(recipe from sugarspunrun.com)
Peanut Butter and Chocolate No Bake Cookies
This is a unique recipe for peanut butter and chocoloate cookies that doesn't require an oven.
Ingredients½ cup salted butter cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces (113g)
½ cup whole milk¹ (120ml)
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (200g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
¼ cup cocoa powder (25g)
⅔ cup creamy peanut butter² (165g)
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups instant/quick oats³ (285g)
Instructions
Prepare two cookie sheets by lining with wax paper and set aside.
Combine butter, milk, sugars, and cocoa powder in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Don't bump up the heat to speed up the process or you run the risk of your ingredients not combining properly and your cookies not setting properly.
Stir ingredients frequently until butter is completely melted (I recommend using a long wooden spoon as a metal spoon can become really hot).
Increase heat to medium and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
Boil, still stirring constantly, for 1 minute (I recommend using a timer, see post for more details on why it’s important to not over or under-boil) then remove from heat. Continue to stir the mixture for several seconds. Add peanut butter and vanilla extract, stirring until peanut butter is completely combined and melted into the mixture.
Add oats and stir until coated in chocolate.
Drop no bake cookie mixture by approximately 1 ½-2 Tablespoon-sized spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet.
Allow to cool (approximately 20-30 minutes) before serving, the cookies will harden as they cool.
Recipe Websites
sugarspunrun.comThis recipe website has a decent layout with margins and a heiarchy of text. However, the biggest problem with this page is that it does not get to the point quickly enough, which is the recipe. It has a lot of filler text and frequently asked questions. The images are incredibly large, so it takes a lot of effort to scroll down to the actual recipe and ingredients in a few words. It would be better if the recipe was there first and then the extra stuff. Although I can understand that perhaps this has something to do with keeping the viewer on the site for a longer period of time.
allrecipes.comI immediately noticed and appreciated that this website immediately gets to the recipe along with smaller images in one spot, reviews, a video, and an interactive checklist. This way, a user could instantly get to cooking and check things off of the list.
sallysbakingaddiction.comLike the sugarspun run website, this website also has really large images and a lot of fluff. However, the layout is unique to the site, it has a neat color scheme, and it has buttons at the top that enable the user to jump straight to the recipe if wanted. I think this acheives the purpose of engagement with more freedom or ease for the user. The unique styling may also bring users back, curious to see what else it has to offer.
Sample Websites
thredup.comThis website is not particularly unique compared to other clothes shopping webites, but the takeaway I get from this site and others like it is the ability for the user to filter through the details they want, like size or style. For my recipe website, like sally's, I would want to create this kind of option.
riverstyx.comI really enjoy the way the styling of this site is very catered to the subject matter with its text on a paper scroll among other things. Maybe having instructions in cookie shaped templates may be an interesting way to engage the user.
coolthings.comThis website has a nice, modulated grid for its images/links to pages. I think this is really useful in the sense that the user can see multiple options every time they scroll as opposed to scrolling through one large image at a time. I think this is something I can employ in the design of my recipe page or site.
Rationale
Based on the examples I have seen, I would like to create a recipe website for the peaunut butter cookies that has elements to keep the viewer engaged such as a styling catered to the subject matter and an interactive checklist. At the same time, I think it would be effective to give the viewer options as to what kind of experience they want by providing an option to view a condensed version of the recipe straight away and keeping the images small/ grouped.