Backcountry Kitchen: No-Bake Cookies

When you're out having lots of fun, you need to fuel yourself with lots of calories. That's where many hikers go wrong when packing. I know I always forget to bring enough fat on the trail, and I always regret it. One can only eat so much trail mix in a day. Lately, I've been bringing along some high-octane cookies to the peaks in Juneau, Alaska, where I live and work. As someone who lives out of their car, baking is out of the question. So no-bake cookies have become my go-to.

We tested these recipes on a 3-hour hike up and down Mount Juneau, a 3,000-foot climb in under 3 miles, with a quick detour to a pond to cool off. It was 85 degrees with full sun, so by the halfway point we were pretty much spent. Later that day, we doubled up on dessert and hiked out to a waterfall for a nature photo shoot. The cookies did their job. We were drained when we sat down, but we felt like we could climb three more mountains after we ate.

The first recipe is more of a base recipe. Tasty as they are without modification, feel free to add chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or powdered milk. Whatever tastes good in any other cookie will work just fine here. If any of the following recipes end up being too wet, add in a little more oatmeal.

Peakbagger's Cookies

• 3 packets of instant oatmeal (I used the brown sugar flavor here)
• 5 Tbsp salted butter or 5 Tbsp unsalted with 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp water

Chocolate Mocha Cookies

• 3 packets regular, instant oatmeal
• 5 Tbsp salted butter
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 3 Tbsp cocoa mix
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 Tbsp water

Peanut Butter Raisin

• 3 packets regular, instant oatmeal
• 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter
• Handful raisins
• 1/2 Tbsp water

Chocolate Coconut

• 3 packets regular, instant oatmeal
• 5 Tbsp salted butter
• Handful coconut flakes
• 3 Tbsp cocoa mix
• Handful chocolate chips
• 1/2 Tbsp water

Extra-Calorie Cookies

• 3 packets regular, instant oatmeal
• 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 2 Tbsp powdered milk
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter
• Handful walnuts

With each recipe, throw everything in a baggie at the trailhead and store it where the sun will warm it up while you hike. The brain of my backpack worked nicely. This will melt the butter a little bit so everything mixes better. When you reach your lunch spot, knead the cookies while in the baggie and divide among your party. Makes four cookies, or if you're really hungry, one very large one.