Monday, July 19, 2010

No bakes, Gorilla Grunt, delicious!


My mother has a sister named Daisy Geraldine, or Aunt Jerry for short. She had a passel of kids and staying the night at her house was always an adventure. None of the kids had specific bedrooms or beds; so, at bedtime everyone just sort of found a place to sleep when they got tired. Aunt Jerry seemed to always be in the kitchen either cleaning or cooking. She wasn't a great cook; but, was quite a marvel when it came to keeping her 8 children and assorted visitors fed. According to my memory, which is pretty faulty, Aunt Jerry's house is the first place I ate No Bakes.
No Bakes are are lumps of cocoa, oatmeal, sugar, milk, butter, and peanut butter that have been boiled and dropped into tasty little mounds of deliciousness. Through the years I have discovered that No Bakes have been given many names, and for a time we called them Gorilla Grunt. Perhaps it is because the boys were at that gross little boy stage between 7 and 10.
It always astounded me when people I knew "discovered" these tasty treats. When Ron was first stationed at Ft. Hood, I attended a wives' picnic at the park in Copperas Cove. While pushing Ryan on a swing, I overheard a conversation between the commander's wife and another woman. She was expounding on the virtues of this new, healthy cookie she had learned to make. As she continued to describe the cookie, it dawned on me she was talking about the trusty old stand-by, No Bakes. I just chuckled to myself at how uneducated this young mother had been to have NEVER heard of No Bakes!
As the kids grew, No Bakes was one of the first things they were taught to make. Hence, it was often the cookie of choice for treat at family home evening. I have to admit, we have experimented with the recipe through the years. At times, we had it without the cocoa, resulting in a mouthwatering peanut butter version. Other times I added Mexican vanilla, giving it a slightly maple flavor. My personal favorite was when I added coconut and a smattering of raisins. Unfortunately, I was the only one that like that recipe, so we didn't have it very often.
Now that the kids are grown, the grandbabies are being introduced to No Bakes. Seth, being the non-sugary treat loving kid he is, has passed on them each time I have made them when he is around. But, luckily Maggie and Sophie have decided that No Bakes are pretty darn good. I think the recipe will be passed on through another generation.

5 comments:

Kathy said...

Yum Yum, Larry's favorites. When our boys were young they were named Gorilla Dookies and that has stuck around here. When I am in the more 'educated' crowd I try to remember to call them No Bake Cookies. We always had them in school too :)

PS.... are they really healthy???

KID, MD said...

They're popular around here, too! I LOVE them with raisins, but Mitch doesn't. They're yummy with dried cherries, too.

We call them Mud Splats, although my grandmother called them Doggie Droppings. She had an interesting sense of humor.

And I really don't care if they're healthy (although with all that butter and sugar, I'd have to go with not so much).

HollyDolly said...

i have always LOVED No Bakes! I'm not sure how many of my nieces and nephews have ever had them, but i can always remember eating them growing up. maybe the next time my beau and i have the kids for a weekend, we'll make them!

The Monkeys said...

We eat them straight out of the pan with a spoon. Yumminess!

Kathy said...

I would go home and make some; but Kathy wants me to lose weight:( Maybe I can make some and eat them all before she gets back for Ohio. Larry