English Oatmeal Biscuits

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" x 9" square baking pan. Melt butter and blend will with all other ingredients. Press mixture into pan. Bake 20 minutes or until edges turn light brown. Cool slightly and cut squares after just a few minutes. (Biscuits do harden quickly and will crumble if cut after too much time.) Allow biscuits to cool completely in pan after cutting. Makes about 2 dozen.

These are very crumbly - but delicious. I've also used this recipe as a "base" for other gooey' bars and treats. We got this recipe from the Kindermusik Home Activity Book - "Milk & Cookies!"

Spiced Hermits

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) Smart Balance Spread
1 1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 Tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup raisins

Egg Glaze: 1 egg mixed with 2 tsp. water

Instructions
1. Use two cookie sheets (one will be in the oven at a time - and you can finish preparing the second pan while the first one is baking) -- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit each sheet, then cut it in half lengthwise. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Sift the flour and measure in all the spices, the baking powder, soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate (large) bowl use an electric mixer to soften the Smart Balance. Add the brown sugar, eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

4. Add the flour mixture gradually to the butter mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until all the flour is mixed in. Then divide the dough into four equal parts.

5. Using floured board and floured hands, work each part of the dough into a log about 12 inches long. Flatten it so that it is about 1/2 inch thick and about 3 inches wide.

6. Place the logs on the parchment papers - two per cookie sheet.

7. Using a pastry brush, paint the logs with the egg glaze. This will give the bars a nice shiny finish.

8. Bake bars for about 11- 12 minutes. Allow bars to cool for 10 minutes before slicing them into strips about 1 1/2 inch wide. Using a pizza cutter works well.

9. Store in an air-tight container

In Colonial Times, women made HERMITS for their sailor husbands who bought the hearty molasses-and-spice cookies on long ocean voyages. Packed away in thier own small tins like -- well, hemits -- the bars would last for weeks.

At our house, they last about four days!

Moist Chewy Mocha Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. [Real] Butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules/powder

(We tried substituting Smart Balance for the Butter & Splenda for the sugar. It works, but the brownies were not as chewy)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly coat a 8" x 8" baking pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set this aside.

3. Heat the butter until just melted. (On the stove or microwave.) Add the chocolate chips and stir until they're melted. You may have to heat just a bit more to get all chocolate to melt. Cool slightly.

4. In a new bowl, lightly whisk the egg and the egg whites. Then whisk in the cooled chocolate, sugar, oil, vanilla and coffee granules. Blend until smooth.

5. Stir in the flour mixture until blended. Do not over-mix this.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the edges start to pull away from the side of the pan. About 25 - 30 minutes. (Brownies will not look done when they first come out - but they will set up as they begin cooling.)

7. Cool completely and cut.

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We've tried hundreds of brownie recipes claiming to be "Moist."
These brownies ARE Moist! . . . Even after being left out uncovered subsequent to Husband's 2:00 a.m. visit to kitchen.

Pumpkin/Pecan Bars

Ingredients:

3 Boxes Jiffy Yellow Cake Mix (divided)
12 Tbsp Real Butter (1 1/2 sticks) (divided)
30 oz. can Strained Pumpkin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 - 2 cups Chopped Pecans

Instructions:

1. Combine 2 boxes of the cake mix with 8 Tbsp (1 stick) melted butter. Press into a 9"x13" greased pan.
2. Combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and cinnamon - Blend well with electric mixer.
3. Pour pumpkin mixture over cake layer.
4. Blend 1 box of cake mix with 4 Tbsp CHILLED butter, using a pastry blender. Mix in pecans.
5. Sprinkle pecan mixture on top of pumpkin layer.
6. Bake for 30 minutes in 350 degree oven or until center is set.
7. Cut into bars once completely cooled.

This recipe was my attempt to duplicate a "Kitchen-Segment" of a television show I was watching one night at about 2:00 a.m. I am certain it is not exactly how they did it on the show - but it' turned out wonderfully and I've been asked by several people for the recipe.