I have been craving something sweet and chocolatey for the last two weeks, so when I came across a gravestone recipe for chocolate oatmeal cookies, I knew I had to try them. The bonus is that it’s a no-bake recipe! 

This recipe is found on the gravestone of Bonnie June Rainey Johnson, who is laid to rest in Nome City Cemetery in Nome, Alaska. Johnson, also known as the “driver’s license lady”, worked for the Division of Motor Vehicles in Nome until she retired in 2000, after 30 years of service.¹ She was also known for the sweetness of her no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.² In interviews, Johnsons’ daughter Julie, has said that even the person who cleared the snow from their front yard made sure to do a good job because they would get payment in a batch of these cookies.² Johnson loved spending time in the kitchen, cooking dishes that brought her family and friends together.¹ 

Bonnie Johnson was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2004 and moved to Anchorage to be with her daughter in her final days. She passed away peacefully on May 8, 2007, surrounded by family.¹ She was 71. Her famous oatmeal cookie recipe was inscribed on her gravestone in 2007, along with an image of a Cool Whip container—She was known to collect dozens of them!²

Here is the recipe, as written on the black granite obelisk:

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (No Bake)

Everyone’s favorite

• 2 Cups of Sugar
• 1/2 Cup of Milk
• 1/4 Cup of Cocoa (Swiss Miss)
• 1/4 Cup of Margarine (1 Stick)

Bring to a full boil in a saucepan

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes

Then add

• 3 Cups of Quick Oats
• 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
• 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

Drop on Wax Paper and Let Set Until Firm

Making the Recipe

This recipe is high on my list for being so easy to make. I had all the ingredients on hand, which was nice as I didn’t have to make an extra grocery trip. I did make one substitution though, as I didn’t have any Swiss Miss cocoa, only a generic store-brand version. 

The recipe is very straightforward to follow. There are also not many steps so it was a quick recipe to make. I added the ingredients in the order they were listed, making sure the margarine was melted and everything was well incorporated. I brought it all to a boil, making sure to watch it so it didn’t burn. I then removed it from the heat and let it sit for five minutes. 

During this time, I prepared two baking sheets with wax paper. I was not sure how big of a batch this recipe would make, but I thought two cookie sheets would be a good start.

After the five minutes, the chocolate mixture had a bit of a film on it. I didn’t stir it, but instead just added in the next ingredients. At this point I did change the order of things, adding the vanilla and peanut butter first. My thought was to melt the peanut butter to better incorporate it into the mixture. Then I added the quick oats, doing so a little at a time and mixing it well. 

All that was left to do was to drop the mixture onto the waxed paper and let them set. Using two spoons, I made my cookies a little too big on the first sheet. I only fit six cookies on a sheet. I spread them fairly thin but they were large. On the second cookie sheet, I tried to pull it back a bit and make smaller dollops, which I flattened out a little after all the remaining mixture had been spooned onto the sheet. The second cookie sheet had about 12 cookies on it.

Because I made one sheet of larger cookies, I opted to put that one in the freezer to set. The second cookie sheet I put in the fridge to set. After a couple of hours, I pulled out the tray in the fridge to give them a try.

They turned out so good! I was a little nervous, considering my problems with the last gravestone recipe I tried. But I think there was no way to mess this one up. I was afraid they were going to be too sweet, but the oatmeal helps cut some of the sweetness, I think. 

This is a great recipe, and I think will be my go-to the next time I need to whip something up fast the night before a family gathering, to share.

Have you tried this recipe? Do you have a favorite recipe that you would put on your gravestone? I would love to read about it in the comments. 

Thanks for reading!

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References:

1. Bonnie Johnson Obituary | Anchorage Daily News
2. Tombstones with family recipes, from Alaska to Israel | The Observatorial