No-Bake Summer Snacks

"Mom, can we make cookies today?" Jackson asked as we drove home from our first day of swim lessons in the sweltering heat of our black minivan.

"No, it's too hot to bake," I said as I rolled down the windows to let some of the heat escape.

As spring folds into summer, I give the oven a rest -- homemade casseroles, pizzas, and cookies are best suited for wintertime in our part of the world. But cookies are still possible on hot days -- like after swim lessons or for family picnics -- if you know how to make "no-bakes."

As the title implies, no-bake cookies are made without baking, though many recipes require some cooking. There are also microwavable recipes (Marshmallow Crispy Rice Treats, anyone?) and those that involve strictly combining ingredients, shaping, and chilling. What's great about no-bakes is their simplicity -- they offer a great opportunity to get the kids into the kitchen to help. The simpler "combine and chill" no-bake recipes are great first recipes for kids to try.

Then it hit me: nearly 30 years later, I still crave the chocolate chip peanut butter no-bake cookies my friend's mom made for us after school. I wondered if I could replicate the childhood recipe I remembered (peanut butter, chocolate chips, and powdered milk rolled into bite-sized balls and stored in the fridge) or find something similar online. I found a healthy alternative (search "No Bake Bumpy Peanut Butter Nuggets" on www.allrecipes.com) and the kids had a (wait for it...) ball making and eating them.

I ordered a book dedicated exclusively to oven-free cookies called No-Bake Cookies: More Than 150 Fun, Easy & Delicious Recipes for Cookies, Bars, And Other Cool Treats Made Without Baking by Camilla V. Saulsbury, and found some more no-bake recipes online: