INGREDIENTS:

4 medium firm bananas, sliced

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup sour cream

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/3 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

Toss bananas with lemon juice; drain well and set aside. In a bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into a greased 9-in. springform pan.

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled until slightly warmed

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup dried blueberries*

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar2 TBSP honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup old fashion oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

*If you can’t find these or don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for them, just use 1 cup of the cranberries instead.

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Preheat oven to 350.

Blend together butter, brown sugar and honey. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. In a separate large bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; add to butter mixture and mix until combined well. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Place dough 2″ apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake in center of oven until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft, about 12-15 minutes. Cool completely.

Yields about 2 1/2 dozen 2″ cookies.

The “Bars” category was created specifically for this awesome recipe by Julie M.Crust:

• 1 cup Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce each) packages cream cheese, softened (The recipe I used said to use reduced-fat, but I used regular cream cheese.)
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Topping:

• 1 bag frozen berries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Crust:

• Heat oven to 350º F. Lightly spray 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray.
• Combine oats, flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, nuts and baking soda in medium bowl; mix well. Add butter; mix until crumbly. (If you have raw nuts, first toast them at 350º F for 8-10 minutes in a shallow pan.)
• Press into a firm, even layer on to bottom of pan.
• Bake 10 minutes.

Filling:

• Beat together cream cheese, 3/4 cup brown sugar and flour with electric mixer in large bowl until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon peel; beat well.
• Pour over crust, spreading evenly.
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until set in center. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Chill.
• To serve, cut cheesecake into squares and spoon topping over bars.

Topping:You can use fresh berries and berry syrup, but since I had a Trader Joe’s bag of frozen mixed berries, here’s what I did.

• Defrost the bag of berries. Empty two cups of berries into a bowl and set aside.
• Put the remainder of the berries in a saucepan with a little cold water—just enough to almost cover the berries.
• Bring them to a boil and stir so some of the fruit breaks down.
• Add sugar, stirring until it has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.
• Add this mixture and lemon juice to uncooked berries; stir and chill.