit the amount of dairy I get (probably for the past three years or so).  Blue Diamond’s unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk has just 30 calories in each cup (!!!!) and ZERO grams of sugar (to compare, a cup of whole milk contains 100 calories and 17 grams of sugar).  I don’t know about you but that can really change up the nightly bowl of cereal.

Or in this case, you can eat more cookies ….which is always a good thing.

Healthier No Bake Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 stick of butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 tbsp. dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup Blue Diamond Almond unsweetened Vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder and almond milk in a saucepan.  Heat to boiling.  Allow to boil (rolling boil) for 2 minutes.  Take them off the heat.  Add in peanut butter, oats and vanilla.  Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.  Allow to set up for 30 minutes.  Enjoy with a glass of almond milk! ;)

QUESTION:  Ever had “No Bakes”?  What do YOU call them?  Other ways you substitute almond milk in recipes (I’m all ears)?

splendid…lindsay