Maple Drop Cookies or Maple Haystacks

Most people are familiar with Chocolate No Bake Cookies, but my special Maple No Bake Cookies seem to be very rare. I’ve never seen these maple stove top treats anywhere other than on my cabinet where they do not last very long.

One of my buddies and I found this old recipe way back in middle school which was called junior high way back then. We were having a sleep-over weekend and decided to make something sweet. I’m guessing we flipped through some cookbooks, but that was so long ago, I really don’t remember. In any case, we made Maple No Bake Cookies. I wrote the recipe down and put it in an old notebook that I’ve kept all these years.

I usually make these cookies for the holidays, but they’d be fine any time of the year. They’re super easy to make. They’re a little more costly to make with the nuts and coconut. But, they sure are good. You know they’d have to be, since I still make these thirty years after experiencing the first, fabulous batch.

Maple No Bake Cookies Recipe

1 pound brown sugar (one box either light or dark brown)
1 stick butter (or margarine)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy)
4 to 5 ounces coconut (doesn’t have to be real exact – even a cup or so is fine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts (pecans are great but other nuts are fine)
3 cups regular rolled oats (not the quick cook kind)
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1/4 tsp maple flavoring

Directions:

Put sugar, butter, and milk in large pan on top of stove. Bring to boil. The heat should be around medium-high. Stir at boil for 1 ½ minutes. Do time and stay real close to the exact time.

Add all the other ingredients to the boiled mixture – right in the big saucepan. It’s a good idea to have the items measured and ready to pour in. You need to mix fast, or the mixture can start to harden up.
Stir until everything is mixed well and all dry items coated with the boiled mixture.

Drop by spoonfuls or small globs on a large piece of tin foil. If you run out of space, you can always get a second sheet of tin foil. Wax paper also works or even cookie pans greased or sprayed with Pam.
Let the cookies sit until they firm up. They can then be lifted off and put in an airtight container.

A Few Tips:

Maple Drop Cookies, just like Chocolate No Bake Cookies, seem to turn out much better on clear days. If it’s raining or if the air is super moist, then the cookies don’t firm up very well.

This recipe makes a pretty big batch. If you really need a bunch of cookies, the recipe easily doubles. In fact, the original recipe was for the huge batch. I cut it in half years ago for family use.

Don’t overdo on the maple flavoring. The ¼ tsp listed here is perfect. Maple is a strong flavoring. If you just dump some in, then the taste can be overbearing.

If someone in the family does not like coconut, that can be omitted. Same with the peanut butter. If someone is allergic to peanuts, just skip the peanut butter. My original recipe copy calls for one or the other. I’ve always used both and love the combination.