Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins
2 T dried cranberries
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk (ok to use skim)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well.
3. Pour oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
This is an easy recipe to double, so if you are serving a crowd, double and bake in a 9 by 13 pan. Bake for double the time. Serve warm.
If you want to add toppings you can-nuts, fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, etc.

Cranberry White Chocolate Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine butter and brown sugar in a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, beating until just barely combined. Then stir in the cranberries, white chocolate chips, and chopped pecans.
Drop by rounded teasponfuls onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle the tops with a few leftover cranberries or white chocolate chips if you want.
Bake for exactly 10 minutes. Remove from the oven – cookies will be slightly golden brown around the edges and the middles will look underdone. But trust me on this one – it will give you soft, chewy cookies once they cool. Or just slightly gooey cookies if you can’t wait. Like me. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Cranberry Pistachio Bars

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Topping:
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts
powdered sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°F. Combine 1 cup flour and 1/3 cup brown sugar in small bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press onto bottom of ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, combine egg, sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and vanilla in same small bowl. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Pour over hot, partially baked crust. Continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is set. Cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; cut into bars with sharp knife.

Bunco Salad

Ingredients:
3+ stalks of torn Romaine lettuce
1 medium apple (I used a gala)
1 medium pear
1/2 C dried cranberries
1 C chopped cashews
lemon juice
1/2 C shredded cheese (parm or swiss)

dressing:
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C cider or red wine vinegar
1 T onion powder
2 T poppyseeds
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
2/3 C oil

Directions:
Peel apple and pear and cut into small cubes. Soak in lemon juice to keep from browning. Put all ingredients in a salad bowl, adding cashews just before serving.

Mix the dressing and add as desired. I found it made more dressing than was needed.

Cranberry Coconut Bars

Ingredients:
BASE:
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 cup flour
pinch of salt

TOPPING:.
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1½ cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) cranberries
½ cup shredded coconut
powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 8×8-inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. Prepare base: In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Stir in flour and salt until well combined and crumbly. Press into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake about 12 minutes until just barely golden around the edges.
3. Prepare topping: In the same bowl (no need to wash it) combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add egg and egg white, lemon juice and stir until well-blended and smooth.
4. Smooth cranberries and coconut evenly over the base. Pour lemon filling over top. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until golden and set. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using, before cutting into squares.

Cranberry Orange Buttermilk Cookies

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Zest of one orange
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For the glaze:
Confectioners sugar
Orange juice, fresh from the orange
Orange zest

Directions:
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F.Put the dried cranberries in a small bowl with hot water. Allow them to sit for a couple of minutes. Then drain. This just plumps them up:)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, zest, baking soda, and salt.In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter briefly, until creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat well to mix. Add the vanilla, and beat briefly again. Mix in the flour mixture and the buttermilk in batches at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add in the dried cranberries. Drop the dough by level tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 ½ inches between each cookie. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for about 11 minutes per batch. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute; then transfer them to a wire rack.For the glaze, whisk together the sifted confectioners sugar, orange juice, and zest. I just guess on the amount. Brush or spoon the glaze onto the warm cookies. Allow cookies to sit on the rack until the glaze is set.