The Trick Is the Treat

Dried carrots and raisins can take the place of high-fat nuts in oatmeal cookies. And they make a great alternative to Halloween candy.

You can find the dried carrots at health food stores and other retailers (see Cookstuff, below). The butter is kept to a minimum and egg substitute is used instead of real eggs to keep the fat as low as possible.

The cookies are also lower in sugar than they typically would be and are a terrific midmorning snack with a cup of coffee or tea.

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CARROT RAISIN COOKIES

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup nonfat egg substitute (equivalent to 2 eggs)

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup nonfat milk

1/2 cup chopped dried carrots

1/2 cup raisins

Nonstick cooking spray

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Beat in brown sugar. Beat in egg substitute, honey and vanilla.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in oats. Stir into butter-honey mixture alternately with milk. Stir in dried carrots and raisins. Spoon by tablespoon onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees 12 to 15 minutes.

About 2 dozen cookies. Each cookie:

147 calories; 82 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.24 gram fiber.

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More Halloween Treats: Pumpkin Face Cookies, Times Past, H2.