Good For You Muffins

I cannot remember where this recipe came from but I think it was from a colleague at work 35 years ago....  who gave it to me?  Well thank you as this one has been made over and over again.  It tastes really good and just happens to be Good for You!  Any apple in season will work.
Oven 350F for 20 to 25 minutes.

ready for the oven

1) in a small bowl beat 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup vegetable oil (i like canola), 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla.  You can do this by hand with a whisk.
2) in a large bowl mix dry ingredients so you have no lumps - 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup wheat bran , 3/4 cup raisins, 1 apple peeled and diced into small cubes, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt.

Bob's Mills Unprocessed Wheat Bran

  Tip:  Wheat bran flakes are light and airy, not the heavy beady type bran.  Here is the one I like but you can get it by the scoop at the bulk food store too. 
3.  Add the wet to the dry an stir with wooden spoon till mixed well.  Use paper baking cupcake liners in your tin.  no other spray or greasing each tin is necessary.  Have the oven preheated and then pop your tin in the oven.  it will make 12 nice size muffins.
dump out when baked and let cool. 

One Cup Cookies

Gave these to friends as a thank-you and got a great note telling me that everyone ate them heartily and asked "do we have any of those Rosey Bourne cookies left, not just any of those Rosey cookies"!  glad to post this recipe its funny how so many ingredients can taste so good together.
Preheat oven to 350F.  
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer cream together :
1 cup brown sugar packed, 1 cup gran sugar, 1 cup butter softened
Step 2
Add 2 eggs one at a time, 1 cup smooth peanut butter and 1 tsp vanilla.
Step 3
Sprinkle in 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats, 2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp baking powder, continue to mix.
Step 4 
Add 1 cup coconut, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup fine chopped walnuts, 1 cup milk chocolate chips - mix on low.
Step 5
Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased air-bake cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  Pull out and let sit for 5 minutes before removing each one to a brown piece of paper.   Once completely cool you can put them into a cookie jar.

Butter Tarts

Once you have pastry dough made you can whip up some of these tarts or just buy the frozen pastry tarts.   No one will notice that your pastry is not homemade since the filling overwhelms you!  Yes they are sweet and buttery and gooey!!!  When the kids are home these will never last throughout the day. 

Preheat oven at 350F.  Put tart tins on a baking sheet.
Soak 1 cup of raisins in warm to hot water.  
Drain and dry off on paper towels.  
In medium size bowl mix 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup corn syrup.  Just mix with a fork by hand. 
Add 1 tbsp white vinegar and 1/2 cup of melted butter, then add raisins.  

My bowl has a pouring spout so you can pour and stop in each tart with a spoon.  Do not fill to top as they will spill over.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove and cool.   You may need to use a spoon to eat these individually.

These mixing bowls are from Tupperware and they have a handle, lid with pouring spout and the sides double as huge measuring bowls.  It looks like they are quite different now very fancy.
I have two of these since so many recipes need two bowls 1 for the mixing of the dry ingredients and 1 for the mixing of the wet then you add them.  So these are great for that.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These are good and chewy with lots of raisins.  I guess you could substitute raisins with dried cranberries or chopped dates if you are not a raisin aficionado.   (I think of this since I have a very dear friend who does not like raisins !!)  

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups Quaker Oats - Quick
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt - regular
1 cup butter
3/4 cup gran. white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly grease with cooking spray or use shortening on air bake cookie sheet.
In large bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt.  Stir well to blend.
In separate bowl cream butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla together with mixer till light and fluffy, couple of minutes on med speed.
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and continue to beat on low till mixed.  
By hand stir in raisins.
Using spoon drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased air bake cookie sheet.  
Bake at 375F for 10 minutes till light golden brown.  Remove sheet from oven, let sit for 5 minutes on top so cookies can set.   Then using a thin flipper remove cookies to a paper sheet on counter and allow to cool completely before moving into cookie jar.
Grease sheet again and add cookies to bake as before, repeat till finished.

Oatmeal Raisin Bar Cookies

I think we eat a lot of cookies!   I remember eating these with fresh apple sauce, they were great to swirl and dunk right in the apple sauce.  Its kind of an old fashioned recipe that my Mom made when we were kids. 

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium size saucepan melt 1/3 cup of Crisco shortening and remove from heat and cool slightly.  Add 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 tbsp of molasses and stir together.  In small bowl mix with a fork 1 large egg.  Pour egg mixture into the saucepan with 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 3/4 cup of Quaker Quick Cooking Oatmeal, and 1 cup of raisins.   Stir together, dough is quite gooey.

In a 8" x 12" pan grease sides and bottom, line with parchment paper and grease again.  Now pour the cookie mixture into the pan and smooth.   Bake in a 350F oven for 27 to 30 minutes.   The dough will puff up.  Remove from oven and let cool, you will visibly see the dough drop in size.   Let it rest about a half hour before you lift the parchment paper from the pan with the bar dough intact. 
  Once it cools another half hour you can flip over and pull off the parchment paper and then cut into 2" squares.   These are slightly chewy and soft but I serve them just like a cookie from the jar!