Of Cow Patties, Poodgies, Preacher Cookies, No-Bake & Icebox Cookies

by Eric N Gibson
Contributing Writer

I can still remember the first time I had a No Bake cookie. It was at a third grade bake sale where, for twenty-five cents, you could have a baggie with 2 or 3 cookies and a dime would buy a half pint carton of milk at the cafeteria. Who knew oatmeal glued together with chocolate peanut butter fudge could taste soooo delicious? I certainly didn’t! Not until that moment when I laid out my quarter on the vinyl covered table cloth to buy myself a snack and decided to give this odd looking blob a try, did I have any idea what I was buying into. I was hooked on the first bite and my quest to find these cookies at other bake sales through the years was nearly pointless. I think everyone knew what I had just discovered, there was secret magic to these little wonders.

I scoured every school bake sale from third grade to high school my Senior year without any luck. It was as if I were in the last class to get to the sales table, these cookies were always sold out. I think the No Bake cookies even sold out faster than chocolate chip cookies. By the time I got to the table there were maybe a few lemon drops, some cookies with rubbery Orange Marmalade, baggies of granola from the kid who had hippie parents, a few headless gingerbread men (where the heads went I have no idea) and Ant’s on a Log. (Seriously people?!?! It’s called a BAKE SALE!!!) The only good thing to come out of no more bake sales in public schools because of the nut issue is that future generations of children will never have to suffer being subjected to choosing between a rubber jelly cookie and celery with peanut butter covered in raisins. I usually just donated my quarter to the cause and walked away.
Not since cornbread have I run across a recipe for something known by so many different names yet this cookie recipe offers little deviation from region to region. The No Bake Cookie is, with little doubt, a thrifty, tasty, and easy to make cookie. In fact many readers are probably already fondly remembering this cookie as one of the first they ever made. You were probably making these cookies as soon as you were old enough to be trusted near a hot stove.
A flavor similar to fudge covered oatmeal laced with a hint of peanut butter, Icebox, No Bake, Cow Patties, Poodgies, Preacher Cookies are delicious! And this is only the basic recipe. Once the basics are mastered, add-ins are encouraged. People have tried everything from spices such as Cinnamon and Clove to even Chili Powder for a little zing. Other recipe alchemists will play with ingredients such as nut butter spreads and Nutella, coconut, and even crispy rice cereal. I tend to lean toward the puritanical with only the slightest alteration, subbing in Crunchy Peanut Butter for Creamy.

So why so many names for ostensibly what is the same cookie? Well, like many other things the moniker adopted for these cookies speaks to traditions and reflects regional folklore. And, there’s just something more fun about saying “Poodgies” than there is “No-Bake Cookies,” especially when, as my son so aptly pointed out, “Well, I guess it’s kinda obvious why they call them ‘Pooh-jees’ but they don’t taste like it.”
Around these parts we tend to call them No-Bake Cookies (we’re just so imaginative here in New England) or Icebox Cookies because these cookies are super yummy when served cold with a glass of milk on a hot summer day. Where Texans came up with a name like Poodgies is a mystery to most everyone who has weighed in on the subject. And why midwesterners call these cookies “Cow Patties” should be obvious to all but the most metropolitan of urban dwellers.
But “Preacher Cookies” has, by far, the best story for its name. It seems back in the day, back in the hollars and hill sides of Appalachia, preachers came to call on their remote parishioners. As they plodded up the trail on Jennie or Jack, Granny could see the good vicar from afar; always on the watch for strangers and “Revenuers” I suppose. It was their distinctive broad flat brim hats and white collars, signature apparel of the clergy way back when, that gave clue as to who was coming. It was appropriate to offer welcomed folks who had come to call on the house something to eat. These cookies were quick, easy, and were not too much of an imposition on even the scantest pantries. Sugar, butter, milk, peanut butter, and cocoa powder, were all dashed together in a pot on the stove. A splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt were added in and brought to a boil for a minute or so. All this happened quicker than the deacon could get to the gate post. A few handfuls of oats went into the mix and the “batter” was dropped by the spoonful onto a clean flat cookie sheet to cool. Well now, there, in the blink of an eye, Granny had cookies ready for the preacher before he was off his mule and greeted by the hounds. These cookies, no matter what you call them, are relatively inexpensive when compared to chocolate chip cookies and some of the more popular fanciful ¨gourmet¨ cookies but can be just as captivating to the palette. What truly sets them apart from other cookies is not just their flavor but their ease and simplicity in time and minimal energy expended for such a delicious result. Stored in an airtight container and placed in the fridge, these cookies can last a week or two without any issue but in a house with hungry people I wouldn’t count on these lasting much more than a few days. Great for a quick summer time treat that doesn’t heat up the kitchen, Cow Patties, Poodgies, Preacher Cookies, Icebox, or No-bake Cookies, no matter what you call them, are the perfect way to enjoy a Simple Feast!