Real Vanilla Flavor

I love vanilla. I buy vanilla lotions, perfumes, candles. I love to cook with vanilla and put it in my pancakes, coffee, hot chocolate and other things. Tonight, while making No-Bake Cookies, I put in my teaspoon of vanilla and decided to taste a teaspoon full. My mind was bombarded with memories. (Please bear in mind that this is my memory and my mom might remember it differently.)





As a kid, and by kid I mean any age up to age of 19 or so when I moved out of my parents house, I would make these cookies for my family and friends. I always put a teaspoon of vanilla in the cookies and a teaspoon in my mouth. I thought it was quite tasty. One day my mom came into the kitchen and saw me putting the teaspoon of vanilla in my mouth. I can picture her now in her "full-name mode" with her voice getting louder and gaining a bit of a screech, hands on her hips with elbows akimbo. "SAMANTHA VICTORIA HOBBS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I was a bit surprised to get the "full-name" treatment but I responded that I was making cookies. She then proceeded to tell me not to sip on the vanilla flavoring any more, that it is mainly alcohol. I thought she meant rubbing alcohol so I quit doing it even though I was tempted each time.





Back to tonight's cookies. After sipping the vanilla and getting a burn all the way down, I know it's not rubbing alcohol she was talking about and the taste isn't what I remembered it to be; however, the cookies were good.

Here's the recipe I use from a cookbook my sister gave me a long time ago. She gave the cookbook and wrote in the front of it that she was giving it to me so I would quit borrowing hers!

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NO BAKE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

2 cups sugar1 stick butter (1/2 cup)1/2 cup Pet milk1 teaspoon vanilla2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa1/2 cup peanut butter3 cups oats
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except peanut butter and oats and cook over medium heat.
Let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and oats.
Spoon out quickly onto wax paper or aluminum foil.
Cookies will harden as they set.