I always had weird feelings about the publishing of Kurt Cobain's private journals. I couldn't help that think that his estate-- i.e. Courtney Love-- was just mining the man's most personal thoughts for profit. Old demos released three times over in special edition discs and box sets and then back catalogs of the dude's notebooks. I know I wouldn't want anybody to read over my journals and sketchbooks no matter how dead I was. I certainly wouldn't want them published and sold for the whole world to see for $16.95. Something about the whole thing just seemed awfully rude.

But maybe there's something to be said for giving young fans the opportunity to in some way connect with their lost idol. A lot of kids felt like they lost a friend on that day in '94 and maybe reading through his inner thoughts gave them some closure from a nasty absence. In any case, it turns out there was more in those pages than drawings of vaginas and angry lyrics. There was an answer to Kurt's sweet tooth. There was a recipe for no-bake cookies.

The recipe was scrawled out in red sharpie. Kurt had handwriting as bad as his posture, but luckily the instructions are readable, if abbreviated in an idiosyncratic shorthand. In honor of Nevermind's 20th anniversary, here's Kurt Cobain's very own no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. They're super simple and grunge-gooey. 

You will need:

• 3 cups quick-cooking oats (old fashioned will be too chewy--we're not baking, remember)
• 2 sticks o' butter
• 2 cups o' sugar
• Half a cup of milk (whole or 2% probably best)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa (I can't help but wonder if some melted dark chocolate would be at least 8x tastier here)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Quarter of a teaspoon salt

Measure out and set aside the oats in a big, heat-resistant mixing bowl (no plastic, please). Melt the butter in a decent sized saucepan. Stir in the sugar, milk, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a rolling boil and let it bubble for two minutes. Remove from heat and pour into the oat bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the oats are sufficiently coated. Spoon globs of the mixture onto a wax-paper-coated cookie sheet. Throw them in the fridge or freezer until they are solid. Take them out of the icebox. Put them inside of your face. Enjoy with a strawberry milkshake and a generous helping of antacids for true fan authenticity.