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One of my absolute favorite books in my kitchen is Baking by Dorie Greenspan.  I go to this book all the time for recipes and ideas.  Dorie has such a wonderful take on classic recipes.  Recently, I stumbled across her blog at www.doriegreenspan.com and I am loving it.  Dorie posts recipes and talks about her adventures.  It’s a great place to go and browse around.  If you haven’t read any of Dorie’s books I highly suggest the Baking cookbook.  It has everything including cookies, custards, cakes, breads, muffins, etc.  You certainly won’t be disappointed.  I really love the recipe she has for carrot cake and the snickery squares.  If you want to listen to a great interview piece, then check out this link on NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6514512 . I just love Dorie.  She really makes you love baking, like a good teacher should!  She has a wonderful sense of humor and shares great stories.

This Thanksgiving I made a bunch of desserts (apple pies, rice puddings, pumpkin flan, and pumpkin pies).  I did lots of individual desserts this year to make it more personal for all of my family members.  My mom and nephew are the rice pudding fans, my brother-in-law loves pumpkin pies,  my dad usually goes for the pumpkin flan, and my husband loves apple desserts. Each dessert was well received, but none was received quite as well as the new family favorite - little apple pies.  My Dad (Jim) gave these the big seal of approval - which is quite a compliment considering Jim isn’t big on desserts.  He loved the crust - which is incredibly flaky and scented with a little orange zest.  The original recipe came from Woman’s Day, but, of course, I took the recipe and modified it to fit my family’s taste. 

Little Apple Pies (Makes 6)

Ingredients

Pastry

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbls. sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut small
• 1 Tbls. freshly grated orange peel
• 1/4 cup ice water

Filling

• 3 small Gold Delicious apples
• 6 Tbls. granulated sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 tsp. fresh orange juice

To make pastry in food processor:  Put flour, 1 Tbls. sugar, butter and orange peel in processor; pulse until coarse crumbs form.  Add water all at once; pulse just until dough begins leave sides of bowl.  By hand:  Put flour in a bowl and cut in butter with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form.  Add peel and water; stir with fork until mixture clumps together and a dough forms.

Gather into a ball, flatten and cut into 6 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball, flatten, then place each between sheets of plastic wrap.  Roll each with a rolling pin to a 6 inch diameter circle (circles don’t have to be perfect).  Refrigerate while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Peel apples, halve, then core with a melon baller.  Cut wedges to remove stem and bud ends.  Turn halves cut side down and slice thin.

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Have a large baking sheet ready.

One at a time, remove dough circles from refrigerator.  Peel off plastic and place dough circle on baking sheet.  Leaving a 1 to 1 1/2 inch border, fan apple slices overlapping on dough.  Sprinkle with 1 Tbls. sugar mixture and 1 tsp. orange juice.  Fold the edges of the pastry over the apples.  Repeat to from 5 more pies.

Bake 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake 25 to 30 minutes more until pastry is lightly browned and apples are tender.  Remove pies to wire rack to cool until just warm.  I enjoy serving it with some nice vanilla ice cream. 

It’s that time of year again, the holidays are fast approaching.  In an effort to get myself ahead of the curve I have been testing out new recipes for my very first family Thanksgiving at my place.  Most years we go to my Mom and Dad’s but this year everyone is coming down to my place.  The thing that I am always most concerned with is dessert.  As Ina always says, “people may forget the dinner, but they always remember dessert”.  What Thanksgiving meal is complete without a delicious pumpkin pie.  (Well, I may still have to do the pumpkin flan just for my dad, but everyone else may want pumpkin pie)  This new recipe is easy and delicious.  So whether you make a crust from scratch or buy a store bought one (I won’t tell anyone) this is an excellent filling for it.  I am also including a recipe for crust after the filling recipe if you need one.(I like Alton Brown’s recipe - see below)

Maple Pumpkin Pie

• 1 pie shell (see below for recipe)
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves (if you don’t like cloves feel free to leave them out)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup whole milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare and roll out crust.
• For filling, in a bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.  Add eggs; whisk until combined.  Stir in milk gently.
• Pour filling into pie crust.  Cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack.  Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Alton’s Pie Crust Recipe

