Oat

This homemade cereal is hearty, wholesome, and filled with nutritious ingredients such as walnuts, rolled oats, raisins, and sunflower seeds. Granola is very flexible, so you can add whatever fruits and nuts are your personal favorites. This granola is great with milk or yogurt, or even as a topping on pancakes. Because raisins can make the granola soggy, we add them right before serving. The granola keeps well for a long time, so this is a big batch—it makes three pounds. Just keep it in an airtight container and eat it for breakfast all week, as we do at Bubby’s, or cut it in half to feed a smaller crowd.

Every book I write has yet another variation of this soft, enriched multigrain loaf, my all-time favorite bread. The name comes from western Scotland, probably the town called Struanmoor, on the Isle of Skye, and also from a Gaelic clan name that means “a convergence of streams.” It was originally conceived of as a once-a-year harvest bread, incorporating whatever grains and seeds were available from the previous day’s harvest. Because the notion of a harvest bread offers a great deal of formula flexibility, I’m always looking for ways to push the struan envelope in search of better or easier versions. This recipe is very similar to the version I originally made at my bakery, Brother Juniper’s, and it was by far the most popular bread we made. This time around, I’ve taken advantage of the overnight, cold fermentation method to come up with a recipe that’s more flexible, particularly in regard to time options. This is the ultimate toasting bread. There’s something about the combination of ingredients that creates the perfect balance of flavor and texture when toasted and spread with butter, jam, or both. It also works beautifully as a sandwich bread with fillings like tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg salad. You can reduce the amount of sugar or honey if you prefer, but I like the sweetness of this bread and think the combination of brown sugar and honey enhances the toasting qualities. Still, sweetness is a very personal matter, so follow your heart and your palate.

In summer, look for blueberries on hikes in temperate parts of the country. Last summer, I found enough for an entire pie on a hike in upstate New York. Wild blueberries can be even sweeter than farmers’ market berries, while store-bought berries can have high pesticide residues. So if you get the chance to pick them yourself, you might end up with a healthier and tastier cobbler. Serve with good-quality vanilla ice cream.

This granola is better than anything I have bought in a store (as homemade foods so often are), if that helps explain its boastful name! I use a mixture of nuts—everything from cashews, pecans, almonds, and peeled hazelnuts to walnuts. Pistachios, however, will burn quickly, so if you’re using them, add them at the end and let them bake for just a few minutes. This granola keeps for a long time in the refrigerator, so double the batch if you like. It makes a great gift, too! Serve it with milk or yogurt and fresh fruit.

Although native to China, peaches have been grown in Georgia since breeders began developing new varieties during the early 1900s. And while pecans are native to Texas, today they too are grown commercially in Georgia. This is a simple cobbler that requires little attention after the ingredients have been assembled and put in to cook, and it tastes simply delicious.

You can pretty much use any dried fruit, nuts, or chips that you like in these cookies. Just follow the basic recipe and change the last four ingredients to suit your tastes. You can stay mainstream with them or go crazy and add something out of the ordinary, like dried tropical fruits and macadamia nuts.

I love apple crisp, and this version is the best ever. It’s really easy to make and almost impossible to ruin. This recipe is also great with peaches, pears, blueberries, or raspberries, but if you use berries, put all of the crumble mixture on top, or it will get soggy. No matter what fruit you use, eat it warm with some vanilla ice cream, and oh man, it is the best!

This recipe makes jumbo-sized, chewy oatmeal cookies, ideal for sandwiching ice cream. They stay nice and moist after they’re frozen and are especially good (in my humble opinion) filled with Plum Ice Cream (page 77). Let them cool completely before trying to lift them off the baking sheet. They’ll be somewhat soft, since they’re designed to be retain their tenderness even after they’re frozen. Since these cookies are larger than normal, I find that I can get 6 onto a standard baking sheet (11 by 17 inches, or 28 by 43 cm), so that even when they spread, they don’t touch. If you have several baking sheets, this is a great time to put them into service. If not, let your baking sheet cool completely before baking the next batch of cookies.

If you take a bite of the finished Oatmeal Praline (which I don’t recommend, however tempting), you’ll find that it’s stubbornly hard. But don’t worry. Once you’ve smashed it into bits, folded it into your favorite ice cream, and left it in the freezer a bit, the pieces will soften up perfectly and become toothsome nuggets.

I can’t say I make it a habit of, or admit to, meeting women online. But luckily for me, my first time was the charm. I fell for Heidi Swanson, who entices men (and women) with her gorgeous web site, www.101cookbooks.com. An accomplished photographer and cookbook author, her recipes are tried-and-true and are always accompanied by stunning photos and clever commentary. When we actually met, she was just as charming in person as online—which I hear makes me luckier than most of the other fellows out there. Here’s a recipe I’ve adapted from her site. It makes a healthy, delightfully crunchy topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert, and since the recipe makes a bit more than you might need, you can keep some on hand for a great breakfast treat as well.

This ice cream tastes just like a big, moist, chewy oatmeal cookie, thanks to the winning combination of plump raisins and crunchy oatmeal praline folded into a custard made with just the right touch of brown sugar.

I was doing a cooking demonstration in health-conscious Los Angeles, and when I melted the half-stick of butter that this recipe calls for—a modest amount by my standards—a woman near the front row panicked and exclaimed, “Oh my God! Look at all that butter he’s using!” I’m not sure these cookies fall into the “healthy” category, but with just a half-stick of butter for nearly 2 dozen cookies, I’d say you shouldn’t feel all that guilty about indulging in one—or maybe two, for those of you who really want to live on the edge. These cookies are a riff on Anzac biscuits that were created as sustenance for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac). I adapted a recipe from Cooking Light magazine, adding dried cranberries and naming them “cranzac cookies,” but I’ve left them lean enough to keep those who eat them in fighting weight.

Here’s a staple no-roll piecrust that’s assembled in minutes.

This refreshing apple pie is made with enzyme-rich raw apples and contains no fat. Completely fat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, and wheat-free—it’s totally guilt-free.

A cross between apple pie and crumb cake, these cookie bars are perfect for parties, picnics, and crowds, and a great addition to any cookie platter. For the best taste and texture, I recommend you use any combination of Macintosh, Cortland, or Golden Delicious apples for the filling.

For variety, substitute prunes for the apricots in these fat-free (and guilt-free) bars. Sweet and chewy, they make a nice lunch box treat.

These chewy low-fat cookies make the perfect afternoon snack. Chock-full of fiber and protein, they’re a nutritious pick-me-up—and they’re quick and easy to make.

My husband, Joe, asked me to come up with a healthy version of a delicious cookie we once tasted at a gourmet foods shop. I decided to go one better and make them vegan so everyone can love ’em as much as we do.

I’ve been making these irresistible cookies since opening my first Sprouts Café in Trumbull, Connecticut, years ago. I now make them with agave nectar and sprouted spelt flour, and they’re better than ever.

These cookies are moist and chewy, just like they should be. They’re also secretly boosted with fiber from flaxseed meal. You don’t have to tell the kids.