Fudgy Walnut Butter Sprinkles No Bakes (with homemade walnut butter!)

Hello everyone!  Happy Wednesday!  We just got back from our 11 day trip!  Dad drove us until midnight last night instead of spending the night halfway and driving the rest today.  It was so wonderful to be home.  I slept in until after 9 (a first in my life!) and just lay there, relishing not being in a hotel bed.

The trip was special and fun, don't get me wrong, but mornings at the hotel were probably my least favorite of the whole trip.  They really weren't that bad, but for me, having to get out of my pjs and brush my hair before going down to breakfast became really hard after the first week.  Since we had some sick people halfway through, we got up at different times and even though I got to go eat when I got up vs. when everyone was up, there couldn't be any lights.  So even if I wanted to do my hair and makeup (which like I said, by the last couple days, sounded like total work) it couldn't happen.  If you have every tried to put mascara on in the dark, you know the nightmare that is.  Seriously, don't wait until you are sleeping with five other people, one two years old, another throwing up, and another addicted to sleep, in a hotel room to try that.

Anyhoo, while I was laying in the bed at hotel rooms, I had lots of time to think about what I wanted to make when I got home.  I wanted it to be fast, I wanted it to be something I had never done before, and it needed to have chocolate.

I was going to do brownies, because, people, I didn't have a brownie for 11 days.  Just think about that.  By the end of the trip, I needed a brownie.  Falling asleep was so hard because I always have something chocolate after dinner and we only brought cookies (which were gone pretty quick) and no way am I buying a $5 brownie that I know won't taste like I want it too.   So I waited and was craving it something serious.

So when we got home, at midnight, I carried in my bag, flipped on the lights and found a three week old brownie on the counter.  It was pure bliss.  And belive it or not, it was still soft and chocolaty.  I'll share the recipe with you soon, because it is a winner. 

Where was I going with all this?  Oh yeah, so I had my brownie.  I was free to make what I had been dreaming up for the past two weeks.

Fudgy Homemade Walnut Butter Chocolate Chip Sprinkles No Bakes.  And they are plain awesome.

Big name for little cookie, I know, but if you were to describe me in my name, it would fill a dictionary.  Good thing we don't name our children the way we name recipes.  (I shortened it a little for the actual recipe, but not much as you can tell from the title of this post.)

Gosh, I am all kinds of distracted today!  And I even got eight hours of sleep!  Back. to. subject.  No bakes.  Okay, so we have had a huge tin of unshelled walnuts from my aunt's walnut tree and I told mom I wanted to make walnut butter with them.  The next morning, I see Dorothy's Walnut Butter recipe and know, thats the one I am going to use.  Unfortunately, we left too soon for me to try it, so I waited until today to do it.  But I had lots of time to think about it.  While I was laying on the hotel bed, I thought, why not make no bakes with it, using it like peanut butter?  A couple nights later, I knew I wanted to add oats and sprinkles.  Sweet dreams, indeed.

These are seriously good.  The walnut butter is subtle and adds a wonderful nutty flavor to the chocolate chips.  Sweet, chewy and so fun with the sprinkles (I had to celebrate the end of our trip someway!) I have found my new favorite no bake.  Not overly nutty or oat-y, these are perfect for those with peanut allergies and those who like easy recipes.  Seriously, all you have to do is press a button, turn on a stove, and voila!  You have delcious no bake cookies!

My chocolate melted a little and that is where the fudgy part comes in.  So fudgy - the walnut butter and the slightly melted chocolate chips - mmmm yum.  But you still have some chunks of chocolate in there to keep the oats and sprinkles company.  Even my mom liked them, and she doesn't like nuts.  Or no bakes.  Like I said, just plain awesome.

So here it is.  The culmination of several weeks worth of thought and only about 15 minutes of effort.  You're welcome.

Fudgy Walnut Butter Sprinkles No Bake Cookies
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yield: 20 cookies

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup walnut butter
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup oat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sprinkles

Melt coconut oil in a small pot on the stove.  Add brown sugar and stir.  Add walnut butter, milk, and vanilla and stir until smooth.  Add oat flour and oats and stir until combined.  Remove from heat and let cool for a couple minutes.

 Add chocolate chips and sprinkles and immediately scoop into balls.  Place on wax paper and store at room temperature or in refrigerator. 

Walnut Butter:
2 cups (5 oz.) walnuts
1 tablespoon honey or pure maple syrup

In a food processor, grind walnuts for1-2 minutes or until fine crumbs.  Add honey or pure maple syrup and process until smooth.  (Mine was dark and just a tad crumbly.)

Did you make it through that post?  I applaud you!  Thank you all for reading and commenting, it really does make my day.  Don't forget to share it if you liked it!