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter, chilled
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lard, chilled
6 ounces (approximately 1 cup) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup ice water, in spritz bottle
Place butter and lard in freezer for 15 minutes. When ready to use, remove and cut both into small pieces.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until texture looks mealy. Add lard and pulse another 3 to 4 times. Remove lid of food processor and spritz surface of mixture thoroughly with water. Replace lid and pulse 5 times. Add more water and pulse again until mixture holds together when squeezed. Place mixture in large zip-top bag, squeeze together until it forms a ball, and then press into a rounded disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Good luck with your desserts - if you want more suggestions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

  Okay, so it’s pretty clear that baking is my favorite hobby.  The good news is my husband loves treats, especially treats that can be disguised as breakfast items.  One of his all-time favorites is cinnamon rolls.  I already make pecan sticky buns, but cinnamon rolls are a slightly different creature, although they share a lot of the same ingredients.  The dough for cinnamon rolls is very easy to make, it’s the waiting for the dough to rise that gets most people.  This recipe has a lot of rising time, but it’s definitely worth the wait.  The texture of these rolls is out of this world, chewy, slightly sweet, and absolutely delicious.  This is a great recipe for those of us who are afraid of yeast.  It really highlights the basics of yeast and clearly shows you the process of the dough rising and you learn about punching dough down.  It is an easy to follow recipe.  My husband gives these cinnamon rolls two-thumbs up. 

If you want to give this recipe a try and I highly suggest you do - it’s listed below (the same way I found it on Food Network’s website - the link is provided after the recipe).  A good rule of thumb is to start early in the day and allow the dough to sit in the fridge over night.  You will want to get the dough out early the next morning, as it needs time to rise one last time. 

These sweet buns are way easier than you’d think. This is the perfect recipe for a weekend brunch.

Dough:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1/4 ounce package)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the bowl
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (13 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar (1 3/4 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon fine salt (1/8 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Filling:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft, plus more for coating the pan

Glaze:
2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the water and milk in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat until it is about 100 degrees F (but no more than 110 degrees). Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast over the surface over the liquid. Sprinkle a pinch of the sugar over the top and set aside without stirring, until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture.

Whisk the flour, the sugar, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and stir in the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.

Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough in the buttered bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, trace a circle the size of the dough on the plastic, and note the time. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Turn dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; reform into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it on the dough. Cover the entire bowl tightly with plastic and proof in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

To fill and form the rolls: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Turn prepared dough onto a floured work surface and press, then roll into 10-by-18-inch rectangle, with a long edge facing you. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving about an inch border on the side opposite you. Evenly scatter the cinnamon-sugar over the butter. Starting from the long side facing you, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder. Lightly brush the clean edge of the dough with water. Press the open long edge to the dough to seal the cylinder.

Slip a long taut piece of string or dental floss under the roll, about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Lift and cross the string ends over the roll, then pull the ends tightly in opposite directions to cut a single roll. Repeat, cutting every 1 1/2 inches, to make 12 rolls. Place the rolls cut-side-down in the prepared pan, leaving 1 inch of space between them. Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until rolls double in size, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Bake buns until golden brown and the tops of the buns spring back when pressed lightly, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

To make the glaze: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the condensed milk, butter, and lemon juice to make a smooth, slightly loose icing. Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Drizzle the icing over warm buns. Serve.

*Cook’s Note: These may be refrigerated or frozen after forming. If refrigerated overnight, allow buns to come to room temperature for about 1/2 hour, then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours. If frozen, allow buns to come to room temperature, about 1 hour, and then proof fully (until doubled in size) before baking, about 2 hours.

Storage: Though the buns are best eaten on the day they are baked, they will keep, covered, for a day. They freeze well.

Food Network link - http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_37530,00.html

 I am one of those people who craves certain things when the seasons change.  Well, I guess it’s around certain holidays too.  With Easter fast approaching I just had to make a carrot cake this weekend.  And I am so glad I did.  This carrot cake is delicious and incredibly moist.  The spices are kept to a minimum and that makes it easier to enjoy them.  There are no overpowering flavors, each flavor balances nicely with the others.  I really enjoyed the addition of cranberries instead of raisins, but feel free to use either.  The cream cheese icing is a classic.  I just love cream cheese.  I suggest having a big pot of tea on hand to enjoy with this treat.  Without further ado, here is Bill’s Big Carrot Cake from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking cookbook.

