Perfect for this time of year when just about everyone is trying to shed a few pounds, these bar cookies are a lighter twist on one of my favorite solar baked goodies. The more decadent version can be found here.

Sun Oven Raspberry Bars

(adapted for the Sun Oven from Weight Watchers In One Pot Cookbook)

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped

1 large egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 (10-ounce) jar raspberry fruit spread

1/4 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Spray a 9-inch square baking baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the almonds. In a small bowl, beat egg and oil then add to the flour mixture, stirring until well blended. Using your fingers, stir mixture until moist crumbs form. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture. Put remaining mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake in the Sun Oven until set and lightly browned along the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Leave the Sun Oven out.

Coarsely mash the raspberries in a small bowl. Stir in the fruit spread. Spread raspberry mixture evenly over the hot crust. Mix the oats with the reserved 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the fruit spread. Return the pan to the Sun Oven and bake until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

I try to keep almonds and candied cherries in the pantry just so I can make a batch of these macaroons whenever I have a craving for them.

Sun Oven Almond Macaroons

Ingredients

1 cup whole almonds, blanched

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg white

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

pinch salt

4 green candied cherries

4 red candied cherries

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside 4 whole almonds. Process the remaining almonds and the sugar in a food processor, pulsing, until fine. Add the egg white, almond extract, and salt; pulsing until combined. Divide the mixture into 16 balls and arrange them, 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheet. Using moistened hands, slightly flatten the cookies. Press the reserved almonds and the cherries onto the cookies. Bake until lightly brown, about 20 minutes. Cool cookies on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

Normally I would use a maple leaf shaped cutter for these cookies but the shamrock seemed more appropriate for this time of year.

Sun Oven Maple Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the maple syrup and egg. Add the flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Scrape the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours.

Set the Sun Oven out to preheat while the dough is in the refrigerator. Line dehydrating racks with parchment paper or silicone baking mats or lightly grease stackable baking sheets. Roll out half the dough 1/8 in thick on a lightly floured surface. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated. Using a 3 1/2-inch floured cookie cutter cut out 12 cookies. Arrange cookies on the prepared racks or baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool cookies on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes about 24 cookies.

When baking cookies in the Sun Oven there are three things to keep in mind: adjust the tilt of the Sun Oven before putting the cookies in the cooking chamber, use rimmed baking sheets, and set a timer. Due to the high fat content of cookies they can easily slide off the pans. Getting the leveling tray as flat as possible and a rimmed baking sheet (or the rim of the dehydrating racks) will stop that from happening. The cooking time is short enough that you won’t have to readjust the tilt while they’re baking. The fat content also make cookies one of the few foods that can burn in the Sun Oven. A timer will solve that problem. You don’t need the dehydrating rakes to bake drop cookies but they make it a lot easier.

Sun Oven Molasses Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark molasses

1/2 cup sugar for rolling the dough

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Line dehydrating racks with parchment paper or silicone baking mats or spray baking sheets with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixture at medium-high speed, beat the butter with the brown sugar and 1/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add the yolk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Beat in molasses. Reduce to low speed and add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Dough will be soft.

Put the 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Using moistened hands roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1 1/2-inch ball. Drop the ball in the sugar. Make another two or three balls and toss to coat with sugar. Set them on the prepared racks or pans. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake cookies in Sun Oven until the edges begin to set and the centers are still soft. Top racks may cook faster. Cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Now that we live in the L.A. area long commutes are becoming a part of life. What should be a 20 minute trip can take an hour (on a good day) or more. Easy to eat, fun snacks like these oatmeal bars help make sitting in traffic a little more bearable. This recipe is pretty basic. It can be jazzed up with mix-ins such as chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit.

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats

2/3 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Spray two 6 x 9-inch (toaster oven sized) baking pans with cooking spray, set aside.

Mix together the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the honey, oil, egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.

Mix the wet ingredients into the oatmeal mixture. Stir in the raisins.

Divide the mixture in half and firmly press it into the prepared baking pans. Using a rack to separate the pans, bake in the Sun Oven until light brown and firm, 30 to 45 minutes. (If you don’t have a rack use a baking pan with higher sides and cross stack the two pans.)

