Skip to main content

Just Desserts: Cranberry Raisin Bars

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, mix butter and butter. Stir in oats, flour and baking soda -- until mixture is crumbly. Divide in half.

Press oat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13X9X2 baking pan. (Line the pan with foil or parchment for easy removal of the bars after baking.)

Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg. Add in the sugar, sour cream, vanilla, lemon peel and 2 tablespoons flour. Mix well. Add the cranberries and raisins until evenly distributed. Pour over the baked crust and evenly top with remaining oat mixture.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is set. Cool completely before cutting (about an hour).

Note: You can mix this recipe up by using other dried fruits such as apricots, prunes and/or dates. Simply reduce the raisins and cranberries to 1/2 cup each and make up the rest with other fruit.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Just Desserts: Double Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe takes the simple peanut butter cookie and "raises the bar"... with three layers: Peanut Butter Cookie on the bottom Rich peanut butter icing in the middle Topped with a chocolate shell Delicious and decadent! For the cookie base: Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. 1 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon dark molasses 1/2 cup creamy peanut buter 1/4 cup shortening 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 egg 1 1/4 cups flour 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Prepare peanut butter cookie dough (per normal recipe)  but do not refrigerate.  Instead, spread dough evenly on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 15-18 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  For the middle layer: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups powdered sugar In a small bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, milk, vanilla...

Smoky Bacon Cheddar Dip

  This recipe combines creamy cheese, smoky bacon, a hint of sweetness, and a touch of spice for a delicious and addictive dip. Ingredients: 4 oz cream cheese, softened 3 tbsp mayonnaise 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (variety like Monterey Jack or Colby for extra flavor, optional) 1/2 red bell pepper, diced 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp ketchup 1 tsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your spice preference) 1/4 tsp black pepper Pinch of salt Instructions: In a medium bowl, cream together the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheeses, diced red pepper, and crumbled bacon. Add the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. You can add more cayenne pepper for a spicier dip, or a squeeze of fresh...

More On Energy: Supply, Demand and the Not-so-free Market

Speculators in the market have, rightly, been targeted for thier use of the Enron-loophole to basically compete (unfairly) in a market that is mixed between highly-regulated (see integrated oil companies) and unregulated players (see commodity brokers). This imbalance of power has led to the free flow of capital to a market from sources that a decade ago largely abandoned investment in oil companies -- in favor of the speculative bubble of the dotcom boom. That lack of capital infusion -- and the capital-intensive nature of the oil & gas business -- led to the mega-mergers of 1999 - 2001. Bear in mind that even with all that merger activity among the multi-nationals, their true competition is with national oil companies -- basically branches of their nation-state governments: Pemex (Mexico), Petrobras (Brazil), Pedevesas (Venezuala), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Cinoco (China) ... you get the picture. On the one end, you have national oil companies -- either in OPEC or non-aligned ...