"This is one of my family's favorites, and we have offered them at times in our bakery," Gail Holm says.

• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
  
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter, divided
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 cups flour
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
  
• 2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked
  
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  
• 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces
  
• 2/3 cup peanuts, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13-by-9-inch baking pan. In large mixer bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and 1/4 cup peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to mixture; beat until mixed. Stir in oats; mix well. Reserve 1 cup of this oat mixture; set aside. Spread remaining oat mixture into prepared pan.

In small saucepan, combine milk, chocolate pieces and remaining 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in peanuts. Spread chocolate/peanut butter mixture evenly over crust in pan and drop remaining oat mixture by teaspoonfuls to spread evenly over chocolate mixture. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 32 bars.

The "ladylock lady" uses frozen red raspberries, so this "fresh fruit" pie can be made any time of the year. If you don't want to make your own pie crust, substitute a purchased unbaked 9-inch pie shell. The recipe makes a big, rounded fruit pie, with a lightly browned crumb topping. In testing, we found it convenient to make the crust and the crumb topping first, and set them aside while peeling the applies.

Filling:

• 6 to 7 medium apples (a mix of Granny Smith, Yellow Delicious and Rome or Empire apples works well)
  
• 3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons flour
  
• 2 tablespoons tapioca
  
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 3/4 cup red raspberries from the frozen food section of supermarket

Peel and core apples and cut in 1/4-inch slices. Add sugar, flour, tapioca and cinnamon and stir together. Gently fold in red raspberries.

• 1-1/2 cups flour
  
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
  
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients for topping in a bowl and blend with pastry blender.

Arrange apples and raspberries compactly in the 9-inch pastry-lined pan. Sprinkle crumb topping over top of pie. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 325 degrees and bake 50 minutes longer.

Makes a 9-inch pie.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Measure the level cup of flour into bowl. Add salt and stir. Add vegetable shortening and cut into flour with a pastry blender until particles resemble split dried peas. Add water gradually and mix and toss lightly with a fork. Press particles gently together into a ball.

Place dough on lightly floured board. Shape it quickly into a thick, flat disc with hands. Roll dough out, starting at center and rolling outward with even light pressure in all directions.

Fold pastry through center and carefully and quickly lift into an ungreased 9-inch pie pan. Unfold pastry without stretching, and let it fall loosely into the angles of the pan. Cut crust off to 1/2 inch below outside rim. Fold crust under and flute edge.

Makes 9-inch unbaked pie crust.

Sunday, September 28, 2003

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