For the Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (About 9 carrots; I grate them in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola or safflower oil
• 4 large eggs

For the Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 stick (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pound (3 3/4 cups) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Getting Ready - Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325° F.  Butter three 9×2 inch round cakes pans, flour the insides and tap out the excess.  Put two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To Make the Cake - Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins. 

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on medium speed until smooth.  Add the eggs one by one, and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear.  Gently mix in the chunky ingredients.  Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean; the cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans.  Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up. 

To Make the Frosting - Working with the stand mixer, preferably fitted with paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy.  Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth.  Beat in the lemon juice or extract.

If you would like coconut in the filling ,scoop out about half of the frosting and stir in the coconut into this portion.

To Assemble the Cake - Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.  If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer.  Use an offset cake spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer.  Top with second layer, this time placing the cake top side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top.  Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

ENJOY!

 I am working my way through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking cookbook.  I have to say I love this cookbook!  I think this is a masterpiece!  Really, the recipes are fun and interesting.  I love working with them.  This recipe is no exception.  I loved making these.  They are tons of fun and delicious!  I have never made caramel covered nuts before, I really enjoyed it.  A few words on caramel though, be extremely careful when you use it.  The sugar will burn you very easily once it gets hot and it’s not easy to get off of your skin, if you do get some of it on you.  This is definitely a recipe that I would not make with children, caramel is pretty serious business.  Well, enough lecturing, here’s the fabulous recipe.  I hope you get a chance to try it.  It doesn’t take all that long, enough though there are a few steps.

Snickery Squares

For the crust

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the filling

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tbs. water
• 1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
• About 1 1/2 cups store bought dulce de leche

For the topping

• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 stick (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350° F.  Butter an 8 inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Make the Crust - Toss the flour, sugar, confectioners sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  Toss in the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 12 times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  Pour the yolk over the ingredients and pulse until the dough forms clumps and curds - stop before the dough comes together into a ball.

Turn the dough into the buttered pan and gently press it evenly across the bottom of the pan.  Prick the dough all over with a fork and slide the sheet into the oven.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it takes on just a little color around the edges.  Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

Make the Filling - Have a parchment lined, better yet, silicone mat lined baking sheet at the ready, as well as a long handled wooden spoon (you’ll be cooking sugar that will climb to over 300° F, so you’ll want to keep as far away from it as possible) and a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.  

Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.  Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook the sugar, without stirring, until it just starts to color. (If sugar splatters onto the sides of the saucepan, wash down the splatters with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.)  Toss in the peanuts and immediately start stirring.  Keep stirring, to coat the peanuts with the sugar.  Within a few minutes, they will be covered with sugar and turn white - keep stirring until the sugar turns back into a caramel.  When the peanuts are coated in a deep amber caramel, remove the pan from the heat and turn the nuts onto the baking sheet, using the wooden spoon to spread them out as best you can.  Cool the nuts to room temperature.

When they are cool enough to handle, separate the nuts or break them into small pieces. Divide the nuts in half.  Keep half the nuts whole or biggish for the filling and finely chop the other half for the topping.

Spread the dulce de leche over the shortbread base and sprinkle over the whole candied nuts or the big pieces.

Make the Topping - Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.  Remove the chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter, stirring until the butter is fully blended into the chocolate.

Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche, smoothing it with a long metal icing spatula, then sprinkle over the finely chopped candied peanuts.  Slide the pan into the refrigerator to set the topping, about 20 minutes; if you’d like to serve the square cold, keep them refrigerated for at least 3 hours before cutting.

Cut into 16 bars.

