How to Make the Best No-Bake Cookies

No-bake cookies are very easy to make, and are a fabulous first recipe to get your kids started in the kitchen. But there are some secrets to making the best cookies.

• Assemble all of the ingredients before you begin. In fact, measure all of the ingredients before you start cooking. These recipes go together fast. When you're adding ingredients to hot syrups and melted mixtures, you don't want to stop to measure, because the recipe can be ruined.
• Be sure that the sugar is completely dissolved before you add the thickening ingredients (peanut butter, cereal, chocolate). Most no-bake cookies start with a sugar syrup. If the sugar isn't completely dissolved, the cookies will be grainy. Scoop up a bit of the syrup in a metal spoon and look at it carefully. You shouldn't be able to see any crystals.
• When making syrups, especially in the microwave, be sure to rinse the spoon off under very hot water after each time you stir the syrup. The sugar crystals on the spoon could re-introduce crystals into the mixture, and the whole thing could seize, resulting in a grainy mess.
• Follow cooking instructions to the letter. Some recipes are simply mixed, then formed, while others are heated in the microwave or on the stovetop before shaping. Be sure that ingredients are melted according to the instructions before you continue.
• If your kids are making these recipes, be sure they understand food safety, how to handle hot mixtures, and basic kitchen safety. Be sure they use hot pads and never, ever, lick a spoon containing hot syrup or use bare fingers to scrape off the spoon or knife.
• Use the back of a buttered spoon or measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan if you're making a bar cookie. The mixture can be very sticky.
• Store these recipes at room temperature. If it's very hot, you can put them in the fridge, but the texture and flavor will be better if eaten at room temperature.