No Bake, Easy to Decorate Cookies

It's July and temperatures are soaring, but your mom nevertheless volunteered you to provide homemade cookies for her Salsa dancing group. What to do when you need cookies, but it's too dang hot out to turn on your oven? Why, make a batch of no-bake cookies, of course. These cookies are also ideal when you have more cookies to make than you have time to bake.

Some no-bake cookies require stovetop cooking while others require only mixing ingredients and forming into shapes (great for that summertime Salsa event.)

Cookie Bake

While eggs aren't used in no-bake cookies, a binder of some sort is needed to keep the cookies from becoming cookie crumbs. Peanut butter, oatmeal, marshmallows, corn syrup and chocolate are some often used ingredients for this purpose.

No bake cookies are smooth, crunchy or a little of both. Add crunch with chow mein noodles, nuts, crackers, cereal and actual cookie crumbs.

This recipe is perfect for your bird-watching group or other spring-time event.

Easter Bird Nest Cookies

Ingredients:

4 cups chow mein noodles

3 cups miniature marshmallows

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Miniature jelly beans or other egg shaped candies.

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Pour crunchy noodles into large bowl. Over medium heat, melt butter or margarine and marshmallows, stirring until smooth. Pour marshmallow mixture over noodles, and mix until noodles are well coated.

To form the cookies, first rub some butter or margarine on your hands because things can get sticky. Form noodle mixture into six round balls. Place balls on waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Pressing with back of a teaspoon on each ball, make a hollow indentation, so the cookie forms a nest shape.

Set cookies aside until they're firm. Then fill centers with the candies. There you have it, birds nests complete with eggs!

Chocolate Orange Layer Cookies

Are you creating cookies for your son's circus-themed birthday party or your daughter's graduation from dog-groomers school? You can use cookie cutters to create shaped no-bake cookies. This recipe yields 100 miniature cookies.

Ingredients

Chocolate Layers

12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

Orange Filling

7.5 ounces marshmallow cream

5 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup grated orange rind

2 teaspoons orange extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

White baking chocolate for garnish, optional

Directions

Bottom Chocolate Layer:

Prepare two 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly-roll pans: Line one pan with aluminum foil, and line the second pan with waxed paper, taping the waxed paper to the bottom of the inside of the pan.

Melt 1 cup chocolate and 2 tablespoons shortening in double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir while heating until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Pour mixture into foil lined pan, spreading evenly with metal spatula. Refrigerate this until firm (about 20 minutes). Once firm, invert the chocolate onto the waxed paper, and peel off the foil. Refrigerate.

Orange Filling:

Combine marshmallow cream, 4 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar, orange rind and extract, and salt in medium-size bowl. Stir with wooden spoon until a thick mass forms. Then knead mixture with hands until ingredients are fully incorporated.

Lightly dust work surface with confectioners' sugar. Turn marshmallow mixture out onto prepared surface. Knead for about 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Lightly dust waxed paper and rolling pin with remaining confectioners' sugar. Roll filling out to 1/8-to1/4-inch thickness so that it fills the jelly-roll pan.

Remove sheet of chocolate from refrigerator. Let stand about 5 minutes or long enough to soften. Carefully invert filling on top of chocolate; peel off waxed paper. Return to refrigerator and chill about 15 minutes.

Top chocolate layer:

Melt together remaining chocolate and shortening in boiler over hot, not boiling water, until smooth. Remove filling from refrigerator. Pour chocolate over top, smoothing over entire surface with long thin metal spatula. Return to refrigerator and chill 15 to 20 minutes or until firm enough to cut.

Using mini cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Or cut into 1-inch squares.

To decorate cookies, melt white chocolate and drizzle over tops.

If you're interested in learning more intricate forms of decorating cookies with fondant, glazes and more, you can find classes, books and videos on the subject, such as the "Cookie Decorating Made Easy" Video Books. Here's what one reader had to say:

"Hi Michael! I bought your cookie video books on Friday and made cookies with my kids on Saturday. It was the funnest time and the cookies turned out beautifully. .........This is the coolest thing I've bought on the internet since your Cake Decorating video books!"

Chris B.

Las Vegas, NV

One more advantage to no-bake cookies: Remember years ago when you were allowed to lick the bowl when your mom made cookie dough? Since this recipe has no raw eggs, it's ok for your own kids (or you!) to lick the bowl.

No Bake, Easy to Decorate Cookies

Samantha Mitchell, Co-Author Cookie Decorating Made Easy! Vol. 1 & 2 The World's First Cookie Decorating Video Books. For more cookie decorating tips, along with instructional videos, delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our free newsletter at http://www.CookiesMadeEasy.com

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