Cool in pans on wire racks. Turn out onto a cutting board and cut into bars. Store in airtight containers.

Bar cookies are always a good choice for Sun Oven baking because the whole batch will easily fit in the cooking chamber in one go. Removing this batch was a little tricky. I was struggling to get a grip on the pan until I realized it was much easier to just remove the leveling tray and lift it out with the pan still on it.

Solar Apricot Squares

Ingredients

Almond Crust

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

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup blanched almonds, finely ground

1/4 cup sugar

Apricot Topping

1 cup dried apricots

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl beat the butter, flour, ground almonds, and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until a crumbly dough forms. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake until the top is slightly puffed and golden, 30 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Put the apricots in a medium saucepan and cover with water, bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer covered until very soft. 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and finely chop. Put chopped apricots in a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar, eggs, almonds, flour, almond extract, baking powder, and salt. Beat with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Pour over baked crust.

Bake until puffed and golden, 30 to 45 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 16 squares. Store in single layers in airtight containers.

Sun Oven Maple-Glazed Bars

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cups packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup raisins

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat. Line two 9 x 6-inch baking pans with parchment paper allowing it to extend over the rim of the pan by 2 inches.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, pumpkin pie  spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using a wooden spoon, combine the applesauce, brown sugar, and oil in a large bowl until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the applesauce mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the raisins. Spread the batter evenly into the two pans. Cross stack the pans in the Sun Oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and the maple syrup until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush syrup mixture over bars; let cool completely. Lift from pans using the parchment paper as handles. Cut into 24 bars.

I can’t remember the last time I baked sugar cookies. I don’t have the patience, let alone the skill, for fancy decoration. Food coloring or decorating sugars are not things I keep on hand, and, at least until now, it was hard to fit very many cookies in the Sun Oven at one time, but after my recent cake calamity I was left with a craving for something sweet. When I saw a sugar cookie baking mix at Trader Joe’s I couldn’t resist.

The dehydrating racks took care of the space issue. The mix comes with frosting and sparkling sugar and, with a yield of only about two dozen, I managed to muster up the patience to frost them. Cookie cutters were not an issue. I pick them up at yard sales or thrift stores, and now  have an extensive collection of them, so it was nice to get a chance to use a few.

We were among the thousands of Los Angeles area residents without power after the massive windstorm Thursday night so I finally got to use my Sun Oven in an emergency situation. What did I make? Cookies, of course. I thought, based on the estimate given to us by the power company, that the outage would be fixed by early evening. If I’d known we’d be without power until the following day I might have rustled together something for dinner instead, but cookies were on my schedule so that’s what I made. We had just enough sunshine to get the job done.

Big Sun Oven Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat. If using dehydrating racks line with parchment paper or silpat mats, otherwise line 3 rimmed baking pans with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Beat the butter until creamy, by hand or with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins (if using). Roll the dough into 2-inch balls. Place balls on prepared baking racks or pans about 2 inches apart. Flatten the balls slightly. Bake in Sun Oven 30 to 40 minutes. Remove top layer, if lower layers are not done continue baking an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Cool cookies on baking pans or racks for 2 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely. Store in air tight containers.

Makes 9 t0 12 cookies

I’m sure I’m not the only one that looked at the new dehydrating racks and thought “Could they be used for baking?” The answer is yes. Today I baked a full batch of drop cookies, over three dozen, in two Sun Oven loads. The same as it would have taken to bake them in a conventional oven. The top layer baked slightly faster, but by less than five minutes, pretty much the time it took to take the top layer inside and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

Sun Oven Muesli Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

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

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 egg

1 cup muesli (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cups chopped almonds

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat. Line racks with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Sift together first six ingredients, flour through salt, into a medium bowl. Set aside.

With an electric mixer beat the butter and the sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the orange juice and egg. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Stir in the muesli, raisins, nuts, and oats.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on prepared racks. Smooth tops slightly with moistened fingers. Bake in Sun Oven until surface is set. Cool cookies completely on a rack. Store in airtight containers.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.