Recently, I saw a recipe in Martha Stewart Living and I wanted to give it a shot.  In Martha’s recipe they actually turned their crepes into blueberry blintzes.  I decided to change it up for myself.  I did use Martha’s crepe recipe.  I then decided to make an apple glaze to go over the top.  Often times you fill crepes with cheese fillings, but I decided since it was a dessert I would use vanilla ice cream as the filling.(I found a recipe that Emeril made with apples and I used that as the topping.)  The recipe turned out beautifully, the crepes were great fun to make.  If you have never given them a try, I suggest you do.  They are pretty easy to make and they look incredibly fancy on the plate.  Here’s the recipe for the crepe and the apple topping.  Enjoy!

For the Crepes:

• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. whole milk
• 5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. coarse salt
• 3 Tbs. canola oil
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

For the Sauce:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 cup walnuts
• 3 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick

Make the crepe batter: Whisk together milk, 1/2 cup water, 2 Tbs. melted butter, and the eggs in a medium bowl.  Whisk in flour and salt; set aside.

Make the sauce: Melt the butter.  Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cook the mixture for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar.  Add the walnuts and apples.  Cook the apples for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the apples are tender and caramelized. Set aside.

Make the crepes: Stir together the remaining 3 Tbs. melted butter and the oil in a small bowl.  Heat an 8 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Lightly brush the pan using remaining butter oil-mixture.  Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan; swirl to form an even layer.  Cook until the bottom is lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Using a heatproof spatula, flip crepe; cook 30 seconds.  Transfer to plate.  Repeat with remaining butter-oil mixture and batter.

Transfer crepe to a clean work surface.  Fill with vanilla ice cream.  Roll the crepe, cut in half.  Serve with apple sauce poured over the top.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if you would like.

This is one my favorite dessert recipes. 

To start take 1 quart fresh blueberries (washed, well-drained) or 2 (12 oz.) packages frozen blueberries and add 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 1 Tbs. unbleached flour (fresh berries) or 1 1/2 Tbs. flour for frozen berries.  Toss and put in 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

 In medium bowl put 1/2 cup unbleached flour, 1/4 cup quick or regular oats, 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. 

Next drop 4 Tbs. butter cut in bits, toss, and then rub them into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle the topping on the berry mixture.  Put in 375° oven.  Bake for 40-45 minutes for fresh berries, 45-50 minutes if using frozen berries. 

This is the finished product.  The topping will be brown and “crisp”.  You should see bubbling around the edges and in the middle.  I love to serve this with vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

I found this recipe in Martha Stewart Living.  I thought it sounded very interesting.  I love bananas and well, who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies?  I think the combination was interesting and delicious.  One of the things I really liked about these cookies was the rolled oats, they added a nice bit of chewiness to the cookies.  Don’t think you will make it through all these cookies at once (the recipe makes about 3 dozen)?  No worries, these cookies freeze great.  Just portion out the dough like you would if you were making the cookies on cookie sheets and place in freezer.  Once the dough balls have frozen you can move them to plastic Ziploc baggies for future use.  You can bake the cookies directly from their frozen state, they may take a couple minutes more to bake, just be sure to keep an eye on them. 

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 375°.  Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.  Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low.  Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined.  Mix in banana.  Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.  Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.

Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes.  Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes.  Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.  Cookies can be stored in airtight container up to 2 days. 

I love cookies, you can probably tell that about me by now.  I really enjoy chewy cookies.  Oatmeal cookies are one of my favorites.  I often find recipes for oatmeal cookies lacking in the chewy department, so I decided to see if the folks over at Bon Appetit could get it just right.  They definitely know a thing or two about a good cookie and they found a winner with this one.  I loved the three different sweeteners they used, I think it added great balance.  I really think the use of honey was an excellent choice.  The texture was great and the flavors were subtle.  The recipe has quite a few ingredients, but they all play nicely off of one another.  Here’s the recipe for the next time you have an oatmeal cookie hankering.

Oatmeal cookies with raisins, dates, and walnuts (from The Bon Appetit Cookbook)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbs. vanilla extract
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil; butter foil.  Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend.  Using electric mixer, beat butter, shortening ,and both sugars in large bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, honey, and vanilla.  Gradually best in flour mixture.  Stir in oats, raisins, dates, and walnuts.  Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.  Using moistened fingertips, flatten cookies slightly.  Bake cookies until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Cool completely on sheets.  Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.  Store in airtight container at room temperature.  Make around 48 cookies.