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It's been quite a while since I've fed your "sweet-tooth" hasn't it. Well, today's the day!

Do you remember those days when the smell of homemade goodies or bread met you as you opened the door when you came home from school? I do. You probably had a favorite cookie or bar that you liked to eat with a tall glass of cold milk. Well, it's bar cookies today. Mom or Gramma would often make bars rather than cookies because it took less time to make a pan of bars than to make a batch of cookies...right? The collection of bar and cookie recipes that I have made have been lovingly passed down to our children and friends. When the children were younger I would hear one of them say, "These are good, they taste just like the bars gramma used to make." How good a compliment to Mom's good baking is that! All of today's recipes are from a special place in my recipe card file and I've already copied many of them to give to our grown-ups and friends who are making them for their children or friends. Baked heirlooms passed along from one generation to another, some of which are more than 50 years old.

Mom also did her best to make the treats nutritious. She often used recipes that had quick or old-fashioned oats, honey, butter, buttermilk, etc. in them. And so I would like to share some of these after school or anything treats with you, starting with...

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FUDGE APPLESAUCE BARS

1/2 c. butter or margarine

2 1 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, cut in small pieces

1 c. flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

2 eggs

1 c. brown sugar, packed

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. applesauce

1/2 c. chopped walnuts - optional (if we didn't have them, she would use raisins.

Combine butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted, or melt in the microwave. Remove from heat; cool slightly. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mixing with a whisk to combine well; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended, using electric mixer, at medium speed. Blend in chocolate mixture and applesauce. Gradually stir dry ingredients into chocolate mixture, mixing well. Stir in walnuts. Turn mixture into a greased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly with your finger. (What about a toothpick in the center...she didn't think of it!) Cool in pan on rack.

Makes 24 bars.

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SPICY HONEY-RAISIN BARS

1-3/4 c. flour

1-1/2 t. cinnamon

1 t. each baking soda and salt

1/2 t. each, ground cardamom, nutmeg, and allspice

3/4 c. shortening

1/2 c. each, sugar, packed brown sugar, and honey

2 small eggs

1 t. vanilla

3/4 c. quick-cooking oats

1 c. raisins

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

In a bowl, combine first 7 ingredients; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in next 3 ingredients; blend well. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, mixing well with spoon. Stir in last 3 ingredients. Spread mixture in a greased 15x10-inch (jelly roll) pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes or until no imprint remains when lightly touched with finger. Cool pan on rack.

Makes about 48 bars cut into 2-1/2x1-1/2-inch bars. If you wish, dust with powdered sugar after completely cooled.

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PEANUT-OAT BARS

3-1/2 c. quick-cooking oats

1 c. flaked coconut

2/3 c. butter

1/3 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1/3 c. light corn syrup

3/4 c. chopped, salted peanut

1 egg, beaten

Toast oats in shallow baking pan in 350 degrees over for 8 minutes, stirring often. Add coconut; toast 5 minutes more, stirring often. Remove from oven, put in large bowl; set aside. Combine next 4 ingredients in a 2 qt. saucepan; mix well. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter mixture, egg and peanuts to oat mixture; blend well. Press firmly into well-greased 15x10-inch (jelly roll) pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on rack.

Makes 48 bars, cut into 2-1/2x1-1/2-inch bars.

Note: All of the bars freeze well. If you're planning on freezing some of them, don't cut all of them into bars. Cut what you want and lift the rest, uncut, out of the pan with a pancake turner. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil and freeze being sure to mark and date them. If you want to keep nosy fingers out of them, write something like 1 lb. hamburger -4-18-09 on the label... they probably won't touch it! But, on the back side of the package, in tiny letters, write "brz" It works!

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Correction: Last week's pork and pepper sauce should have called for a 26 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce.

TFD: Laziness is nothing more than resting before you get tired!

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