Sweets for the--Well, You Know

These sweets are all favorites of mine, and any of them would make a good Valentine’s Day treat.

For those friends and family members concerned about fat, there’s nothing like these soft, homemade marshmallows--they’re just sweet enough and very delicate in texture. I received a batch of them as a present, and they were so good that I didn’t share them with a soul.

The pecan pie bar cookies are sweet, chewy and addictive while the thin chocolate cookie crisps are less sweet, the perfect foil for after-dinner espresso or an afternoon tea.

The bars can be kept up to five days in an airtight container at room temperature or frozen as long as a month. Experiment with different flavorings--coffee, mint, almond, coconut.

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Pecan Pie Cookie Bars

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

BASE

1 cup flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Dash salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Set aside an ungreased 8-inch-square pan.

Mix together the flour, brown sugar, butter and salt in a mixer or processor until crumbly. Spread the crumbs evenly over the pan. Lay plastic wrap over the top and press them firmly into place. Remove the plastic.

Bake until lightly browned, about 18 to 20 minutes.

TOPPING

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 eggs

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Dash salt

1 teaspoon Bourbon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

While the base is baking, combine the sugar, maple syrup, eggs, flour, butter, salt, Bourbon and vanilla in the same (unwashed) mixer or processor until just mixed together. Stir in the pecans.

When the base is baked, remove it from the oven and evenly spoon the topping over the hot base.

Bake until the surface is set and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a rack, then refrigerate it in order to cut into neat squares.

32 bars. Each bar: 157 calories; 27 mg sodium; 26 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.74 gram fiber.

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Karen Kelly’s Marshmallows

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus 8 hours chilling

1 (1/4-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons cold water

1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided

6 tablespoons hot water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Set aside a lightly buttered (bottom and sides) 13x9-inch baking pan. Place the gelatin in a small dish; stir in the cold water and set aside.

Place 1/4 cup of the corn syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer. Combine the hot water, remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup and the granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then boil uncovered, without stirring, until the mixture registers 230 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.

Add to the mixer bowl. Whip on medium high, slowly adding the gelatin mixture by spoonfuls. Continue whipping until the outside of the bowl feels cool to the touch and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla; mix until combined.

Spread the mixture evenly in the pan (it will be about 1/2 inch thick). Let it rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 24 hours. Use a paring knife dipped into hot water to cut the marshmallows into 2-inch squares.

Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Toss the marshmallows in the sugar to keep them from sticking. These can be stored up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight tin, layered between pieces of wax paper.

24 (2-inch) square marshmallows. Each marshmallow: 62 calories; 9 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0 gram fiber.

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Thin Chocolate Cookies With Oatmeal and Walnuts

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 40 minutes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup minced walnuts

2/3 cup oatmeal

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2baking sheets, then sprinkle lightly with water (to release cookies from pan after they are baked); set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg, vanilla and syrup. Mix until smooth. Add the cocoa, flour and salt. Mix well. Add the walnuts and oatmeal. Mix until combined.

Drop the batter by 1/2-tablespoon measures, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared pans. Use a finger dipped in water to flatten each cookie. Bake until the cookies are darker around the edges, about 7 to 8 minutes. Let them rest on the pan until firm enough to transfer (with a metal spatula) to a cooling rack. Cool completely. The cookies can be kept up to 1 week, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

About 40 cookies. Each cookie: 66 calories; 20 mg sodium; 11 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.63 gram fiber.