THE DISH
No-bake cookies (recipe here)
THE INSPIRATION
Kurt Cobain made cookies? Apparently, or he at least had some interest in doing so. While reading through Cobain’s journals as research for a really cool feature we did on eMusic, I found a jotted-down recipe for no-bake cookies (as well as one for his mom’s shrimp pasta salad). This month marks the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind, so in honor of the album’s anniversary I made his cookies to the best of my ability! (And they’re even more appropriate for this week seeing as I’m headed to grunge’s birthplace, Seattle, on Friday.) Strangely enough, they do not have peanut butter in them, like every other no-bake cookie I have ever made or eaten, but I assure you they are still just as fudgy and gooey as the ones that do.
THE RECIPE
From Kurt Cobain’s Journals, page 24. I halved the recipe, but below is for a normal batch.
Ingredients:
3 cups quick oats
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
• Put the oats in a large bowl.
• Combine everything else in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
• Let boil for two minutes.
• Remove from heat and pour over the oats. Stir the mixture until it sets.
• Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper. Set in the fridge or freezer until they can be peeled off. (They will stay insanely sticky.)
Eating the Beats 
My dad made these all the time. We called them Baltimore cookies for some reason. I’ve been lookin for this recipe FOREVER.
Also, you don’t really need a bowl. You can throw the oats in the pot and stir them up in there, and then drop them onto the wax paper.
Ooooh, good idea! Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I’ve made regular no-bakes (with peanut butter) all in one pot!
We made a variation on this recipe when I was growing up. Basically, it’s the same recipe plus peanut butter. My mom’s recipe was called “peanut cocoa drops.”
My sister and I actually made that recipe a lot during our teenage years, when we were big admirers of Kurt Cobain. It’s kind of nice to think that he was making almost exactly the same snacks.
Yep, add 1 c peanut butter or almond butter but you can also add 1/2 c shredded coconut too or, which is delish. And then scoop out with an ice cream scoop for tasty nice big chocolaty mouthfuls!
Yes, I love them with peanut butter and coconut! Almond butter sounds tasty, too.
[…] p.m., come to Pine Box Rock Shop in Brooklyn for: – Free vegan treats (made by me; including Kurt Cobain’s no-bake cookies) – Music-inspired cocktails and plenty of other great drinks (happy hour till 8 p.m.), […]
[…] […]
Dude, I want to see the recipe for Mrs. Cobain’s shrimp pasta salad! That sounds so good!
And I’m definitely using this recipe for my next sleepover!
In honor of the late musician, they should be renamed “Kurt cookies” or something.
So thats definitely Kurt’s handwriting, but thats page isnt in my book… I’m sitting here with Kurt Cobain Journals and i just went thru the entire book, but no recipe… So i was wondering how did you get this recipe? Or do you have a different book?
Would love to try them tho!
Hm! I am pretty sure it was the Journals book that this was in, but I don’t actually own it — a colleague had brought it into work a few years back and I found it in there then, so I’m afraid I can’t be of much help in tracking it down again!